An Examination Of Dietary Practises Of Nigerian Women In Atlanta

Background: Sociocultural and psychological factors influence dietary practices. Poor dietary practices are among the risk factors for non-communicable diseases. There is a disproportionate rate of non-communicable diseases in the United States and Nigeria, which are among the top countries with poor dietary practices globally. Nigerians are shifting from traditional meals, which are good sources of insoluble fibers, preventing certain non-communicable diseases, to Western and unprocessed foods. They are also replacing traditional spices with bouillon. Aims: This study (i) describes the types and frequency of consuming common Nigerian foods, (ii) determines if the length of stay in the U.S influences the frequency of consuming common Nigerian foods, and (iii) examines if health status influences dietary practices of Nigerian women in metro Atlanta. Methods: This is an exploratory cross-sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire administered as an online survey to obtain data on the frequency of consumption of common Nigerian foods among a convenient sample population of adult Nigerian women living in Atlanta. Other data obtained included sociodemographics, diabetes or hypertension diagnosis, and the frequency of using salt and bouillon in combination for meal preparation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and bivariate analysis of variables to determine if differences in proportions were statistically significant at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Results: Rice is the most commonly consumed food by a high proportion of study participants, irrespective of health status. The length of stay of participants in the U.S did not significantly infer a difference in the frequency of consuming the most common Nigerian foods among this population. About 43.14% of study participants practice the habit of using the combination of salt and bouillon in meal preparation. The difference in the proportion of study participants who had or did not have diabetes using salt and bouillon for meal preparation was statistically significant (p= 0.0008). In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of study participants who had or did not have hypertension using salt and bouillon in combination. Summary: This study shows that the most commonly consumed Nigerian foods eaten by Nigerian women in Atlanta are similar to those eaten by Nigerians residing in Nigeria. Although the frequency of consuming common Nigerian foods among these women differed with their length of stay in the U.S and health status, these differences appear to be statistically insignificant. Also, the daily use of salt and bouillon is observed among a considerable proportion of women in this study. Further research is needed for a larger sample size in this population with a comparative analysis on dietary practices of Nigerian women living in Nigeria