ABSTRACT

This study was designed to assess the nutritional knowledge, dietary habit and anthropometric status of mothers in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. A total of 149 mothers were selected using systematic sampling technique. Data on background information, socio-economic characteristics, feeding practices, assessment of nutrition knowledge and practices were collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements of weight, height, hip and waist circumferences were taken using standard procedures. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation with IBM SPSS Version 20. Some (28.2%) of the mothers were aged between 26-33 years, while 28.2% were aged between 34-41 years. Most (71.1%) of the mothers were married. Less than half (45.6%) of them earned between N0 to N10,0000 monthly while about 21.6% earned between N10,001 to N20,000 monthly. Some (27.5%) of the mothers obtained information on nutrition through talk show while about 37.6% of the mothers obtain information on breastfeeding through mass media. Most (95.3%) of the mothers did not consume any food before breakfast while tea and bread was the most commonly consumed food during breakfast. Less than half (45.6%) of the mothers had normal BMI. 48.9% of them were overweight while 5.4% were underweight. A larger percentage (83.9%) of the mothers were at high risk of obesity while 16.1% were normal according to their waist-hip ratio (WHR) status. There was no significant relationship (p>0.05) between the socio-economic characteristics (educational status, occupational status and income status) of the mothers and their BMI status while their educational status and income status have significant relationship (p<0.05) with their waist-hip ratio. Cultivation of vegetables and fruits and consuming them can prove to be an important factor in maintaining better nutritional status.