How diverse are the diets of low-income urban households in Nigeria?

Abstract

Dietary pattern of households is known to have a strong relationship with the quality of life and food items consumed by household members. Lack of access to a diversified diet has been recognized as the main problem among households with low income with attendant nutritional problems. This study examined the household dietary diversity among low-income urban households in Nigeria using the 2015/2016 Living Standard Measurement Survey. Data were analysed using principal component analysis, descriptive statistics and probit regression model. None of the households had adequate dietary diversity. Most of the household heads were within their economically active age range of thirty-one and sixty-four years and ate very low diverse diets (79.8%). Male-headed households also represented a higher percentage (94.9%) of low dietary diversity group. Despite the fair quality of the wall, floor and roofing materials, the urban households had a very low dietary diversity. Further, high dependency ratio reduced the probability of falling into low dietary diversity while access to portable water and having a home garden improved it. • All he low-income urban households had less than average dietary diversity. • Although about three-quarters of the low-income urban households were connected to the national grid, they were largely using non-renewable energy sources (kerosene and firewood) for cooking. • Having a homestead garden reduced the probability that a household would sink into a very low a diversified diet. • High dependency ratio contributed largely to very low dietary diversity among low-income urban households.