AN ASSESSMENT OF ANIMAL PROTEIN CONSUMPTION PATTERNS AMONG RURAL DWELLERS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed animal protein consumption patterns among rural dwellers in Osun State,
Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 120 respondents. Data
collected were described using frequency count, percentage, means and standard deviation.
Multiple regression and chi square analyses were used to explain the relationships between
socio-economic characteristics and rural dwellers’ consumption patterns of animal proteins. The
mean age of respondents was 27.4 years while 57.5 percent, 42.5 percent were males and females
respectively. Also 66.7 percent were married while 88.3 percent had formal education ranging
from primary to tertiary education. More than half (69.2%) of the respondents had between 5 and
8 household members. Farming was the major occupation of 75.0 percent of the respondents. The
most consumed animal protein sources were fish (41.0%), milk (42.0%) for breakfast, while for
dinner, beef (62.2%), fish (45.1%) were the major sources of animal protein consumption,
chickens were not commonly consumed by rural households because it is only during festivals
that chickens are commonly consumed. The results of the co-efficient of multiple regression (R2)
showed that 83 percent variation in the dependent variable was explained by the independent
variables included in the regression model. The co-efficient of age (X1) showed a negative (b =-
0.063) relationship to the dependent variable, likewise, sex (b =- 0.108), religion and occupation
(b =- 0.146) were not statistically significant to animal protein consumption patterns of the
respondents. However, marital status (b = 0.142, p < 0.01), educational status (b = 0.114, p <
0.01), household size (b = 0.146, p < 0.01) and household income per annum (b = 0.262 p<
0.01) were statistically significant. It was recommended that government and non-government
organizations should intensify nutrition campaigns to rural dwellers that would help in enlighten
them on the importance of protein of animal sources in their diets.