How to prevent child mortality

In this article, I am going to express, define and we will talk on the "Preventive Measures to Child Morality". 

According to a research by Wikipedia, Moral development focuses on the emergence, change, and understanding of morality from infancy through adulthood. In the field of moral development, morality is defined as principles for how individuals ought to treat one another, with respect to justice, others' welfare, and rights. In order to investigate how individuals understand morality, it is essential to measure their beliefs, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors that contribute to moral understanding. The field of moral development studies the role of peers and parents in facilitating moral development, the role of conscience and values, socialization and cultural influences, empathy and altruism, and positive development. The interest in morality spans many disciplines (e.g., philosophy, economics, biology, and political science) and specializations within psychology (e.g., social, cognitive, and cultural). Moral developmental psychology research focuses on questions of origins and change in morality across the lifespan. 

How To Prevent Child Mortality

A Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Samuel Kolade Ernest, has described the rate of child deaths in Nigeria as unacceptably high, while calling for a renewed focus on and concerted effort to reverse the trend.

Prof. Ernest, who made the call last Thursday (August 3, 2017) while delivering the 171st Inaugural Lecture of the University, identified preterm birth, perinatal asphyxia, sepsis, pneumonia, malaria, malnutrition among others, as some major causes of child deaths in the country.

In the Lecture, entitled “…And the Child Died, Oh! No! Not Again: Adventures in Childhood Morbidity Prevention and Mortality Reduction”, the don canvassed further investment in the local production of vaccines for immunisation as cost-effective measures to prevent diseases among children.

Noting that “vaccine production locally will reduce the cost per head for each antigen”, Prof. Ernest pointed out that “immunisation still remains the most cost-effective way to prevent diseases in our world.”

The Inaugural Lecturer explained that “public awareness and education on the importance of vaccines should be heightened especially for vaccine preventable diseases.”

According to the scholar, “There should be a National Research Synthesis group that will help the Federal Government of Nigeria collect, collate, synthesize and scrutinize the outcomes of researches on different sub-specialties so that implementing them will be fast tracked.”

Prof. Ernest called on the government to “integrate the following into child health programming: regular health appraisals, remedial measures and follow-up, prevention of communicable diseases, healthful environment, nutritional services, mental health, dental health, eye health, ear, nose and throat (ENT) health, health education, special education needs for the handicapped children and school health programming”.

The don, who solicited adequate funding of Primary Health Care at the grassroots in order to attend to the immediate health needs and reduce the severity of morbidity-causing diseases among children, also advocated a more aggressive national campaign against sickle-cell disease to reduce the gene carriage from the present 22 percent to less than 10 percent in the next ten years.

While noting that “a step up in the approach to HIV prevention should include community involvement”, Prof. Ernest explained that “attention to the mother's health and to improving the coverage of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) must be pursued.”

He further pointed out that “increasing the duration of maternity leave to between 6 months and one year, so that babies can breast-feed without excuses within the first year of life” would have positive impact on Sustainable Development.

Prof. Ernest also suggested that “the Core Child Survival Strategies should continue to be prioritized”. These, according to him, “include Growth Monitoring, Oral Rehydration Therapy, Breast-feeding, Immunization, Food Supplementation, Family Planning, Female Education and Follow-up (GOBIFFFF)”.

He said that other strategies such as “IMCI, IMCI complementary course on HIV, National mandatory budgetary allocation to Health, National Ambulance and ambulatory services, Telemedicine and National Newborn care and Perinatal Home visits” should not be neglected.

Narrating his contributions to his field of study, especially in the areas of research as well as his efforts towards providing paediatric care aimed at preventing morbidity and reducing child mortality rates across the country, Prof. Ernest disclosed that he was part of the team that developed, supported and executed proposals to access Global Fund grant for HIV and AIDS in 2006 and 2007.

He added, “In Abuja, I was challenged to present a 240-page document in 10 minutes to the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) the following day. After the presentation of my synthesis, all parties in the UN House agreed to adopt me as a member of the Nigerian Committee for Global Fund Grants. That singular act helped Nigeria to access funds in excess of US$250 million as part of the funding for HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care. This effort was geared towards stopping cries from families and individuals “…and the child died.” They were efforts shouting “Oh! No! Not Again.”

Morality effect on adaptability

The development and internalization of morals at an early age has been shown to be predictive of future adaptive skills and future socialization skills. A study that tested children at 25, 38, and 52 months on internalization of their mothers and fathers rules, and the children's perception of their morals found that the children were more competent and better socialized if they were highly developed in the two areas tested. The relation between the child's history of empathy toward the mother and future socialization was also significant. Children who are empathic at a young age also, will find it easier to maintain relationship, both romantically and with friends and co-workers. This skill is extremely important in communicating with people and being able to understand others perspective. Children who have high internalization of the mother and father's rules are also more likely to perceive themselves being more moral later in childhood.

Conclusion

Morality is our ability to learn the difference between right or wrong and understand how to make the right choices. As with other facets of development, morality doesn't form independently from the previous areas we have been discussing. Children's experiences at home, the environment around them, and their physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills influence their developing sense of right vs. wrong.

Between the ages of 2 and 5, many children start to show morally-based behaviors and beliefs. For example, Tasha may see Juan take the blocks out of Tyler's hands and say, "Juan! You're gonna get in trouble!" At this point, many young children also start to show empathy-based guilt when they break the rules. For example, if Juan from the above example sees Tyler cry because his blocks were stolen, Juan might start feeling somewhat bad that he hurt Tyler's feelings. As a younger child, however, Juan would feel badly only if he was punished for taking the blocks rather than making someone else sad.

According to Piaget, children between the ages of 5 and 10 see the world through a Heteronomous Morality. In other words, children think that authority figures such as parents and teachers have rules that young people must follow absolutely. Rules are thought of as real, unchangeable guidelines rather than evolving, negotiable, or situational. As they grow older, develop more abstract thinking, and become less self-focused, children become capable of forming more flexible rules and applying them selectively for the sake of shared objectives and a desire to co-operate. 

Reference

A research from Ernest of University of Ilorin and some vital facts from Wikipedia and analyzed by James Nguuma Kase of Myeducation.com.ng

My Education Team.

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