The National Population Commission (NPC) in Nigeria says the 2024 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) Study is a research study that seeks to obtain data to determine the causes and contributory factors to deaths in children under 5 years of age and in women of reproductive age.
The Chairman of the Commission Mr. Nasir Kwarra said the objectives of the study include the provision of up-to-date information on early childhood and maternal mortality, cultural, behavioural, social, and health system factors of neonatal (death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life), infant and under-5 mortality, and women of reproductive age.
Mr. Kwarra, who made the statement during a media briefing on the ongoing 2024 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) Study which started from November 4 to December 15, 2024, across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT also said that “the study will be conducted in households where the deaths were recorded and consent received for revisit during the 2023-2024 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS).”
The Commission added that “the 2024 edition of the VASA survey is the third in the series conducted by the National Population Commission. The first time the study was conducted in Nigeria was in the year 2014 and subsequently in 2019.”
“As the agency of government with the constitutional mandate of generating and providing demographic data for planning purposes, the National Population Commission in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and other key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies is conducting the 2024 VASA study to assist policymakers with reliable data to plan and formulate 4 policies for the health sector in relation to maternal and child health in Nigeria,” he noted.
He further said, “the result of the study will provide national and zonal level estimates of the major causes of under-five and maternal mortality in the country.”
He explained that “for the 2024 VASA study, there will be two sets of interviewing teams on the field. These are qualitative and quantitative teams.
“The quantitative team will focus more on responses from caregivers in the households while the qualitative team will focus on group discussions and in-depth interviews within the community in addition to the household interviews.”
Based on the reported cases of under-5 deaths per state, 26 teams each made up of 4 female interviewers, one team supervisor, and one quality manager were selected to move around the country for the data collection exercise that began on November 4th and will last till December 15th, 2024.
The Commission says it is strategically prepared and committed to generating this data to aid planning in the health sector and all necessary steps have been put in place to make sure that the 2024 VASA survey is successfully implemented.
The Chairman said he is “optimistic that the data will be used by policymakers and other stakeholders to formulate policies, design and implement programmes that will go a long way in reducing Neonatal, Child and maternal mortality to the barest minimum in Nigeria.”
The Commission urged government officials at the state and local government levels, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, and members of the press to give all necessary support to the success of the exercise.
Mr. Kwarra commended development partners especially the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “for providing financial assistance for the 2024 VASA survey to other stakeholders including ICF, Federal Ministry of Health, National Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Women Affairs, and others.”
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