Abstract

MODELLING THE RISK INDEX OF INFANT MORTALITY IN NIGERIA

Iseh, Matthew Joshua1 , Ph.D. & Udoh, Nse Sunday2 , Ph.D.

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This study models the determinants of infant mortality in Nigeria. Among other factors, this study examined some risk factors considered as basic determinants associated with infant mortality to include; types of residence, Wealth index, Sex of the Child, Mothers’ level of education, parity, birth order, source of drinking water and toilet facilities. The determinants of 23666 households in Nigeria were extracted from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2013. This study adopts the Logistic regression technique to analyze the determinants of infant mortality in Nigeria. Results obtained revealed that five determinants have significant influence on infant mortality, and this include; wealth index, mothers’ level of education, sex of the child, parity, and birth order. In addition, the result further indicates that the odds of infant mortality were higher in households who were either poorer or poorest. However, it is noticeable in the result that as household wealth index increases, the odds of infant mortality decreases significantly. KEYWORDS: Determinants, Logistic regression, Odds ratio, Households

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