Socio-economic determinants of calorie intake among members of farm households in Ogun State, Nigeria

A healthy and nutritionally well-fed population is indispensable for economic growth and development of a nation. This study examined the caloric intake status and its associated determinants among farm household members in Odeda Local Government of Ogun State, Nigeria. Data collected on 346 household members from 60 households selected through a multistage sampling technique, were subjected to nutrient intake estimation procedure, t-test and OLS multiple regression analysis. The existence of inadequate food calorie intake among younger household members with male and female preschool children worse hit; consuming only 87.96% and 65% of their daily requirements, respectively. The study also revealed that calorie intake of male household members was significantly higher than that of their female counterparts across all age groups. The socioeconomic factors affecting calorie intake of household members among others were household monthly income (alpha(0.01)) and farm size (alpha(0.05)). The study recommends among others that school meal subsidies, rural family nutrition enlightenment programmes and policies that would help improve household income should be put in place.