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Analysis of Household Wealth and Child HealthCare Utilization in Nigeria

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Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between household wealth and child healthcare utilization in Nigeria. The study employed descriptive statistics and poison regression analysis with cross-sectional data sourced from a demographic and health survey. The results from the study indicate that wealth is statistically significant to child healthcare utilization or household decision on seeking healthcare services for their child. Also, education of the household head, cost of healthcare services, health insurance status of the child, age of child, and household size or number of household members are socioeconomic factors that impact child healthcare utilization in Nigeria. The study also finds that households in higher wealth index are more likely to seek healthcare for the child, while households with higher education and health insurance and those within the middle to richest wealth quintiles are more likely to seek appropriate healthcare for the child compared to those in the poorer to poorest wealth quintiles. The findings also indicate that cost of healthcare services is a major socioeconomic factor that influences child healthcare utilization. Low cost of healthcare services is likely to aid household demand for child healthcare compared to the high cost of healthcare services. In addition, the study finds that the demand for child healthcare falls with the age of the child. The study concludes that differences in the utilization of child healthcare among households may be caused by wealth inequality and other factors. This is supported by the fact that most households in the lower wealth quintile and socioeconomic status seek healthcare for the child from the traditional means and chemist instead of going to hospitals with qualify doctors and nurses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Anthony Orji, Celine Onyinyechi Obochi, Jonathan E. Ogbuabor & Onyinye I. Anthony-Orji

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Chinonso Akudo Okoro

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  1. Anthony Orji
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  2. Celine Onyinyechi Obochi
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  3. Jonathan E. Ogbuabor
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  4. Onyinye I. Anthony-Orji
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  5. Chinonso Akudo Okoro
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Correspondence to Chinonso Akudo Okoro.

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Orji, A., Obochi, C.O., Ogbuabor, J.E. et al. Analysis of Household Wealth and Child HealthCare Utilization in Nigeria. J Knowl Econ (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-022-01056-0

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