Data used in this study was part of a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2004 to investigate the health of secondary students in rural and urban settlements in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ten (10) aligned SDG targets identified from the questionnaire were: no stunting, no underweight, no substance use, ability to concentrate on tasks, school progression, regular school attendance, absence of exposure to community violence and self-perpetration of violence, no sexual abuse, and no risky sexual behaviour. Potential accelerators identified from a preliminary analysis were stable childhood, not doing survival work, good mental health, food security, safe schools (without violence), small family size and parenting support. Associations of all accelerators with SDG targets were assessed jointly using a multivariate path analysis adjusting for sociodemographic covariates and multiple testing. Cumulative effects were tested by marginal effect modelling.
Information pertaining to 1800 adolescents was extracted from the data source. The mean age of the adolescents was 15.02 ± 2.27years. Not doing survival work, good mental health, food security, safe schools, small family size and parenting support were six (6) hypothesised accelerators. For nine (9) of the identified SDG-aligned targets, a combination of two or more accelerators showed cumulative positive associations, suggesting accelerator synergies with three accelerators (Parenting support, safe schools, and good mental health) showing the greatest impact. The findings show that certain factors acting in synergy have additive effects on the attainment of the SDGs amongst adolescents in Nigeria. These synergistic combinations have practical and policy utility both locally and regionally.
Prof Olayinka Omigbodun (Department of Psychiatry and Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria) (Project Lead)
Segun Ogunmola (Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Adeola Afolayan (Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Dr Rita Tamambang (Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Dr Kwabena Kusi-Mensah (University of Cambridge & Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria)
Dr Tolulope Bella-Awusah (Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria & Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University College Hospital, Ibadan)