The United States Centers for Disease Control defines social determinants of
health as life-enhancing resources, such as food supply, housing, education, and
health care, whose distribution across populations effectively determines length
and quality of life. Every community has social determinants of Health which can
affect health either positively (wellbeing) or negatively (morbidity).
Understanding the determinants will aid in policy formulation and design of
appropriate interventions.
This community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess
social factors that determine morbidity of under fives in Gimba village, a rural
community of Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was conducted during Community
Diagnosis field practical posting of trained final year medical students of Ahmadu
Bello University, Nigeria, in July 2012. An interviewer- administered
questionnaire was used to collect data from all household heads in the community
(total population study). Multivariate analysis was done using SPSS (Version 19).
Children of uneducated fathers were more likely to have been ill compared to
those of educaated fathers (RR = 1.20; 95% C.I = 0.78 – 1.91). Children who were
weaned abruptly and transferred to their aunties or grandmothers (geographic
weaning) were more likely to have been ill compared to those weaned normally
(RR = 1.71; 95% C. I= 0.97 – 2.03). The result indicated that several factors like
paternal education and geographic weaning are social determinants of health of
under-fives in the study area. Improved access to formal education ; Health
education on effects of harmful cultural practices; community -based health
insurance scheme and rural development are recommended.