Demography and Social Statistics in Public Health

At the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. demonstrate a clear understanding of basics of demography; 2. discuss the importance of demography in health issues; 3. describe social demographic variables and how they affect population composition and growth; 4. explain knowledge attitudes and practice as demographic tools in public health research; 5. discuss population mobility and its consequences on public health; and 6. identify and interpret population and demographic health data.

Introduction to demographic and the emphasis is on the use of demographic materials and methods for planning, policy analysis, and evaluative research in public health. Emphasis should be placed on the demographic features of the Nigerian population, its size, composition and distribution should be highlighted. Response of demography to mortality, fertility and migration. Health need of each population group and health planning in relation to demography. The course gives an overview of the Nigerian population policies. Trends in general population growth are featured prominently in the course. Topics to cover include: sources and quality of data from census, special surveys, and other vital registration systems. Students are to present the descriptive statistics and graphics with report writing and submit assigned projects.