The Influence of Social Activities on Seasonal Variation in Birth Rates in Makurdi Town, Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

To examine the influence of social activities on birth rates in Makurdi town of Benue State Nigeria, a total of 23,000 recorded births from the year 2006 to 2015 were collated from six renown hospitals purposively selected based on issuance of ethical clearance and availability of data. With the use of secondary data, descriptive analysis was implored using tables and graphs. The result shows that births in Makurdi are characterized with two major peaks and two troughs. There is the March to June peak and the September to October peak. Alternatively, there is also the July to August trough and the December to January trough. Males generally dominate March births while females dominate December births. More pregnancies are conceived in the cool dry season which marks wedding celebrations, Christmas and New Year festivities while the hot dry season marking the Easter festivity and farming activities records the least conceptions. The implication is that conception is higher during festive periods that fall within months of low temperature. Therefore, the Ministry of health and other stake holders in Makurdi town should carry out awareness campaign on effective family planning during periods of high social activities or festivities to address the issue of high birth rates and over population in our society; Schools managements in Makurdi town should educate the students during festive periods to avoid teenage pregnancy.