CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

Nutrition is all the process used by the adult or child to take in food and digest, absorb, transport, utilize and excrete food substances [nndres.2004].The component or substances in food are called nutrient. Food is essential for life, what children and adult eat affects their nutritional status as well as their health.[Lynn,2011] note that daily intake of essential nutrients depending on eating a variety of foods in adequate amount. However, the availability of food is often determined by one’s environment, the availability of money, geographic location, and cultural preference and consumer knowledge of good nutrition. Good nutrition according to WHO [2012] simply means having a nutritional status that enables us to grow well and enjoy good health. We normally think of our nutrition as personal, affecting only our own live. This isn’t always the case though .The woman who is pregnant, or who may be, must understand that her nutrition today will be critical to the health of her child throughout life .During pregnancy women must establish nutritional habits that will optimally nourish both the growing fetus ,and herself. A mother is the principal provider of the primary care that her child needs during the first five years of life. Nutritional awareness of mothers plays an important role in the health of children aged from birth to five years. The type of care she provides depends to a larger extent on her knowledge and understanding of some aspects of basic nutrition and health care. Mothers educational level, position , health and nutritional status, behavioral and other aspects determine the outcome of her children. [WHO 2016].In Nigeria, women are usually responsible for production and preparation of food for the household, so their knowledge of good nutrition or lack of it can affect the health and nutritional status of the entire family.

1.1     STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

According to UNICEF [2009], each year, more than half million women die from causes related pregnancy and Child birth. Many women who become pregnant each year most family suffer from ongoing nutritional deficiencies due to lack  of nutritional knowledge / awareness and lack of money among the women .Also many women suffer from a combination of chronic energy deficiency , poor , weight gain in pregnancy, anemia and other micronutrient deficiencies .Maternal malnutrition is influenced not only by lack of adequate nutrition but also influence by factors like socio demographic factors e. g the level of nutritional knowledge of the mother during pregnancies on this ground that this research work investigate into the level of nutritional knowledge /awareness among women [child bearing age ] .

1.2     JUSTIFICATION

Promotion of healthy eating behavior has become an important public health initiative as the number of children who are under weight continues to increase due to lack of nutritional knowledge of the mother [Oniang’O et al .,2003 ]. They are likely to respond effectively to the dietary message [Conteto et al ., 2007 ]. And also likely to develop life time health eating habit which would influence their health during adulthood .

1.3     AIM

·        To assess the level of nutritional knowledge/awareness  among women in Shiroro local government area.

1.4     OBJECTIVE

·        To find out if nutritionists are employed by the governor into other health centers in the state.

1.5     SCOPE OF STUDY

This project work covers a proportion of women under the ages of 18-45years in Shiroro Local Government Area Niger State.

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