MOTHER EDUCATION AND NUTRIENT INTAKE OF CHILDREN AGES 2-7 YEARS IN LAU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF TARABA STATE

¹Anita, D.A., ¹Flora, K., ¹Bhadmus, B.A., and ²Kwetishe, D.T.

¹Department of Home and Rural Economics, College of Agriculture Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria,

²Department of Basic Science, College of Agriculture Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria.

E-mail: juliusnyameh@yahoo.com

Abstract: The study attempts to determine mother’s education and nutrient intake of children ages 2-7 years in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba state. Ten villages were randomly selected in the area and eleven respondents were selected randomly in each of the ten villages making the total of one hundred and ten (110) respondents which formed the sample size for the study. However, a total of 110 questionnaires were administered to the selected mothers. The result shows that most of the respondents were young mothers which majority of them (50.91%) where between 26 – 30 years. Very few of them (8.20%) were 41 years and above. Similarly, majority of them (57.27%) were married women, 25.45%, 9.10% and 8.18% of them were divorced, singles and widows respectively. The result more so, revealed that 63.64% of the respondents have 1 – 3 children and only 10.91 have 7 – 10 children in the area. This shows that most of them have a small size family. The study also shows that majority of the respondents (70%) have attended formal education which is a good omen to that community. The result on the nutrient status of the respondents’ children which indicated that most of their family members (55.45%) depend on carbohydrate foods this is partly due to the major food crops grown in the area. Few (9.09%) have access to plant and animal protein. The result also shows that 61.82% feed their children twice daily and 96.36% give their children fruits but only 2.73% give them fruits three times per week. This shows that most of the children (42.73%) were weighing between 26-30kg at 2-7 years old. It was therefore, concluded that mothers education is rising in the area and nutrient intake is not balanced in terms of balanced diet. Therefore, there is need for improved nutrient intake by the children in the area to promote their growth and performance.