Family Planning Capable Of Preventing Stunted Growth In Children-AAFP

The Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) in Nigeria has hinted that family planning is capable of preventing stunted growth in children.

This is the position of Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman, AAFP while speaking during an interview in Abuja on Monday, January 6, 2025.

He noted that children’s brain development occurred in the first 1000 days of their birth, adding that a child’s inability to access certain diets could result in stunted growth.

“Homes without family planning can be in poverty which is likely to cause shortage in supply of some food items needed for the child’s brain development.’’

Oji explained that a lot of children had been subjected to avoidable anatomical and economic deformities due to the lack of family planning.

He stated that family planning could boost the income of both parents as well as impact positively on the children.

He said that spacing the birth of children was key to the economic viability of both homes and nations and urged families to take up family planning services.

According to him, “Nigeria’s fertility rate at the moment is 4.8, and this is very high.”

He said that the government’s economic policies would continue to suffer setbacks unless the country’s fertility rate dropped.