Childhood mobility in Igbo Ora, Western Nigeria; its relevance to morbidity and the organization of medical care

An analysis of mobility of 100 children followed in the town of Igbo Ora, Western Nigeria, over a period of 5 months shows that 50% of these children travelled away from their home compound for variable periods of time and that, on the average, 5 days per child per month were spent sleeping away from the home compound. Children under 2 years of age travel more than older children because they are carried by their mothers while trading or carrying on familial responsibilities. While 5-9 year old boys begin to go to farms and take on adult male roles, girls of this age now frequently attend school. The implications of this mobility on the epidemiology of childhood illness and the delivery of health care are briefly discussed.