Abstract
The present study measured household hunger in South-East Nigeria amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 1209 households (urban and rural locations) were sampled. Household hunger was determined using the Radimer–Cornel hunger scale. Results show that before the COVID-19 lockdown, hunger prevalence in the urban areas was 85.5%, whereas prevalence in the rural areas was significantly lower, at a prevalence of 79.9% (7.3% level of association—X2 = 6.499, p = 0.012). During the COVID-19 lockdown, the prevalence of hunger in the urban areas rose to 98.0% and 99.2% in the rural areas (4.9% level of association was X2 = 2.888, p = 0.089). It was also observed that the COVID-19 lockdown significantly affected food prices. The major coping strategy employed by households was relying on less expensive foods (81.14%). High household hunger was identified as a short-term cost of the COVID-19 lockdown in South-East Nigeria. Only a few households (16.3%) benefited from the food aid programs and 16.9% from the government palliative cash transfer. It is recommended that the government setup a formidable unit that will develop physical and digital plans for effective implementation during a COVID-19 lockdown situation or other emergencies.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in late 2019 [1]
The objective of this study was to measure the intensity of household hunger in SouthEast Nigeria aggravated by the COVID-19 lockdown using the Radimer–Cornell hunger scale
The results show that half (50.1%) of the households used for this study were households in urban areas, whereas the other half (49.9%) were rural dwellers
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in late 2019 [1]. In the month of March 2020, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization [2].governments were beckoned to take aggressive and urgent steps towards suppressing and controlling its spread [3]. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak emerged in late 2019 [1]. In the month of March 2020, it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization [2]. Governments were beckoned to take aggressive and urgent steps towards suppressing and controlling its spread [3]. Containment of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria necessitated the initiation and implementation of diverse strategies by the various levels of government [4]. The strategies included mass orientation on improved. Sustainability 2021, 13, 12417 personal hygiene, travel bans/restrictions, social distancing, and partial/total lockdown in many countries. The partial/total lockdown lasted from March to June 2020 in Nigeria
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