Dietary Diversity of Rural Households in North Central Nigeria

Aims: To determine the dietary diversity score and diversity within food groups consumed and the probability of food security among rural households in North Central Nigeria.
Study Design: A cross sectional survey design was used.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted among three ethnic groups in North Central Nigeria, between November and December, 2011. The ethnic groups were Tiv, Igala and Eggon in Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa States respectively.
Methodology: A sample of 340 households was interviewed to identify the variety of foods consumed over the previous 24 hours. Data from the food groups was analyzed using percentages. Since national dietary data is not available on mean Dietary Diversity Score, mean terciles were used to classify households into low, medium and high dietary diversity.
Results: The findings indicated that beside oil and fat (97%) and spices and condiments (96%), root and tuber crops (86%) constituted the food group consumed by most households. Most Tiv (96.7%) and Igala (94.4%) households reported use of root and tuber crops whereas most Eggon (78.6%) households reported use of cereals. Mean dietary diversity terciles were 2.90, 4.53 and 6.37 for low, medium and high dietary diversity respectively, with a mean of 4.60 for the study area.
Conclusion: Rural households in North Central Nigeria consumed an average of four to five food groups per day. However, the diet consumed is low in dietary variety. Consequently, access to nutritious foods remained a challenge in the region. Thus, farmers should be encouraged to produce and consume food of increased quality and diversity for improved nutrition and food security.