BackgroundNigeria has the second highest estimated number of deaths due to acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children under five in the world. A common hypothesis is that the inequitable distribution of socioeconomic resources shapes individual lifestyles and health behaviors, which leads to poorer health, including symptoms of ARI. This study examined whether lifestyle factors are associated with ARI risk among Nigerian children aged less than 5 years, taking individual-level and contextual-level risk factors into consideration.MethodsData were obtained from the nationally representative 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 28,596 surviving children aged 5 years or younger living in 896 communities were analyzed. We employed two-level multilevel logistic regressions to model the relationship between lifestyle factors and ARI symptoms.ResultsThe multivariate results from multilevel regressions indicated that the odds of having ARI symptoms were increased by a number of lifestyle factors such as in-house biomass cooking (OR = 2.30; p < 0.01) and no hand-washing (OR = 1.66; p < 0.001). An increased risk of ARI symptoms was also significantly associated with living in the North West region and the community with a high proportion of orphaned/vulnerable children (OR = 1.74; p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur findings underscore the importance of Nigerian children’s lifestyle within the neighborhoods where they reside above their individual characteristics. Program-based strategies that are aimed at reducing ARI symptoms should consider policies that embrace making available basic housing standards, providing improved cooking stoves and enhancing healthy behaviors.

The exposure-disease-stress model places young children in their physical and social contexts and considers the extent and intensity of associational links to symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI), taking in to account a range of biological, social, and environment components. This study uses the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey to assess the individual and environmental risks present in the North-Western and South-Southern Nigerian communities and examines their associations with ARI symptoms. The descriptive findings show that the prevalence of ARI symptoms is significantly higher among preschool children in the North-Western province (5.7%) than in the South-Southern province (1.4%) (p < 0.001). In addition to regional differences, multilevel logistic models further indicate that the increased likelihood of a child suffering from ARI symptoms is significantly associated with the dry season (aOR 1.42; 95% CI: 1.02–1.97) and household poverty (aOR 1.42; 95% CI: 1.01–1.99), even after adjusting for the cooking fuel used and various other characteristics of the children, households, and communities. These findings underscore the importance of taking into account environmental risks when addressing specific regional variations in ARI symptoms, because these determinants differ between communities in Nigeria. As it is imperative to achieve minimum levels of child health, in order to improve economic development across regions, future health policies aiming to promote child health will benefit from taking a region-specific perspective into consideration.

BackgroundAcute respiratory infections (ARI) are major causes of morbidity and mortality in many low-income countries. Although factors associated with ARI symptoms in children under 5 years of age have been identified; however, variation in their prevalence resulting from regional-specific proximate determinants has received little attention. Therefore, we aim to investigate the specific regional determinants of overall and wealth-related inequality in children having ARI in Nigeria over a decade.MethodsWe analyzed trends in development of ARI symptoms among children under 5 years of age in Nigeria using nationally representative cross sectional surveys carried out in 2003, 2008 and 2013. Overall- and household wealth index based- inequality in the distribution of prevalence of ARI symptoms were estimated by region using Gini index and Concentration Index, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions for complex survey and decomposition analysis for both indexes were used to calculate percentual contribution.ResultsWe found a decreasing trend in development of ARI symptoms over the decade between regions. Children in South Western region had reduced likelihood of developing the symptoms. Concentration index (CI) for the prevalence of ARI symptoms over the years and across regions had negative values (all p < 0.05). Gini index (GI) varies from 0.21 in North East to 0.62 in South Western region. Furthermore, the mapping showed that the extent at which both inequalities contribute to ARI symptoms prevalence in each region is different. The four major sources of wealth-related inequalities were poor households, no maternal education, biomass cooking, and rural area.The major contributors to overall inequalities were having a child aged 6 to 23 months, having no maternal education, having no vaccination card, and having a high birth order/short birth interval.ConclusionsAlthough ARI prevalence decreased over the decade, it has remained unequally distributed between regions and over the time. The sources of those inequalities are context sensitive. Thus, in future health promotion initiatives, it is imperative to account for regional variations in the distribution of ARI.

BackgroundCommunity attributes have been gradually recognized as critical determinants shaping sexual behaviors in young population; nevertheless, most of the published studies were conducted in high income countries. The study aims to examine the association between community social capital with the time to sexual onset and to first birth in Central America.MethodsBuilding upon the 2011/12 Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Nicaragua, we identified a sample of 2766 community-dwelling female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Multilevel survival analyses were performed to estimate the risks linked with three domains of community social capital (i.e., norms, resource and social network).ResultsHigher prevalence of female sexual debut (norms) and higher proportion of secondary school or higher education (resource) in the community are associated with an earlier age of sexual debut by 47 % (p < 0.05) and 16 %, respectively (p < 0.001). Living in a community with a high proportion of females having a child increases the hazard of teen birth (p < 0.001) and resource is negatively associated with teen childbearing (p < 0.05). Residential stability and community religious composition (social network) were not linked with teen-onset sex and birth.ConclusionsThe norm and resource aspects of social capital appeared differentially associated with adolescent sexual and reproductive behaviors. Interventions aiming to tackle unfavorable sexual and reproductive outcomes in young people should be devised and implemented with integration of social process.

BackgroundProviders’ qualification (Medical doctor [MD] or nurse); type of care facility ownership (for-profit [FP] or not-for-profit [NFP]) may all influence individuals’ healthcare-seeking behavior and therefore merits empirical assessment to provide valuable evidence-informed policy orientation in the present context of private health system development. Previous studies have not examined these factors in combination, especially within the urban context of sub-Sahara Africa, where the private sector is rapidly growing. This study aims to explore factors associated with urban residents’ preferences between private MD-led and private nurse-led outpatient care and how these factors vary by type of private health facility ownership (FP and NFP) and levels of disease severity (severe and non-severe cases).MethodsA cross-sectional household survey was conducted in July-November 2011 on a random final sample of 2064 adults (646 households). We used a face-to-face interview to capture participants’ choice of provider and their associated factors. A multivariable logistic regression was applied.ResultsFor severe conditions, participants, almost equally sought FP and NFP facilities, only 36.4% preferred nurses compared to MDs, while for non-severe cases 53.2% preferred FP facilities and only 29.2% patronized nurses. For non-severe conditions, university educated were more likely to use MDs-led FP compared to nurse-led FP facilities (Odds Ratio [OR] = 4.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.62–8.30) and MD-led FP over MD-led NFP facilities (OR = 1.03, 95%CI = 1.01–1.04), for severe health conditions. Having insurance predicted MD-led FP preference over nurse-led FP. Furthermore, insurance predicted the preference for MD-led FP over MD-led NFP facilities. Employment did not distinguish participants’ choice of provider.ConclusionThe findings suggest that, at different levels, MDs and nurses from FP and NFP facilities importantly contribute to health services delivery regardless of the severity of health conditions. The results offer some valuable evidence for policy orientation in the current rising tide of the private system, including workforce development, and practitioners' role definition. We suggested that health insurance mechanism would reinforce the private health services utilization and could enhance progress towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.