Nigeria - National Nutrition and Health Survey 2014, Second round

Version 1.0(June, 2016).

2014-12-03

Nigeria is one of the six countries that accounts for half of all child deaths from malnutrition worldwide. Every year, one million children under five die, 45% of them due to causes attributed to malnutrition. Prevalence of child malnutrition vary significantly across the six geopolitical zones:

children living in the North West and in the North East stand out as being particularly disadvantaged (percent stunted in North West and North East is 50 and 47 respectively, compared to 29 in North Central, 20 in the South South and in the South West, and 10 in the South East). Similar patterns emerge for underweight and wasting. Malnutrition prevalence among women of reproductive age are also high and geographically non homogenous. The prevalence of malnutrition among women ranges from 2 percent in the South East to 10 percent in the North East and rates are particularly high for adolescents (15-19 years) as compared to women aged 20-49 years (16 versus 3 percent). A positive association was also noted between women and child nutritional status.

This situation has profound implications for health and human development, and presents a major obstacle to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals4 (MDG) in the country.

In terms of child – and women – health and nutrition, these targets aim to reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate and by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio, reversing at the same time the incidence of malaria and other major diseases, and doubling the proportion of people with access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. In addition to targeting the MDGs, in October 2012, Nigeria launched the “Saving One Million Lives” initiative aimed to improve health outcomes by specifically saving one million lives by 2015.

The objectives of the survey are:

1. Determine the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and overweight among children 0 to 59 months of age,

2. Determine the prevalence of acute malnutrition among children 6 to 59 months of age using weight for height (WHZ) and bilateral edema and Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and bilateral edema,

3. Assess infant and young child feeding practice: ever breastfed, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, minimum meal frequency, minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet among children age 0-23 months,

4. Estimate coverage of vitamin A supplementation and de-worming among children 6 to 59 and 12 to 59 months of age respectively within the last six months,

5. Determine the coverage of DPT3/Penta3 and measles vaccination among children 12 to 23 months of age, and assess the prevalence of diarrhoea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and relative treatment among children under five years of age.

6. Determine the ownership and access of Mosquito Nets and anti-malarial treatment of children under age 5,

7. Determine the prevalence of acute malnutrition among women 15 to 49 years of age using MUAC,

8. Assess the practice of skilled birth attendants, contraceptive prevalence rate and use of iron supplementation during pregnancy among women 15 to 49 years,

9. Determine access to improved drinking water, and sanitation facility and under 3 years children's faeces disposal practice.

Sample survey data [ssd]

Households.