ABSTRACT

Nutrient supplements are any dietary supplement that is intended to provide nutrients that may otherwise not be consumed in sufficiency. The present study seeks to assess the knowledge and practice of nutrient supplement among women of reproductive age in Ikwuano LGA, Abia State. The study was a cross sectional study, with a population which was comprised of women of childbearing age in Nigeria. The study used a multistage sampling technique to select 422 women of reproductive age from the area of the study. Data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire which were validated by experts in the department of human nutrition and dietetics. The data realized were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage. The result revealed that more than half (54.3%) of the women were single, 58.8% of them attained secondary education and 54.0% were artisans. On nutrition knowledge, majority (70.6%) of the women had good nutrition knowledge. Majority (72.0%) took nutrient supplements, majority (98.1%) do so weekly, 93.8% do so because of medical reasons, 60.4% sourced the supplements from health care facilities and majority (95.7%) of them got prescriptions from doctors. On the food they consumed, 91.5% of them consumed oranges, 96.0% consumed beef, 86.3% consumed table salt and 75.8% consumed plantain. The study concluded that majority of the respondents had good knowledge towards good nutrition; however this did not translate to a good dietary practice for about half of the respondents. The study recommended that awareness of good, indigenous food cultures and dietary habits should be intensified to motivate practice.