Influence of Food Price Hike on the Nutritional Quality of Foods Consumed by Lactating Mothers in Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Almost one-third of lactating mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished. The study examined the effect of food price hike on the nutritional quality of lactating mothers in Nigeria with particular reference to Gusau metropolis, Zamfara state, Nigeria. The study is quantitative using cross-sectional and survey research techniques. The research analysed data from 467 lactating mothers in Gusau metropolis employing snowballing sampling technique. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The simple linear regression result showed that food price has negative and significant effect on nutritional quality of lactating mothers in Gusau, Zamfara state. The recommended government macroeconomic interventions that ensure that food prices are subsidized so as to ensure affordability. Lastly, the study is without limitations, further studies are needed to investigate effect of food prices on nutritional value of lactating mother to cover the nation at large.

Keywords: Lactating mothers, Nutritional quality, Price hike