FOOD INSECURITY

BACKGROUND: Food security is essential for human survival, encompassing consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. It is defined by four key dimensions: availability, access, utilization, and stability, all of which must be met simultaneously. Food insecurity arises when these dimensions are compromised, leading to inadequate food access. Globally and in Nigeria, its prevalence remains high, driven by factors such as poverty, population growth, and environmental challenges. Food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes, including malnutrition and chronic diseases, and negatively impacts education, productivity, and economic growth. AIM: The study aimed to assess the prevalence, determinants, knowledge and perception of food insecurity among households in Benin City, Nigeria and the coping strategies adopted. METHODS: This study employed a community-based descriptive cross-sectional design conducted in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, among 500 heads of households. A multistage sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using a pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted from validated tools, including the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and the Coping Strategies Index. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies and percentages, while associations were tested using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of food insecurity, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results were presented in prose, tables and bar charts. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 51.9 ± 11.9 years, with majority within the 45–54 years age group. The majority 403 (80.6%) were males. The prevalence of food insecurity among households was 383 (76.6%). Food insecurity was higher among respondents aged ≥65 years (86.4%; p = 0.010), married respondents (85.7%; p = 0.004), those with primary education (95.3%; p < 0.001), retired respondents (94.3%; p = 0.017), and those with skill level 2 (85.8%; p < 0.001). It was also higher in households with monthly income ≤ ₦180,000 (84.1%; p < 0.001) and monthly food expenditure ≤ ₦100,000 (82.5%; p < 0.001), and among respondents with good perception of food insecurity (81.5%; p = 0.008). Married respondents had higher odds of food insecurity (OR = 2.135; p = 0.008). Higher education (OR = 0.272; p = 0.017), employment (OR = 0.210; p = 0.012), higher skill level (OR = 0.458; p = 0.001), and home ownership (OR = 0.592; p = 0.040) were associated with lower odds, while increasing number of children increased the odds of food insecurity (OR = 1.236; p = 0.047). Overall, 57.2% of respondents had good knowledge of food insecurity, and 52.0% had a good perception of food security. Knowledge of food insecurity was associated with marital status, where a higher proportion of respondents who were not married had good knowledge (66.4%; p = 0.020). Higher proportions of respondents with monthly household income ≤ ₦180,000 (63.3%; p = 0.003) and those who spent ≤ ₦100,000 on food (61.7%; p = 0.010) had good knowledge of food insecurity. Marital status was associated with lower odds of good knowledge (OR = 0.505; p = 0.007). Higher education increased the odds of good knowledge (OR = 2.351; p = 0.005), while higher skill level reduced the odds of having good knowledge (OR = 0.657; p = 0.036). Perception of food insecurity was associated with level of education, where a higher proportion of respondents with tertiary education had good perception (55.7%; p < 0.001). A higher proportion of respondents with access to a nearby food market also had good perception (55.0%; p < 0.001). Higher education increased the odds of good perception (OR = 3.380; p < 0.001), while access to a nearby food market increased the odds of good perception (OR = 2.777; p < 0.001). Food insecurity status (OR = 1.880; p = 0.004) and good knowledge of food insecurity (OR = 0.515; p = 0.013) were also associated with good perception of food insecurity. The most common coping strategies included consumption of less preferred foods (64.4%), reduction in portion sizes (57.2%), and reduction in the number of meals per day (54.2%). CONCLUSION: The study found that about three-quarters of households were food insecure. Marital status, education, employment, skill level, income, food expenditure, number of children, and housing tenure were important determinants. More than half of respondents had good knowledge and about half had good perception, but many households still used coping strategies such as reducing meal frequency and consuming less preferred foods. The findings reflect widespread food insecurity among households in the study area.

The study investigated the determinants of food insecurity in Warri. In order to attain the objectives of the study, three research questions were raised to guide the study. Descriptive survey research design guided the study. The population of this study
comprised of all the Warri metropolis is divided into three quarters namely Onicha-ugbo, Obomkpa, and Obodo. The population of the study was purposively drawn from respondents who are basically traders/merchants artisans, and civil/public servant of Warri, Delta State. The total population of traders/merchants artisans both male and female was found to be One Hundred and Ninety Two (192) in total. The sample size of the study was a total of 120 respondents. The respondents was 40 for the traders/merchants artisans and 80 for the civil/public servant respectively. The sample will be selected using a stratified and a
simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire titled: Determinants of Food Insecurity Questionnaire (DIFQ) will be used for data collection. The instrument was validated by the project supervisor and two other lecturers in the faculty. For the
determination of the instrument, copies of the instrument were administered to 13 male and 7 female civil servants who were not part of the sample. The Cronbach Alpha was used to ascertain the reliability using test-retest method which yields 0.83. This result implies that the instrument was reliable. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The descriptive statistics was used involved frequency count; simple percentages mean score analysis and standard deviation. Furthermore a criterion
mean of 2.50 was be adopted for decision making. The study found that the study has found that majority of the farmers were found to be food insecure during the period of the survey and several determining factors were identified for the deteriorating food security situation of the study area. They include the shortage of farmland caused by population pressure, recurrent drought, poverty, climate change, shortage of rainfall, and land degradation. Based on the findings of the study, Expand the family planning education to limit the family size of the rural population, which could ease the problem of overpopulation and acute farmland scarcity and design a strategy to diversify the livelihoods of the rural community so as to complement their food gap, Complementarities such as steady electric power and water supplies, good transportation/information and communication technology network, and housing units that will enhance the business ventures of the metropolitan poor be provided since most
of the household heads are at the plateau of their lifecycle (age range within the labour
force bracket), according to the dictates of lifecycle hypothesis amongst others.