Demographic and Environmental Factors on Women’s Health Outcome in Nigeria

Abstract

Despite the improvement in health status and health expenditure in Nigeria, health outcomes measured by the life expectancy rate remains low. This paper investigates the relationship existing between environmental factors and female life expectancy in Nigeria. Using annual time series data for the period 1990–2019 from the World Bank databases, evidence of poor environmental factors of sanitation, carbon dioxide emission and low access to electricity was found over the period. Johansen cointegration regression analysis results affirmed the presence of a long-run relationship among the variables while the result of the vector error correction model indicates that in the short run, environmental factors of access to electricity and carbon dioxide emission, from the use of petroleum-derived fuels as an energy cooking source, have a negative relationship with life expectancy. Demographic factors also exhibit a negative relationship with life expectancy; the lag of fertility rate has a negative effect on female life expectancy. We conclude that women's health outcomes are associated with their demographic and environmental factors which have a significant impact on their life expectancy. There is a need for the government to make plans on improving demographic factors towards improving female life expectancy in Nigeria.