THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY SIZE ON PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS OF CHILDREN IMPLICATIONS FOR FAMILY HEALTH EDUCATION

Abstract

The study utilized the ex-post facto research design to examine the influence of family size on the physical health status of children in Nsukka L.G.A. of Enugu state Nigeria. The instruments for data collection included a researcher made questionnaire, tape measure, weighing scale and a check list. The population of the study comprised all children 1-5 years in nursery and day care centers in Nsukka and their parents. A sample of 400 children and their parents was used for the study. The data collected from the study were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and the t-test for independent groups. The result shows that children from small families have slightly higher mean score on physical health status (39.47) than children from large families (38.09). There was however no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of health statuses of under-five children in small and large families. It was concluded that family size does not significantly influence the physical health status of under-five children in Nsukka L.G.A. Among the recommendations was that parents in large families should use all available human and material resources to ensure that their children receive adequate care and attention.