Socio-economic status and hunger among orphans and vulnerable children households in Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: HIV/AIDS has contributed to increasing orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria. A measure of vulnerability is household hunger. Objective: To assess level of household hunger and associated factors among OVC households in Lagos State. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1300 OVC households in 5 selected Local Government Areas. The LGAs were selected using the Household Vulnerability Assessment index. Data collection was by personal interview of households\u2019 heads/ caregivers using a structured questionnaire capturing socio-demographic, household economic profile and food-related variables. A multivariate logit model was fitted to identify independent predictors of household hunger after adjusting for confounding variables. Results: The population density was 5.1 and 52.8% were females. A larger proportion of females (84.6%) than males (78.3%) reported that they had no food to eat in the last four weeks prior the survey. Poor household economic status (OR=1.41, CI: 1.03-1.92), age and marital status of caregiver were independent predictors of household hunger. The odds of hunger increased with caregiver\u2019s age; higher in households headed by never married (OR=3.99, CI: 1.15-13.89) and divorced/separated caregivers (OR=2.39, CI: 1.11-5.12). Conclusion: OVC households experienced severe hunger. Household economic strengthening would be useful strategy to mitigate the nutrition challenges of OVC in Lagos state

How wealthy are orphans and vulnerable children households in a metropolitan community, South-West Nigeria?

Context/Background: Responding to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) remains a public health challenge. In Nigeria, disparities in wealth among OVC has not been previously documented. Therefore, this study determined the socio-economic status of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in relation to service areas in Lagos Nigeria.Data Sources and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in five local government areas. A child vulnerability assessment form was used to identify 6656 OVC households. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, and items relating to service areas: economy, education, food security, shelter, health and psychosocial issues. Socio-economic status was measured by wealth index; developed using principal component analysis.Results: Child access to healthcare services was lower (46.2%) among poorer females compared to males (50.0%). Access to legal protection was low in all socio-economic categories for both males and females. Food insecurity was significantly higher in the lower wealth quintiles. The odds of adequate shelter increased with increasing wealth quintiles.Conclusion: There were considerable socio-economic inequalities in the access of orphans and vulnerable children to the service areas