BackgroundPoor nutritional status of mothers has a direct and indirect consequence on their own health and that of their children. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between nutritional status of mothers and their children and the risk factors for under-nutrition among mothers and children in rural and urban communities of Lagos State, Nigeria.MethodsThis was a cross sectional survey conducted using the multistage random sampling technique. A total of 300 mother-child pairs were studied, consisting of 150 each from rural and urban communities. Under-nutrition in mothers and children was determined using standard criteria.ResultsThe prevalence of under-nutrition among mothers was significantly higher in rural than urban communities (10.7% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.014). The prevalences of underweight and stunted children were also significantly higher in rural than urban communities (19.4% vs. 9.3%, p < 0.001) and (43.3% vs. 12.6%, p < 0.001) respectively. In rural communities, the risk of stunted mothers having children with stunting was about 7 times higher than those who were not (OR 6.7, 95% CI = 1.4-32.0, p = 0.007). In urban communities, undernourished mothers have about 11 and 12 times risk of having children with underweight and wasting respectively (OR 11.2, 95% CI = 1.4-86.5, p = 0.005) and (OR 12.3, 95% CI = 1.6-95.7, p = 0.003) respectively. The identified risk factors for maternal and child under nutrition differs across rural and urban communities.ConclusionsThe prevalence of maternal and child under-nutrition is high in both communities although higher in rural communities. Efforts at reducing the vicious cycle of under-nutrition among mothers and children should concentrate on addressing risk factors specific for each community.
Activity pattern, energy intake and body mass index (BMI) were studied in a group of 232 women aged 19-65 years. The subjects were selected from five major markets in Abeokuta Township using a systematic random sampling technique. With the aid of a structured questionnaire and 24-h diet recall, information was collected on socio-demographic characteristics and the food and nutrient intake of the subjects. Information on the activity pattern was collected by recall and random spot observation methods. The result indicated that the majority (61%) of the respondents spent a total of 16 h on both domestic and market activities. An average of 11.5 h was spent in the market on predominantly sedentary activities. The mean energy intake of the women was 3701 kcal (15.4 MJ), which constituted about 164% of the recommended dietary allowance. Roots and tubers, cereals and legume form the major source of nutrients; while fried foods featured prominently in the menu. Eighty-nine women (38.4%) have a BMI within the healthy range of 18.5-25, while a total of 136, representing 58.6%, have a BMI greater than 25. A total of 66 women, representing 48.5% of the 136 women whose BMI was above 25, have a BMI in excess of 30 and are classified as obese. Both the energy intake and activity pattern of the respondents correlated positively with the BMI. This study has established a high risk of obesity among urban market women in Nigeria.
Background:Evidence shows that urban children generally have a better nutritional status than their rural counterparts. However, data establishing whether this difference in prevalence of undernutrition could be ascribed to difference in dietary practices are few.Objective:The aim of this study was to compare dietary practices and nutritional status of children in rural and urban communities of Lagos State, Nigeria.Methods:This was a comparative-analytical study conducted using the multistage sampling technique to select the study cases. A total of 300 mother–child pairs were studied, including 150 each from rural and urban communities. Data collected include demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, feeding practices and anthropometric measurements of the participants. Food intake data were collected using 24-h dietary recall. Malnutrition in children was determined by calculating the prevalence of low height-for-age (stunting), low weight-for-age (underweight), and low weight-for-height (wasting) using the World Health Organization cutoff points.Results:The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months (25.3% vs. 28.7%; P = 0.516), use of formula feeds (48.7% vs. 44%; P = 0.077), and mean age of child at introduction of semisolid foods (7.54 ± 4.0 months vs. 8.51 ± 7.3 months; P = 0.117) were not significantly different between urban and rural communities. The diversity of food choices and frequencies of consumption were similar between urban and rural communities. However, prevalence levels of underweight and stunted children were significantly higher in rural than that of urban communities (19.4% vs. 9.3%, P < 0.001 and 43.3% vs. 12.6%, P < 0.001, respectively).Conclusions:Other risk factors besides inappropriate feeding practices need to be considered for higher prevalence of undernutrition among children in rural communities.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.