Determinants of nutritional status of children in farming households in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This descriptive cross-sectional survey determined the influence of socioeconomic , household and child-related factors on the nutritional status of children (0-5yrs) in farming households of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study was conducted using a multistage sampling technique to select 201 mother-child pairs from 18 farming communities in the state. Data were collected from the mothers, using a structured interview schedule and anthropometric measurements of their children were taken to determine the prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting. The data obtained were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to determine the influence of the underlying determinants of nutritional status. The mean age of women was 35.75 years, while that of the children was 22.20 months. Majority (59.0%) of the women had between 5 and 8 children, 42.7% of the respondents were primarily farmers, while 57.3% combined farming with trading, agro-processing, artisan and paid jobs. The average farm size was 1.86 hectare. Women with some form of education constituted 70.7%, while 29.3% had no education at all. The most frequently consumed food items in the households (consumed at least 4 times a week) included bread (99.5%), cassava/cassava products, rice (98.8%), yam/yam products (89.6%) and meat (70%). Fruits were, however, not frequently consumed. Household food security data showed that 77.2% were moderately food secure while 9.9% were food insecure. Only 12.8% were food secure. The results indicate that the nutritional status of children in the farming households in the study area was generally suboptimal. Overall stunting prevalence was 35.7%, underweight 14.9% and wasting 5.5%. Factors which were significantly associated with nutritional status of the children included age of child, frequency of breastfeeding, eating pattern of child, provision of snacks, household food security status, number of hours mother spends on childcare, mother's use of health services, mother's education, frequency and scope of travel of mother beyond the immediate locality and source of drinking water. It is recommended that the primary intervention strategies should be to address poverty among subsistence farmers' households, promote sustainable livelihoods, and provide primary health care services which will in turn improve the nutritional status of children.

Access to nutrition information: a key to improving nutrition status among under-five children in farming households of Oyo State, Nigeria

“…This depicts that the respondents are in their active years and are not likely to have challenges providing adequate nutrition for the child in their household. The findings from this study are consistent withLawal and Samuel (2010) who reported that the age of nursing mothers in the farming household in Oyo State was between 30 and 39 years. The majority (89.9%) of the respondents were married.…”

“…Despite several years of campaign for exclusive breast-feeding and complementary feeding, Udoh and Amodu (2016) stated that over 50% infants are given complementary foods before six months and the frequency of feeding for the child after six months is usually low, whereas the quantities and qualities of foods given are usually less than that required for the ages of the child. Although food has been described as the main source of good nutrition for all ages that supplies with substances that are referred to as nutrients (Meludu and Ajibade, 2009), households in rural areas appear to be food insecure and nutritionally vulnerable and undernourished compared to their urban counterparts (Lawal and Samuel, 2010), which most often reflects on the nutrition status of their children.…”

Factors associated with nutritional status of infants and young children in Somali Region, Ethiopia: a cross- sectional study

“…A study done in Zambia showed no significant association between maternal education status and stunting and underweight whereas wasting prevalence did have a significant association with maternal education in which wasting prevalence were minimal in households with educated mothers [31]. On the other hand, a study done in Nigeria and Uganda showed that there was a positive association between levels of maternal education and nutritional indices [29, 32]. A study from Jimma in Ethiopia reported no statistically significant association between child nutritional status and education status [33].…”

Food intake and dietary diversity of farming households in Morogoro region, Tanzania

“…In developing countries, dietary inadequacy and lack of diversity constitute a common problem associated with low socioeconomic status, poor levels of education, lack of understanding of the role of food in health, and acute poverty [11]. This study examined the dietary adequacy and diversity of nutrients from diets consumed by farming households in Morogoro region, Tanzania.…”