ABSTRACT

Existing studies on the impact of orphanhood on wasting in sub-Saharan Africa were historically conducted in East and South Africa. These studies have been interested in understanding how close kinship ties with household heads impact orphans' risk of wasting, considering economic resources in the household. The unavailability of secondary data in the past made exploring the idea difficult. Little is known on the subject in West Africa, particularly Nigeria. This research undertakes this topic by analyzing the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey Data and employing a multi-level logistic regression model. The research examines the interaction of being a paternal orphan or vulnerable child and the child's relationship to the household head on early childhood malnutrition as measured by weight-for-height z-score, wasting. It also ascertains whether the interaction effect varies with household income. Results show that, regardless of residence in poor or non-poor households, being a paternal orphan or vulnerable child coupled with being a grandchild produces the highest probability of wasting, especially in poor households. Further, results show that extended families and relatives, particularly grandparents-headed households, are not meeting the nutritional needs of paternal orphans or vulnerable children who are grandchildren, especially in poor households.

摘要

现有关于孤儿对撒哈拉以南非洲消瘦影响的研究历来都是在东非和南非进行的。考虑到家庭的经济资源，这些研究旨在了解与户主的密切亲属关系如何影响孤儿消瘦的风险。过去无法获得二手数据使得探索这个想法变得困难。在西非，尤其是尼日利亚，人们对这个问题知之甚少。本研究通过分析 2013 年尼日利亚人口和健康调查数据并采用多层次逻辑回归模型来开展这一主题。该研究调查了作为父亲孤儿或弱势儿童与儿童与户主的关系对儿童早期营养不良的相互作用，通过身高别体重 z 分数、消瘦来衡量。它还确定交互效应是否随家庭收入而变化。结果表明，无论居住在贫困家庭还是非贫困家庭，作为父亲的孤儿或弱势儿童再加上孙辈，消瘦的概率最高，尤其是在贫困家庭。此外，结果表明，大家庭和亲戚，尤其是祖父母为户主的家庭，无法满足父亲孤儿或孙辈的弱势儿童的营养需求，尤其是在贫困家庭中。