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Conflict and Health
Published in: Conflict and Health 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

The impact of the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria on childhood wasting: a double-difference study

Author: Gillian Dunn

Published in: Conflict and Health | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

This research examines the relationship between violent conflict and childhood wasting in Northeast Nigeria, where residents have been subjected to fighting between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram - an extremist Islamist movement - since 2009.

Methods

Using two Demographic and Health Surveys from before and after the Boko Haram insurgency started, a double-difference (difference-in-difference) approach is used to assess the impact of the conflict on mean weight-for-height z-scores and the likelihood of wasting.

Results

Results suggest that if children exposed to the conflict had not been exposed, their mean weight-for-height z-score would be 0.49 standard deviations higher (p < 0.001) than it is, increasing from − 0.74 to − 0.25. Additionally, the likelihood of wasting would be 13 percentage points lower (mean z-statistic − 4.2), bringing the proportion down from 23% to 10%.

Conclusion

Descriptive evidence suggests that poor child health outcomes in the conflict areas of Northeast Nigeria may be due to disruptions to social services and increased food insecurity in an already resource poor area. Although other unidentified factors may contribute to both conflict and wasting, the findings underscore the importance of appropriate programs and policies to support children in conflict zones.
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Metadata
Title
The impact of the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria on childhood wasting: a double-difference study
Author
Gillian Dunn
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Conflict and Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1752-1505
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-018-0136-2

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