ABSTRACT
There has been a global concern on infant mortality and increasing fertility especially in the Third World. UNICEF and other organisations have launched various programmes targeting these two components of demographic growth. There is the urgent need for interactive study of infant mortality and reproductive behaviour since they have almost similar determining factors. This is an attempt at that.
The study is aimed at ascertaining the range, trend and magnitude of infant death and responsible factors. It also aims at examining the socio-cultural contexts sustaining fertility and awareness of, and attitude towards the National Population Policy. Finally, the study is to serve as generic data base and proffer solutions based on findings.
The methods employed are survey questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion. A sample size of 1000 was targeted but among those collected, 729 were found worth analysing. Benue State socio-cultural milieu and living environment, infant mortality and reproductive behaviour constitute the major variables of the research. Percentages, the z test, the X2, anova, and correlation techniques were used in data analysis.
The study found a gradual reduction in infant mortality with education serving as the most important variable influencing both fertility and infant mortility. It was also discovered that family planning contributed greatly to reduction in infant mortality. Majority of the respondents did not feel that it was important to have more births to replace dead children. Awareness of National Population Policy and Immunization practice were high. Only income and education are significantly associated with infant mortality and reproduction or fertility among the variables tested. Residence was not statistically significant to infant mortality and fertility in Benue State.
