Child deaths in Africa could be prevented by family planning
2019 OCT 10 (NewsRx) -- By a
An international team of researchers led by
Published in the journal BMJ Open, Professor
“Across African countries, national child health was lowest when water quality, improved sanitation, air quality, and environmental performance were lowest. We have also provided the first empirical evidence that large households are linked to worsening child health outcomes in developing nations,” says
Population size in many African countries will increase rapidly over the coming decades, raising concerns that the added pressures on infrastructure and the environment will further compromise child-health outcomes.
“In most regions of
“These concerning results emphasise the importance of continued investment in clean water and sanitation services, measures to improve air quality, broad-scale family planning, and efforts to restrict further environmental degradation, all to promote the United Nations’
Co-author Professor
“Health professionals have largely been ignoring the negative consequences of overpopulation and environmental degradation -- including climate change -- on child health in developing nations. They no longer have a reason to do so with this new evidence.”
The relationship between child-health outcomes and causes is based on the most recent data and presents a snapshot in time, rather then what might have been more important historical challenges, according to the authors.
“Failing to break out of the poverty trap is partially a result of poor health causing lower economic performance, which itself erodes health outcomes. In fact, it has been estimated that the African region will lose approximately 6% of its gross domestic product from the future years of life lost.” says
Better environmental management and dedicated family planning across
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