Household Food Insecurity And Nutritional Status Of School Children In Umudike South-East, Nigeria In Post Covid-19 Era:- Onwukwe Blessing

ABSTRACT COVID-19 pandemic has most likely caused unintended worsening effect on food security in many low-middle-income countries including Nigeria. However, the level of food insecurity and the impact it has caused on the nutritional status of children is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of household food security and the nutritional status of school children in Umudike South-East Nigeria, in post COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 388 households having at least one school-child between ages of 6-12. Household food insecurity was measured through an interviewer-administered Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Anthropometric measurements were collected using standard procedures and underweight, overweight and obesity were considered in evaluating the nutritional status of the children. Association between HFIAS and anthropometries were also determined. The result indicates that more than half of households visited (77.06%) experienced some degree of food insecurity (mild: 26.80%; moderate: 36.59% and severe: 13.66%). Underweight was 21.65%, whereas overweight and obesity were 15.96 and 10.05% respectively. Although no significant association (R=0.053, P=0.459) was recorded between HFIAS and BMI, but most (59%) undernourished school children where from food insecure households. The high level of food insecurity and emerging cases of nutritional abnormalities observed in children could be a reflection of food system disruption due to measures adopted to control COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for urgent needs to respond in necessary ways including increasing access to healthy food to avoid the worst outcomes of children nutrition and wellbeing.