ABSTRACT

 The study evaluated the food habits and anthropometric status of Keke drivers in Aba North Local Government Area, Abia state. The study used a cross sectional study design. Four hundred and twenty-two (422) registered keke drivers were randomly selected for the study. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was used in collecting the data. Anthropometric data of height and weight were measured. Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) was used to determine their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and dietary pattern. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between food habits and anthropometric status of the respondents. The study revealed that (39.3%) of the keke drivers were between 26-35 years, more than half (63.7%) were married and 56.2% attained Secondary School Education. Many (70.6%) owned the keke they were driving and more than half (52.4%) acquired the keke through hire purchase. The dietary habit showed that (48.6%) of the keke drivers ate at least 3 meals daily and 33.4% skipped meals. (53.6%) spent between N300 – N400 per meal. On anthropometry, more than half (53.1%) of the keke drivers had normal weight while 41.2% of the keke drivers were overweight. For waist hip ratio, more than half (61.8%) of the keke riders are within the normal range while (38.2%) are at risk of obesity. The result also showed that BMI and WHR was significantly (P<0.05) and positively correlated to place of meal consumption with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.110 and 0.100 respectively. The study concluded that some feeding habits of the keke drivers affected their nutritional status as the study found a positive and significant relationship between place of food consumption, meal skipping with BMI and WHR of the keke drivers. The study among other things recommended that government should embark on well targeted nutrition orientation so as to educate the less educated individuals in the society on the importance of adequate diet.