Social determinants and dynamics of health inequality in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the social determinants of health inequality in Nigeria by quantifying the dynamic relationship between socioeconomic indicators and child anthropomorphic outcomes. Applying multivariate regression analysis and the Blinder- Oaxaca decompositions on recent demographic and health survey [DHS] data the study shows that bad health is disproportionately concentrated on the poor and some geopolitical zones of the country. Differences in wealth account for about 58.0 per cent and 33.0 per cent of differences in child nutritional and underweight status between the poor and nonpoor. Although improving over time, these differences suggest better targeted social policy reforms in the country.