Abstract:

Parental life-style or behavior is believed to largely influence the growth of the embryo as evident from previous works of literatures. Thus, spurring the aim of this study as to assess the embryo growth in relation to parental lifestyle and experience using an advanced statistical modelling procedure. The study sample comprised one hundred (100) pregnant women that are considered for the study, drawn from Maitama General Hospital, Abuja. Participants answered a general health questionnaire in gestational. We employed the use of statistical structural equation technique to model the relationship between the parental lifestyles (environmental factors, parental stress, parental life style, parental responsiveness and parental allocation of nutrients) and the embryo growth. The findings of the study analysis rejected the null hypothesis on environmental factors, parental stress, parental lifestyle and parental responsibilities with the reasoning that all items of the questionnaire greatly affect the growth of the embryo. While, accepting the null hypothesis the “increase in nutrition” is a necessary factor for the growth of the embryo. In conclusion, the study opines is that parental life styles greatly affect the growth of the embryo. As a consequence, a first-order implication relating to this study is for parents and health care providers to concentrate on most of the externalities that “destroys” the unborn child. This involves environmental factors, parental stress and responsibilities, nutrition and many others that may need to be addressed for the sake of the unborn generations.