Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria
Neonatal mortality remains a critical public health issue, with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiencing disproportionately high rates compared to other global regions. Notably, SSA and South Asia are the regions most lagging behind the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, aiming for <12 neonatal...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Global Health Action |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2394256 |
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| author | Joel-Medewase Victor Idowu Wada Zechariah Ojima Sayomi Bukola Adetutu Adetoye Mayowa Mary Ashaolu Joseph Oluwakayode Olowolafe Tubosun Alex |
| author_facet | Joel-Medewase Victor Idowu Wada Zechariah Ojima Sayomi Bukola Adetutu Adetoye Mayowa Mary Ashaolu Joseph Oluwakayode Olowolafe Tubosun Alex |
| author_sort | Joel-Medewase Victor Idowu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neonatal mortality remains a critical public health issue, with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiencing disproportionately high rates compared to other global regions. Notably, SSA and South Asia are the regions most lagging behind the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, aiming for <12 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. Within SSA, Nigeria, the most populous country, records the highest number of neonatal deaths annually. Given the structural similarities among SSA nations, this narrative review, focusing on Nigeria, explores effective strategies to reduce the neonatal mortality gap. Information about trends, risk factors, and prevalent lapses was obtained from literature from renowned databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and grey literature consisting of reports from relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations. Critical risk factors commonly identified include inadequate antenatal care (less than three visits), lack of access to skilled and clean birth practices, limited healthcare accessibility, financial barriers, substandard environmental conditions, and nutritional shortfalls. This review highlights women’s empowerment as an additional critical factor, often overlooked, in the efforts to decrease neonatal mortality rates. Improving women’s empowerment indices, such as the Gender Inequality Index (GII), employment, and literacy, offers a promising avenue to curtail neonatal mortality rates in Nigeria and across SSA sustainably. While this is potentially a long-term solution, short and medium-term recommendations were also proffered. By integrating women’s empowerment within a broader strategy to improve maternal and newborn health, Nigeria can advance towards securing a healthier future for its youngest population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb521facac2d43b58fb368c9efa60736 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb521facac2d43b58fb368c9efa607362025-02-05T12:46:14ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802024-12-0117110.1080/16549716.2024.23942562394256Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on NigeriaJoel-Medewase Victor Idowu0Wada Zechariah Ojima1Sayomi Bukola Adetutu2Adetoye Mayowa Mary3Ashaolu Joseph Oluwakayode4Olowolafe Tubosun Alex5Ladoke Akintola University of TechnologyHamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar FoundationLadoke Akintola University of TechnologyLAUTECH Teaching HospitalLAUTECH Teaching HospitalLead City UniversityNeonatal mortality remains a critical public health issue, with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiencing disproportionately high rates compared to other global regions. Notably, SSA and South Asia are the regions most lagging behind the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.2, aiming for <12 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. Within SSA, Nigeria, the most populous country, records the highest number of neonatal deaths annually. Given the structural similarities among SSA nations, this narrative review, focusing on Nigeria, explores effective strategies to reduce the neonatal mortality gap. Information about trends, risk factors, and prevalent lapses was obtained from literature from renowned databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and grey literature consisting of reports from relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations. Critical risk factors commonly identified include inadequate antenatal care (less than three visits), lack of access to skilled and clean birth practices, limited healthcare accessibility, financial barriers, substandard environmental conditions, and nutritional shortfalls. This review highlights women’s empowerment as an additional critical factor, often overlooked, in the efforts to decrease neonatal mortality rates. Improving women’s empowerment indices, such as the Gender Inequality Index (GII), employment, and literacy, offers a promising avenue to curtail neonatal mortality rates in Nigeria and across SSA sustainably. While this is potentially a long-term solution, short and medium-term recommendations were also proffered. By integrating women’s empowerment within a broader strategy to improve maternal and newborn health, Nigeria can advance towards securing a healthier future for its youngest population.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2394256neonatessustainable development goal 3women’s empowermentgender equalitywomen and girls |
| spellingShingle | Joel-Medewase Victor Idowu Wada Zechariah Ojima Sayomi Bukola Adetutu Adetoye Mayowa Mary Ashaolu Joseph Oluwakayode Olowolafe Tubosun Alex Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria Global Health Action neonates sustainable development goal 3 women’s empowerment gender equality women and girls |
| title | Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria |
| title_full | Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria |
| title_fullStr | Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria |
| title_short | Women’s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa: a narrative review focused on Nigeria |
| title_sort | women s empowerment as a determinant of neonatal mortality in sub saharan africa a narrative review focused on nigeria |
| topic | neonates sustainable development goal 3 women’s empowerment gender equality women and girls |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2394256 |
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