Infant mortality rate is the number of registered deaths of infants under the age of one year for every 1000 live births registered in a given year.
Causes of Infant Mortality
- Diarrhoea
- Acute respiratory infections.
- Malaria
- Measles
- Fever and its associated febrile convulsion.
- prematurity
- infection
- Anaemia
Factors Responsible for Growth and Development in a Child
Genetic inheritance:
Some hereditary factors are known to have positive influence on the growth and development of a child such as height, weight, mental and social development and personality. Some could influence growth and development negatively such as sickle cell anaemia inheritance e.t.c
Nutrition:
Nutrition influences growth and development before and after birth. If the child is malnourished, it leads to growth retardation thereby leading to susceptibility to disease. If the child is well nourished, it will boost his immunity against so many disease conditions and promotes growth and development.
Socio-economic Status of the Parent:
Poverty is associated with malnutrition and diminished growth rate, thereby leading to infant mortality. Children in well to do families usually are well nourished and grow better.
Environmental and Seasonal Influence:
Physical surrounding such a sunshine, good hygiene, high living standards and psychological and social balances, such as relationship with other members have positive effect on the growth and development of child. If the physical environment is not conducive, growth and developments are affected negatively.
Health Status:
If the child is in good health, he grows well but if he suffers from any chronic diseases such as congenital defects and diseases, tuberculosis, liver and other metabolic disorders, he will have growth retardation.
Emotional/Psychological state of the Child:
If the child is trained in a happy family where he receives appropriate psychological care, he will have good growth and development . if the child experiences unstable family, insecurity; sibling jealousy and rivalry, loss of parent’s, inadequate schooling e.t.c they will have negative effect on growth and development.
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Health Talk on the Prevention of Diarrhoea in Children
Objectives:
- Define diarrhoea in children.
- List the causes of diarrhoea in children.
- Identify the preventive measures to diarrhoea in children.
- Learn how to manage diarrhoea in children.
Material:
audio-visual aids, posters e.t.c
Implementation:
- Define diarrhoea as the frequent passage of loose stools
- List the causes of diarrhoea in child as follow: infection with Escherichia coli, allergy to foods, cow’s milk or infant formulas and lack of nutritional hygiene.
- Enumerate the preventive measures to diarrhoea; exclusive breast feeding, prevention of infection, maintenance of nutritional hygiene to prevent contamination, give prescribed medication, preparation and administration of salt and sugar solution, administration of intravenous fluid.
Evaluation:
- Ask them if they have any question and answer properly.
- Ask one of them to define diarrhoea.
- Ask one of them to enumerate the preventive measures for diarrhoea in children.
- Ask any of them to say what she knows about management of diarrhoea.
- Ask one of them to list the causes of diarrhoea in children she knows.
- Give correction where necessary.
- Thank them for listening.
How to Prepare Salt and Sugar Solution
- Take a beer bottle of clean drinking water, preferably boiled water that has cooled.
- Add one level teaspoonful of salt into bowl containing the measured water. The measurement for the water is one beer bottle.
- Add ten teaspoonful of granulated sugar or five cubes of sugar and stir very well with spoon until it has dissolved.
- Give small quantity frequently to the child, about 1/6th of a cup at a time.
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