US embassy cable - 04LAGOS1268

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 001268 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR S/GAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO, SOCI, ECON, PGOV, NI 
SUBJECT: FINDINGS OF THE 2003 DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH 
SURVEY, WOMEN'S HEALTH AND SOCIAL STATUS: PART II OF 
III 
 
REF: LAGOS 1247 
 
1. Summary. The findings below on women's health and 
their social status are from the executive summary of 
the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The 
nutritional status of Nigerian women falls within the 
internationally accepted normal range. The total 
fertility rate is 5.7 children, high even by African 
standards, and use of modern family planning methods is 
low, only 8 percent for married women. Most births 
occur at home in Nigeria, but most mothers receive pre- 
natal care at least once during pregnancy. Although one- 
fifth of Nigerian women are circumcised, the practice 
is declining. Most working women decide alone what to 
do with their earnings; generally, however, women 
continue to be dominated by men in Nigeria, 
particularly regarding family decisions, and continue 
to be subject to beatings by husbands. End summary. 
 
WOMEN'S HEALTH 
 
2. Nutritional Status of Women. The mean body mass 
index (BMI) of Nigerian women at the time of the survey 
was 22.3, which falls well within the internationally 
accepted normal range (between 18.5 and 24.9). Almost 
two-thirds of the women (64 percent) in the sample 
population had BMIs falling in the normal range; 15 
percent were thin, including 2 percent severely thin. 
The youngest women were the most likely to be thin. 
One-quarter of the women 15-19 years of age had a BMI 
of less than 18.5. One-fifth of the Nigerian women 
weighed more than they should have: 15 percent were 
overweight and 6 percent obese. 
 
3. Maternal Care. Almost two-thirds of mothers in 
Nigeria (63 percent) had received antenatal care (ANC) 
for their most recent live birth in the five years 
preceding the survey. One-fifth of mothers (21 percent) 
had received ANC from doctors; almost four in ten of 
the women had received care from nurses or midwives (37 
percent). Almost half the women (47 percent) had made 
the minimum number of four recommended visits, but most 
of the women who had received antenatal care had not 
gotten care within the first three months of pregnancy. 
Slightly more than half of the women who received 
antenatal care said they had been informed of potential 
pregnancy complications (55 percent). Fifty-eight 
percent of the women had received iron tablets; almost 
two-thirds had had urine or blood samples taken; and 81 
percent had had their blood pressure measured. Almost 
half (47 percent) of the women had not received tetanus 
toxoid injections during their most recent birth. 
 
4. Most births in Nigeria occur at home (66 percent). 
Only one-third of the live births during the five years 
preceding the survey occurred in a health facility. 
Slightly more than one-third of the births were 
attended by doctors, nurses, or midwives. A smaller 
proportion of women had received postnatal care. Only 
23 percent of the women who gave birth outside a health 
facility had received postnatal care within two days of 
the birth of their last child. More than seven in ten 
women who delivered outside a health facility had 
received no postnatal care at all. 
 
5. All the data on maternal care showed that rural 
women are disadvantaged compared to urban women, and 
there are marked regional differences among women. 
Women in the south, particularly the South East and the 
South West, received better care than women in the 
north, especially women in the North East and North 
West. 
 
6. Female Circumcision. Almost one-fifth of Nigerian 
women are circumcised, but the practice is declining. 
The oldest women are more than twice as likely as the 
youngest women to have been circumcised (28 percent 
versus 13 percent). This practice is most widespread 
among the Yoruba (61 percent) and Igbo (45 percent), 
who traditionally reside in the South West and South 
East. Half of the circumcised respondents could not 
identify the type of procedure that had been performed. 
Among the women who identified the procedure, the most 
common involved cutting and removal of flesh (44 
percent of all circumcised women). Four percent of the 
women reported they had undergone infibulation. 
 
7. Among the 53 percent of Nigerian women who had heard 
of female circumcision, two-thirds (66 percent) 
believed that it should be discontinued, while 21 
percent wanted the practice to continue. Less than half 
of circumcised women wanted the practice continued (42 
percent). Continuation finds greater support among 
southerners than northerners and among those who are 
circumcised than the uncircumcised. Among men who had 
heard of the practice, almost two-thirds were against 
continuation of female circumcision, while about one- 
fifth favored it. 
 
8. Perceived Constraints to Use of Health Care. Almost 
half of the women in the survey cited at least one 
barrier to their accessing health care services. The 
most commonly cited problem was getting money for 
treatment (30 percent), followed by distance to a 
health facility, and having transport (24 percent 
each). One in ten women said getting permission to 
access such services was a problem. 
 
WOMEN'S CHARACTERISTICS AND STATUS 
9. While most Nigerian women have had some education, 
42 percent have never attended school. This is almost 
twice the percentage of men who have never attended 
school (22 percent). 
 
10. Slightly over half of the women respondents 
reported being employed (56 percent) during the time of 
the survey. Eighty-four percent of working women had 
earned cash only or cash in addition to in-kind 
earnings. Almost three-quarters of the women who had 
received cash earnings reported that they alone had 
decided how their earnings had been used. Another 16 
percent said they had decided jointly with their 
husbands or someone else. Only 10 percent of the women 
reported that someone else had decided how their 
earnings would be used. 
 
11. The 2003 NDHS recorded information on women's role 
in different types of decisions in the household. 
Almost half (46 percent) of the married women 
participating in the survey reported they did not have 
final say (either singly or jointly) in any decision. 
Among the married couples, the husbands dominated 
household decision-making. 
 
12. The respondents were asked whether husbands can 
justifiably beat their wives for specific reasons. Most 
men and women (about six in ten) believed there are 
occasions when a man is justified beating his wife. 
About half the women respondents believed that husbands 
can rightly beat their wives if the latter leave the 
home without telling their husbands or if the wives 
neglect the children. These were also the most common 
justifications cited by men (50 percent and 47 percent, 
respectively). 
 
KRAMER