3 research outputs found
Socio-economic status and hunger among orphans and vulnerable children households in Lagos State, Nigeria
Background: HIV/AIDS has contributed to increasing orphans and
vulnerable children in Nigeria. A measure of vulnerability is household
hunger. Objective: To assess level of household hunger and associated
factors among OVC households in Lagos State. Methods: A cross-sectional
survey of 1300 OVC households in 5 selected Local Government Areas. The
LGAs were selected using the Household Vulnerability Assessment index.
Data collection was by personal interview of households\u2019 heads/
caregivers using a structured questionnaire capturing
socio-demographic, household economic profile and food-related
variables. A multivariate logit model was fitted to identify
independent predictors of household hunger after adjusting for
confounding variables. Results: The population density was 5.1 and
52.8% were females. A larger proportion of females (84.6%) than males
(78.3%) reported that they had no food to eat in the last four weeks
prior the survey. Poor household economic status (OR=1.41, CI:
1.03-1.92), age and marital status of caregiver were independent
predictors of household hunger. The odds of hunger increased with
caregiver\u2019s age; higher in households headed by never married
(OR=3.99, CI: 1.15-13.89) and divorced/separated caregivers (OR=2.39,
CI: 1.11-5.12). Conclusion: OVC households experienced severe hunger.
Household economic strengthening would be useful strategy to mitigate
the nutrition challenges of OVC in Lagos state