Factors Influencing The Maternal Food Choice And The Nutritional Status Of Tue Preschool Ciiildri1 In Igbo - Eze South Local Government Area, Enugu State Nigeria.

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in Igbo-Eze South in Enugu State to assess the influencing maternal food choice and the nutritional status of the preehool -children. The sample of the study comprised of 153 mothers of preschool cliildicn who attend Government Approved Preschool Lducation. A validated questionuire was used to elicit information from th( iiiøtli.'is SOCIO ecOnomic characteri,t cs and food choice while the preschool children's usual performance in class '. crc obtained form the school record. AnthropomcLric measurements of the children were obtain and used to rate their row chnncteristics based on lie weiel u height, height-for-age and weiglit-ibr-:igc z scores using the interim! hini1k recognised growth standard .c the WI O .nc\\'th standard. The prevalence il wasting was identified to be 2.0%. stnnting, (21 .6%). underweight (I ,3" ) ovenveight (7.2%). Among the factors considered by the mothers in cli&nsiin.& their foods and snacks, price (x 0.37T. P = 0.041), religion ( = 22.1 H). I' 0.000) and availability (x2= 7.249. P 0.027) significantly influenced (l (ft the weight-for-age status of the children stud ed. The si tidy further revealed ii mothers who did not change their food c when busy (X26.099, P (i.t ii and those who drank more alcohol when busy (X28.792, P=0.0 12) had better nourished children than those who did otherwise.