Chapters authored
Climate-Driven Temporary Displacement of Women and Children in Anambra State, Nigeria: The Causes and Consequences
With increasing periods of extreme wet seasons, low lying geographic position, with socioeconomic, and political factors; some communities in Anambra State, Nigeria experience heightened floods annually resulting in loss of shelter, displacement of people with breakdown of livelihoods, particularly in rural communities worsening their risks and vulnerabilities. In 2012, a major flood event in the state temporarily displaced about 2 million people. In this chapter, we used a community-based adaptation approach to investigate the causes and consequences of climate-related temporary displacement on community members in Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State following flood events. We used global positioning system to obtain the community’s ground control points and gathered our data via field observation, transects walks, focus group discussions, photography, and in-depth interviews. Our findings reveal a heightened magnitude of flood related disasters with decreased socio-economic activities, affecting their health and well-being. Also, the community members have a practice of returning to their land, after flood events, as a local mitigating risk management strategy. For multilevel humanitarian responses at the temporary shelter camps, it becomes imperative to meaningfully engage the community members on the challenging risks and vulnerabilities they experience following climate-driven temporary displacement to inform adaptation and resilience research, policy change and advocacy.
Part of the book: Climate Change in Asia and Africa
Perspective Chapter: Determinants of Health-Care Seeking Behaviors and Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy in Nigeria
Epilepsy is the commonest neurological condition affecting every sphere of a child’s life ranging from physical and cognitive performances, and mixed feelings for the affected family. These feelings are worsened by the cultural beliefs, myths, and stigmatization that surround epilepsy with a consequent reduction in the healthcare-seeking behaviors and quality of life of these children. The goal of management is to control seizures with minimal use of antiepileptic medications and to improve the child’s quality of life. This work is aimed to understand the health-seeking behavior of families and children diagnosed with epilepsy in Nigeria, the factors that influence their decisions, and the need to plan a “need-based” comprehensive healthcare program for all stakeholders, particularly the disprivileged groups. Despite some improvement in access to healthcare in Nigeria, there are existing inequalities relative to culture, socioeconomic class, accessibility to universal health insurance, and gender. Knowledge of barriers to optimal healthcare-seeking behavior could help reduce the impact of epilepsy on children’s development and consequently improved quality of life. Efforts should be made to educate children with epilepsy, their caregivers, and other affected stakeholders and periodic trainings organized for the health workers. Subsidizing the cost of care by support groups and government is vital.
Part of the book: Epilepsy During the Lifespan