DO CARE GIVERS MATTER ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS OF THE CHILDREN LEFT-BEHIND BY RURALURBAN MIGRANTS? EVIDENCE FROM NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Rural-urban migrants in Nigeria often leave their children behind in the hands of
parents or non-parent caregivers, when migrating. Although, most of the migrants
send remittances to enhance the lives of the children, little is known about the role of
the caregivers in achieving this objective. Using a sample of 401 left-behind children
from rural areas of Niger State, this study investigates the impacts of caregivers on the
probability of the children being in the adequate, moderately malnourished or
severely malnourished health status. The result shows that children under the care of
mothers are more likely to be in the adequately nourished health category, and a year
increase in the education of the caregivers increases the probability of the children
being in the adequately nourished heath status. It is suggested that mothers should
provide the care, while fathers should migrate and health sensitization should be
provided by the government to the caregivers of the left-behind children in the state.