Assessing knowledge, attitude and practice of vital registration system in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Vital registration system has a very poor performance in all the sub-Saharan African countries. The most accurate vital statistics are found in countries that are in an advanced stage of economic development. One of the key issues that have kept the sub-Saharan African countries in the state of underdevelopment is the unavailability of accurate statistical data for social and economic planning purposes. This study utilizes the data collected in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Southwest Nigeria to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of vital registration system. The results showed that more than 8 in 10 respondents claimed to have the knowledge about vital registration system, almost 7 in 10 respondents (69 percent) approved of vital registration system. Of all the respondents that were knowledgeable about vital registration system, 68.4 percent reported to have ever registered birth while 61.3 percent had ever registered death. More females than males reported registering births and deaths. There is likelihood that most of the respondents had regarded various places of birth like hospitals, clinics, maternity homes etc as a well established vital registration centers. The study concludes by discussing the need for a reliable and accurate vital registration system if Nigeria’s vision of becoming one of the top 20 economies in the world in 2020 would be realized.