Diet quality of women of childbearing age in South-east Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this is study is to evaluate the diet quality in nine local government areas drawn from three states of the south-east geo-political zone of Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach A multi-stage sampling procedure yielded 1,200 women of childbearing age (15-49 years), who responded to a multi-pass 24-hour diet recall questionnaire at the household. Diet quality (DQ) was assessed using the “diet quality index international” (DQI-I) tool with a scale of 0-100. Findings Mean age of respondents was 28 ± 5.6 years and body mass index was 26.81 ± 4.8 kg/m2. Majorities (96 per cent) were married, 53.2 per cent had complete secondary and 18 per cent post-secondary education, 41.7 per cent were traders, 14.3 per cent civil servants and 25.8 per cent were unemployed. Main staple foods included root and tubers, cereals, legumes and vegetables. The total DQ in the South-east was 58.8 ± 8.1 with a low “variety” (9.5 ± 3.0), poor “adequacy” (22.3 ± 4.7), good “moderation” (25.0 ± 3.8) and “overall balance” (2.0 ± 1.8).The total DQ in Imo, Enugu and Anambra were 58.6 ± 8.3, 58.8 ± 8.0 and 59.0 ± 8.1, respectively (P > 0.05). Research limitations/implications The study was limited to three states in South-east Nigeria; it does not give a holistic view of the DQ of women of childbearing age in Nigeria. Originality/value The total DQ-I score revealed average overall DQ (59/100) for South-east. However, distinct patterns of low consumption of fruits and vegetables were identified. The need for national (and cross-continental) comparison of DQ using the DQI-I tool is hereby advocated.