ABSTRACT

Climate change could potentially interrupt progress toward a world without hunger. Climate change leads to food insecurity and food insecurity leads to hunger, malnutrition, poverty, death and Women play important role in ensuring household food security. However, there is limited information on the climate change, household food security and anthropometric status of women. The aim of the study was to examine the climate change, household food security and anthropometric status of women in Isuikwuato Local Government Area, Abia State. Specifically, the study sought to determine the basic characteristics and socioeconomic status of the women, assess the trends of climate change in the study area, assess the household food security status, assess anthropometric status of women using weight, height, waist and hip circumferences and body mass index,  evaluate the association between climate change and household food security status and to establish the relationship between household food security and the anthropometric status of the women in Isuikwuato LGA. Cross- sectional study design was used for the study. The population of the study consisted of women in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State and a sample size of 397 was calculated using Slovins formula. Frequencies and percentages were used to compute data on socio economic characteristics. Relationship between household food security and anthropometric status of women were analyzed using regression. Pearson correlation analysis was used to ascertain the relationship between food security and climatic change. A p-value of less than 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. The result indicated that 33% were within the young age of 38-47 years. The result indicated that 50% of the women were married. The result on food security indicated that the problems of food security are due to finance, resources and stability. The result on food security status showed that Majority (76%) of the households were food insecure while 24% were food secure. Among the food insecurity of households, 52% were low food insecure, 34% were moderate while 14% were found to be severely food insecurity. The result also reveals that significant relationship exist between the food security status and climatic change. An increase in climate change leads to decrease in food security or food insecure. The result shows that there is statistically significant relationship between household food security and anthropometric status of women. It implies that an increase in household food security status will lead to increase in BMI and vice versa. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that Governments and agencies should educate and train women farmers, give them access to land by way of a legislation to recognize their rights and provide them with free medical services