Abstract
The food insecurity experiences and related behaviors of Nigerian households during the COVID-19 lockdown have not been fully discussed. This study was conducted to elicit information on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic and behavioral patterns related to food access. An online-based semi-structured questionnaire distributed through messaging platforms was used to collect information on characteristics, food purchasing behaviour before and during COVID-19 lockdown among respondents. Experience of food insecurity was assessed using Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). A total of 883 responses were received and analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0. Most of the respondents (90.5%) were at home or had stopped going to work due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even though smaller households had higher food expenditure claims than larger households (p = 0.012), the larger the household, the more acute the challenge of economic access to food (p = 0.050). Location (p = 0.000), age (p = 0.003), occupation (p = 0.014) and income level (p = 0.000) were associated with experience of food insecurity. In conclusion, lockdown restrictions increased food expenditure and experience of food insecurity among the respondents and thus we recommend the probe of long-term consequences of deviations from usual food access on undernutrition or overnutrition in Nigerian households.
Highlights
The Nigerian index case of the novel coronavirus was announced in February 2020
This study was conducted to elicit information on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic and behavioral patterns related to food access
This study was conducted to elicit information on the economic and behavioral patterns related to food access and food security in Nigeria especially during the COVID-19 lockdown
Summary
The Nigerian index case of the novel coronavirus was announced in February 2020. By March 29th 2020, the federal government of Nigeria declared nationwide lockdown which included bans on inter-state traveling, non-essential economic and related activities. Though the lockdown restrictions were helpful in curtailing the spread of COVID-19, consequences on the nation’s fragile food system and livelihoods of households were soon evident Such consequences were not unexpected following high burden of poverty in Nigeria. Restriction of movements and other measures to curtail the spread of coronavirus, the fragile food system was further strained leading to restricted distribution of food and a sharp rise in the price of food commodities. This peculiar situation justifies the need to provide research evidence of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food access. This study was conducted to elicit information on the economic and behavioral patterns related to food access and food security in Nigeria especially during the COVID-19 lockdown
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