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Healthcare Inflation and Child Mortality in Nigeria: An Investigation into the Moderating Role of GDP per Capita Growth

Author

Listed:
  • NASIRU Salami Enesi

    (Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria)

  • OBILIKWU James

    (Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria)

  • USMAN Alhaji Usman

    (Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria)

Abstract

This study examined the impact of healthcare inflation on child mortality in Nigeria focusing on moderating roles of GDP per capita growth. This study used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and the data covers from 1985 to 2023. The short-run dynamics show that increase in healthcare inflation significantly raise child mortality while the lagged health expenditure and moderating variable reveal delayed but reduce child mortality. The interaction variable constantly reduces child mortality. Long-run estimates further confirm that healthcare inflation worsens child mortality. However, health expenditure and the interaction variable significantly reduce child mortality. Moderating variable exhibits a weak and counterintuitive insignificant positive relationship with child mortality. The coefficient of interacting variable is statistically significant. Hence the variable serves as reliable moderator. This study recommends the need to control healthcare inflation, increase health expenditure, and promote even distribution of income to achieve sustainable reductions in child mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • NASIRU Salami Enesi & OBILIKWU James & USMAN Alhaji Usman, 2026. "Healthcare Inflation and Child Mortality in Nigeria: An Investigation into the Moderating Role of GDP per Capita Growth," Journal of Economic Sciences, Federal Urdu University Islamabad, Department of Economics, vol. 5(2), pages 1-12, July-Dece.
    • Handle: RePEc:azm:journl:v:5:y:2026:i:2:p:1-12
    DOI: 10.55603/jes.v5i2.a1
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes

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