Work

Orphanhood and vulnerability: a conduit to poor child health outcomes in Rwanda

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: The HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has caused many children to become orphaned and vulnerable. Recent studies show that orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) lack the basic necessities for survival and development. These children are particularly at high risk of poor health and poverty. Although the poor health outcomes of these children are well documented, the complexities of the factors that mediate their health outcomes have not been systematically studied. The aim of this paper is to examine how the complex relationships between and within the proximate and socio-economic determinants mediate the poor health outcomes of children through their OVC status. The analyses considered graphical chain modelling of morbidity data from a sample of 3745 children aged below five years from the 2005 Rwandan Demographic and Health Survey. The results show that OVC status influences the risk of childhood morbidity both directly and indirectly and also as a conduit through which other significant proximate factors and socio-economic factors operate.

Source: AIDS Care

DOI: 10.1080/09540120903193682

Authors: Fiifi Amoako Johnson, Sabu S. Padmadas, Peter W.F. Smith

Institution: University of Southampton

Language: English

Topic: Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, No poverty, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council