Impact of boko haram insurgency on the nutritional status of two communities in Gulani Local Government Area, Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

The Boko Haram insurgency has consistently posed a threat to the lives of residents in the North-East and national security in general. The insurgency has led to increased incidence of diseases, food insecurity, unemployment, violation of human rights, displacements and shelter problems among others. The study was designed to investigate the impact of boko haram insurgency on the nutritional status of two communities in Gulani Local Government Area, Yobe State, Nigeria. The study was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among 391 respondents utilizing a simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire was administered to obtain information from respondents while anthropometric measurements of height and weight were carried out with the appropriate instruments. The analysed data was presented in descriptive of frequency, Tables and charts. Majority of the respondents were males 269(68.8%) and most 185(47.3%) were farmers. The mean height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were 1.61±0.87, 62.60±14.93 and 22.39±4.70 respectively. The BMI classification shows that 50.5% of the respondents had normal weight, 25.4% had overweight and 19.2% were underweight. Similarly, majority of the respondents 227(70.8%) affirmed that the insurgency has affected the availability and quantity of staple foods, affected their ability of going to farms 169(61.0%) and led to increase in food prices 305(78.0%). Meanwhile, 142(36.3%) affirmed that they harvest 10-20 quantity (bags) of grains before the insurgency, which slightly decreased to 5-10 quantity (bags) of grains as affirmed by 135 (34.5%) of the respondents during the insurgency. The study shows the boko haram insurgency continues to pose serious challenges to farming activities, which has led to increased food prices as well as poor nutritional status of residents of the affected areas. Hence adequate measures must be put in place to mitigate the impact of the insurgency on residents of the affected areas.