ABSTRACT
The main objective of this
study was to evaluate the patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable
consumption in urban and rural areas of Enugu State, Nigeria. The study was
articulated based on the fact that despite the relatively cheap and abundant
sources of micro nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, there abound wide
spread cases of micro nutrient deficiencies. The data was collected from
primary sources through a set of questionnaire administered to 240 respondents.
The study employed both purposive and random sampling technique in the
selection of the respondents. The data collected were analysed using
descriptive statistics, Working –Leser functional form of regression and z-test
statistic. Citrus, mango, plantain/banana, pineapples, papaya, star apple were
the major types of fruits consumed, while, telferia, tomatoes, onions, garden
eggs, okra and oha were the major vegetables consumed by the households. The
result also showed that the average monthly consumption of fruit per household
during the dry season was 17.8kg and 9.8kg for urban and rural areas,
respectively while the average monthly consumption per household of fruits
during the rainy season was 15.32kg and 12.87kg for urban and rural areas,
respectively. It was 8.68kg for urban and 23.29kg for rural areas for
vegetables during the dry season while it was 6.98kg for urban areas and
28.43kg for rural areas per monthly per household during the rainy season. The
average budget share was 0.0849 for vegetables for households in the urban
areas and 0.0690 for those in the rural areas. When pooled together; it was
0.0828 for fruits and 0.0769 for vegetables. Household’s monthly expenditure,
number of adult females, age of household head, educational attainment of the
household head, price, season and sex were determinants of fruit consumption in
the urban areas. Total monthly expenditure, number of children, number of adult
females, age of household head, educational attainment of household head and
sex were determinants of vegetable consumption in the urban areas. In the rural
areas, number of children, age of the household head, educational attainment of
the household head, price of fruits and season were determinants of fruits
consumption, whereas, total expenditure, number of adult males, number of adult
females, age of household head, educational attainment of the household head
and price of vegetables were determinants of vegetable consumption. All these
variables were significant at various levels of probability ranging from one to
ten percent with different signs. Income elasticities were below one; ranging
from 0.47 to 0.70. The income elasticity for fruit in urban areas was 0.60 and
0.47 in the rural areas. It was 0.60 for vegetables in the urban areas and 0.49
in the rural areas. It is therefore recommended that there is need to put in
place policies to promote and support fruit and vegetable consumption.
Secondly, attention should focus on the processing of fruits and vegetables
into forms that can be stored. This will reduce post –
harvest losses as well as making fruits and vegetables available in all the
seasons. Again, education and behaviour change programmes to promote fruit and
vegetable consumption should be mounted. Fruit and vegetable production should
be encouraged particularly in the rural areas. In the same vein, feeder roads
should be built and already built ones maintained. This will help transport
these produce to the urban areas. This will also promote availability and
affordability of these products.
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Information
Low fruit and vegetable intake
is the main contributor of micronutrient deficiencies in the developing world
especially in population with low intake of animal protein foods such as meat
and dairy products. World Health Organization (WHO) (2003) estimated that low
intake of fruits and vegetables caused about 19% gastro- intestinal cancers,
about 31% of ischemic heart disease and 11% of stroke. Of the global burden
attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption, about 85% was from
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and 15% from cancers. It estimated that about 2.7
million deaths were recorded yearly arising from these chronic diseases.
The implication of the emerging
scenario is that 2.7 million lives could be saved each year with sufficient
global fruit and vegetable consumption. According to the WHO/FAO (2003), the
set population nutrient goals and recommended intake was put at a minimum of
400g for fruits and vegetables per day for the prevention of chronic heart
diseases, cancer, diabetes and obesity. The report also stated that there was
convincing evidence that fruits and vegetables decreased the risk of obesity
and evidence abound also that they probably decreased the risk of diabetes.
Furthermore, there is convincing evidence that fruits and vegetables lower the
risk of CVD.
Micro-nutrient deficiency
resulting from low fruit and vegetable intake has been associated with various
economic consequences. This is exemplified in a study in Ethiopia,
(Croppenstedt and Muller, 2000). The result showed that nutritional status
affected agricultural productivity and elasticities of labour productivity.
Thus proving that there is a significant link between health and nutritional
status and agricultural productivity.
However, in spite of this
growing body of evidence highlighting the protective effects of fruits and
vegetables, their intakes are still grossly inadequate both in developed and
developing countries (IARC, 2003).
Analyses of family budgets
suggest that the poorer the family, the greater is the proportion of the total
expenditure on food thus obeying Engel’s law (Blissard
et al,
2003). Engel's Law states that as income rises, percentage of income spent on consumption
rises slower as compared to rise in income. According to
(Blissard et al, 2003), many
analyses of family budgets conclude that the proportions of income devoted to
various groups of commodities not only change with increasing income as stated
in Engel’s law but also vary systematically.
Fruits and vegetables have been
known to exhibit substantial heterogeneity with regard to demand, supply and
trade characteristics (Damianos and Demoussis, 1992). On the demand
characteristics, most fruits and vegetables exhibit higher income elasticities
than that for overall food consumption. This implies that as....
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