Background: Oil is the main stay of Nigeria's economy, but most residents in the oil producing communities still depend entirely on the environment for their sustenance; and so likely to have a problem of food security in the event of a deleterious impact on the environment. This study is to examine the effect of a major crude oil spillage on household food security, and the nutritional status of under-five children in the affected communities. This oil spillage occurred in May 2000, in Etiama Nembe, a rural community in Bayelsa State, south-south Nigeria. Method: The study was carried out six months after the spill, using cross-sectional, external control group study design, with a semi-structured questionnaire and anthropometry as the study tools. The study participants were chosen using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. The questionnaire assessing food insecurity was administered on an adult woman in each of the chosen households, while the anthropometric measurements were taken for every under-five year child in the household. Results: A total of 592 questionnaires were administered and retrieved in both study communities, while anthropometric measurements of 956 under-five year children were taken. There were no significant differences in the age and occupations of the respondents, and in the sizes of their households; although, the respondents in the exposed communities were significantly better educated (p-value < 0.001). There were significant differences in the study groups, in household food security (p-value < 0.000001), and in the prevalence of under-five children with underweight (p-value <0.0001), and wasting (p-value <0.01). Conclusions: Crude oil spillage can increase household food insecurity and childhood malnutrition in the affected communities. Efforts should always be made to provide food aid to affected communities, irrespective of the cause of the spillage.

Background Method Results Conclusions

Background:The prevalence of malnutrition is high in the Niger delta region of Nigeria, in spite of the region's oil wealth and nutrition intervention programs have been found to be effective in similar circumstance.Aim:This study is to assess the nutrition intervention program, implemented by UNICEF in some rural communities of Bayelsa State, one of the six States in the Niger delta region of Nigeria.Subjects and Methods:The study was carried out in 2009 in Toruorua and Gbaranbiri, two rural riverine communities, in Baylesa State. Toruorua benefited from the nutrition intervention program of UNICEF between 1999 and 2008, while Gbaranbiri did not benefit. A comparative, cross-sectional study design was used, with the data collected using anthropometry and semi-structured questionnaire, administered on 105 respondents, chosen with the cluster sampling technique, popularized by UNICEF, from each of the study communities. Data were analyzed using EPI-INFO version 2002, Microsoft Excel software, and manually. Differences between the study communities were tested using the student's t-test for means, and Chi-square test for proportions. Significant values were set at P <0.05.Results:A total of 210 questionnaires were administered and retrieved from both study communities, and the anthropometric measurements of equal number of under-five year children were also taken. There were no significant differences in the occupations of the respondents, and in the sizes of their households. The prevalence of wasting, under-weight and stunting were however found to be significantly higher in the reference community, as 20.0% (21/105) of the children were found to be wasted, compared to 5.0% (6/105) in the intervention community (P < 0.01); 17.1% (18/105) were found to be underweight, compared to 9.5% (10/105) in the exposed community (P = 0.01); while 24.8% (26/105) were stunted, compared to 10.5% (11/105) in the exposed community (P = 0.01).Conclusion:Nutrition intervention program delivered in a primary health care facility can positively change nutrition behavior and prevent childhood malnutrition.

Materials and Methods Study areaThe study was conducted in Epie creek in Yenagoa metropolis, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The creek has its route outside the metropolis. The creeks receive wastes from differences sources [12] including bathroom and kitchen effluents [7]. About 20 years ago, the water from the creek was used for drinking, bathing, recreational and transportation activities [12], but now the use of the water for domestic purposes has reduced drastically. For instance, a study conducted by Koinyan et al. [13] shows that 7.5% of residents of the metropolis (especially in Igbogene, Akenfa, Edepie, Swali, Biogbolo and Amarata) use surface water, while the rest use ground water (89.20% and rainwater (3.30%). The metropolis experiences a tropical monsoon climate with two

Rural dwellers in the Niger Delta commonly use biomass for cooking and other activities. This study investigated the air quality index of fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter 10 (PM10) and its health implications during outdoor combustion of fuelwood in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. A mini-volume air sampler (model: AEROCET 531) was used to measure PM2.5, PM10, and total suspended particulate (TSP) in the study area. A bimonthly triplicate sampling was carried out at 3 distances in 4 different states spanning one Calendar year. The results showed that PM2.5, PM10, and TSP ranged from 19.85 – 27.95µg/m3, 55.66 – 80.59µg/m3, and 74.29 – 140.44µg/m3, respectively. There was statistical variation across the different months, locations and distances, and their interactions. The concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 occasionally exceeds the World Health Organization limits of 25µg/m3 and 50µg/m3 for 24-hourly average, respectively. The air quality index showed no contamination to slight contamination in both seasons. The air quality index indicates that the air is slightly contaminated at the emission source which decreased as distance away increased. Therefore, there is a need for the regulatory agencies to consider PM2.5 and PM10 in the monitoring of ambient air quality to forestall potential hazards associated with human exposure.