Institute of Geography and Development Studies
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/147
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Item Socioeconomic Characteristics of Child-Bearing Mothers and Feeding Practices of Under-Five Children in Kori Chiefdom, Sierra Leone(Scientific Research Publishing, 2022) Blango, Victoria Nancy**Introduction:** The use of proper feeding practices is key for the overall development of children. Generally, breastfeeding and complementary feeding make up the diet and therefore the nutritional status of children. However, the degree to which mothers adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding is key to the nutritional status of children. Again, the adherence to this dietary recommendation is contingent on the socio-economic conditions of the child-bearing parents, especially the mothers. Here in this study, the socio-economic characteristics were analyzed along with the feeding practices of children not more than five years old in rural Sierra Leone. **Method:** Data were collected in 2017 on representative mothers with children within 0 - 5 years old. A total of 10 communities and 200 respondents were randomly covered in the Kori Chiefdom of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone. The data collection instruments included structured questionnaire, inter-personal interaction, personal observation and experience. The collected data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel and SPSS and the results presented in simple graphs. **Results:** A large number of the respondents were married teenage mothers with 1 - 2 children and living under extreme hardship by the United Nations (UN) standard. Also, most of the mothers were illiterate and started breastfeeding their children within the very hour of birth. Because complementary feeding was started all too early, exclusive breastfeeding last for not more than two months for most of the respondent mothers. Also, because rice is by far the most widely eaten the staple food in Sierra Leone, complementary food was mostly powdered rice mixed with salt and oil. Hardly was protein food supplement used as complementary food, probably due to the economic conditions of the poor rural women. **Conclusion:** The study has thrown sufficient light on the socio-economic characteristics and adopted feeding practices of children in poor rural Sierra Leone. In this sense, the study has laid the basis for sufficient for in-depth correlativity studies on the factors driving feeding practices of children and how it in turn impacts nutritional status of children in poor rural Africa. From here, practically adoptable recommendations can be advanced for the attention of the governments, public institutions, the private sector and the individuals of the society.Item Driving Factors of Infants and Under-five Children Feeding Practices in Kori Chiefdom, Sierra Leone(B P International (a part of SCIENCEDOMAIN International), 2023-02-04) Blango, Victoria Nancy**Introduction:** The degree to which mothers adhere to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regarding breastfeeding and complementary feeding is key to the nutritional status of their infants and young children and their overall development. However, the adherence to this dietary recommendation is contingent on the socio-economic conditions of the child-bearing parents, especially the mothers. This study looks at how the socioeconomic characteristics of mothers influenced the feeding practices of children not more than five years old in rural Sierra Leone. **Method:** Data were collected in 2017 on representative mothers with children within 0-5 years old. A total of 10 communities and 200 respondents were randomly covered in the Kori Chiefdom of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone. Structured questionnaires, inter-personal interaction, personal observation, and experience were all used to collect data. The data was analysed in Microsoft Excel and SPSS, and the results were displayed in simple graphs and tables. **Results:** Socioeconomic characteristics of mothers such as access to nutritional information, age, parity and educational status of mother as well as household’s monthly income had effects on some feeding practices. Mothers with better access to nutritional information did timely initiation of breastfeeding. Also, there was a positive correlation between mothers’ education and exclusive breastfeeding (r = 0.233, p < 0.01). Mother’s age and parity also have positive relations with duration of breastfeeding (r = 0.552, p < 0.01) (r = 0.191, p < 0.01). However, household’s monthly income had a negative correlation with age of introduction of the child to complementary feeding (r = -0.259, P < 0.01) and its duration a strong positive one (r = 0.202, p < 0.01) than education of the mother. Whereas, a slight negative correlation exit between the age of the mother and duration/period of complementary feeding (r = -0.206, p < 0.01). **Conclusion:** The study shed enough light on the socioeconomic characteristics and feeding practises of children in impoverished rural Sierra Leone. In this sense, the study has laid the groundwork for more in-depth correlation studies on the factors influencing children's feeding practises and how this affects the nutritional status of children in poor rural Africa. From here, practically adoptable recommendations can be advanced for the attention of the governments, public institutions, the private sector and the individuals of the society.Item Integrated Care and Conditional Health Benefits: A Mixed-Methods Study of Family Planning Impact on Maternal and Child Health among Married Women in Bo City, Sierra Leone(Scientific Research Publishing, 2026) Blango, Victoria Nancy**Background:** Health benefits from family planning (FP) are well established, yet little is known about how health benefits from FP are experienced in low-resource settings. This study assessed the self-reported association of FP on maternal and child health among married women in Bo City, Sierra Leone, and explored the mechanisms or pathways through which FP benefits are experienced. **Methods:** A mixed-methods cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 1500 married women aged 15 - 49 years from 25 enumeration areas in Bo City were studied using a structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 20 married women, while 5 focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with married women, men, elders, and health care providers from the study areas. **Results:** Findings showed that 83.0% of married women using FP reported positive child spacing outcomes, while 76.8% reported prevention of unintended pregnancy. The interaction FP × High Parity showed that the perceived benefits of FP concentrate among high-parity women (aOR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.28 - 4.4.69; p = 0.0077). The FP × Regular ANC interaction showed that combined FP and ANC was associated with reduced pregnancy complications by 52% (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.24 - 0.96; p = 0.033). Non-users had 96% higher odds of reporting no improvement in child health (aOR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.50 - 2.57; p < 0.001) and almost 4 times higher odds of being unsure about benefits (aOR = 3.88; 95% CI: 2.63 - 5.73; p < 0.001). Thematic analysis of qualitative accounts identified four key themes that explained health benefits from FP, including maternal depletion prevention, integrated care synergies, resource allocation, and benefit invisibility. **Conclusions:** The perceived health benefits of FP are conditional and concentrated among high-parity women and those with access to antenatal care. Targeting high-parity women and integrating FP into ANC and child health services are recommended.Item Determinants of Fertility, Child Marriage, and Family Planning Use among Married Women in Bo City, Sierra Leone(International Research and Academic Scholar Society Publisher, 2026-07-29) Blango, Victoria Nancy**Background:** Sierra Leone has one of the highest fertility rates in West Africa (TFR=4.2). Understanding fertility determinants in urban settings is essential for targeted programming. This study examined demographic, educational, religious, marital, household, and socioeconomic factors associated with fertility and family planning (FP) use among married women in Bo City, Sierra Leone, with comparisons to other West African countries. **Methods:** A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,500 married women aged 15-49 years in Bo City (February 2025). Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and binary logistic regression were employed. Outcomes included children ever born (CEB), age-specific fertility rate (ASFR), total fertility rate (TFR), contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), unmet need, desired children, child marriage, polygamy, and household arrangement. Comparisons were made with Demographic and Health Survey data from Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea. **Results:** Mean CEB was 2.16, mean desired children was 4.03, yielding a desired–achieved gap of 1.87 children. TFR was 4.67. Overall CPR was 61.6%, the highest in West Africa. Child marriage (18%) and polygamy (14.3%) were the lowest in West Africa. Female secondary+ enrollment (71%) was the highest in West Africa. Muslim women had higher fertility (CEB: 2.33 vs 1.96) and lower CPR (57.0% vs 68.0%) than Christian women. Adolescent fertility (125 per 1,000) was among the highest in West Africa. In adjusted analyses, bank access (AOR=1.85), healthcare decision-making autonomy (spouse alone vs self alone: AOR=0.31), and media access (AOR=1.21 per media type) were the strongest independent predictors of FP use. **Conclusions:** Bo City presents a paradoxical profile: the highest CPR, lowest child marriage, and highest female education in West Africa, yet TFR remains elevated (4.7), and adolescent fertility is among the region's worst. This suggests that high CPR is recent and adolescents are being left behind. Faith-based engagement, school-based sexuality education, and youth-friendly services are urgently needed.