Author(s)

Folake O. Samuel¹, Toluwalope E. Eyinla^1*, Ariyo Oluwaseun¹, Oluwatosin O. Leshi¹, Bartholomew I. C. Brai², Wasiu A. O. Afolabi³

¹Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
²Department of Biochemistry, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.
³Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

The food insecurity experiences and related behaviors of Nigerian households during the COVID-19 lockdown have not been fully discussed. This study was conducted to elicit information on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic and behavioral patterns related to food access. An online-based semi-structured questionnaire distributed through messaging platforms was used to collect information on characteristics, food purchasing behaviour before and during COVID-19 lockdown among respondents. Experience of food insecurity was assessed using Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). A total of 883 responses were received and analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0. Most of the respondents (90.5%) were at home or had stopped going to work due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even though smaller households had higher food expenditure claims than larger households (p = 0.012), the larger the household, the more acute the challenge of economic access to food (p = 0.050). Location (p = 0.000), age (p = 0.003), occupation (p = 0.014) and income level (p = 0.000) were associated with experience of food insecurity. In conclusion, lockdown restrictions increased food expenditure and experience of food insecurity among the respondents and thus we recommend the probe of long-term consequences of deviations from usual food access on undernutrition or overnutrition in Nigerian households.

Food Security, COVID-19, FIES, Lockdown, Food Access

Samuel, F. , Eyinla, T. , Oluwaseun, A. , Leshi, O. , Brai, B. and Afolabi, W. (2021) Food Access and Experience of Food Insecurity in Nigerian Households during the COVID-19 Lockdown. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 12, 1062-1072. doi: 10.4236/fns.2021.1211078.