Knowledge of Benefits and Diet Quality of Fruits and Vegetables Consumption among Parents and Caregivers of Under-Five children in Bayelsa State of Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Fruits and vegetables are important in the growth and development of children. Therefore, this study aims to assess the knowledge of the benefits and diet quality of fruits and vegetables among parents and caregivers of under-five-year-oldchildren in Bayelsa State of Nigeria.

Methods: This research was a population-based survey among randomly selected 360 parents/caregivers of children aged 5 years and below in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Data for this research was collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The results were expressed as frequency and percentage, level of significance was calculated at confidence interval of 95% and P<0.05.

Results: The majority of the respondents 355 (98.6%) were female with the age range 25-44 making 86.65% of the total population. The findings shows that 86.7% of the respondents knew the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption. Furthermore, 40.8% and 43.6%of the respondents reported that the children in their care consumed fruits/fruit juice and vegetables once a week respectively.

Conclusion: Though parents and caregivers in Bayelsa state have good knowledge of the benefits of fruits and vegetables, they do not provide adequate fruits and vegetables for their children consumption. Therefore, health professionals should educate parents and caregivers of children about the quality of fruits and vegetables to be provided for their children.