ABSTRACT

This study examines dietary intake and anthropometric status of preschool children (aged 2-5 years) in Udenu Local Government Area, Enugu State, focusing on the prevalence of undernutrition and factors influencing growth. A structured questionnaire made up of four sections was used to gather information on the personal data of the children and their parents‘ socio-economic status. Data obtained from the anthropometric measurements was analyzed using the WHO Anthro survey analyzer based on weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for height. The result obtained reveals that the socio-demographic characteristics of participants were majority (62.8%) male with only 37.2% being female. Majority (67.8%) fall within the 4–5 years age group, while 32.3% are between 2–3 years. A significant proportion of parents/guardians fall in the age range of 30–40 years (57.2%), while 42.8% are below 30 years. The dietary Habits of Respondents shows that majority (100%) consumed cereals, roots, and tubers within a 24-hour dietary recall period. Cereals, roots, and tubers are staple foods in many regions, providing carbohydrates essential for energy. Only 28.8% of respondents consumed other fruits and vegetables, while 71.1% did not. Dietary habit of respondent showed that majority (82.2%) of respondents reported always consuming breakfast, while 17.8% only sometimes ate breakfast and most (47.2%) children consume three meals per day, with 43.9% eating four or more meals. Food frequency of respondents showed that among the cereal and grain groups , few  (42.5%) consumed akamu/pap daily, 59.4% and 23.9% consumes rice regularly and daily, while 67.2% consumes bread regularly while legumes such as beans are predominantly consumed occasionally (58.3%) or regularly (23.9%). Furthermore, crayfish (93.3%) was consumed regularly. Food frequency of respondents revealed that majority (58.3%) of children consumed powdered milk occasionally, while 23.9% consumed it regularly while rare consumption (60.6%) of tinned milk dominated, with occasional use (39.4%). It is recorded that nutrition education programmes should be introduced in schools, in order to increase fruits and vegetable intakes with productions and nutritions.