Street Food Consumption and its associated socio-demographic factors in Oyo town, Nigeria

Background : Contemporary life-styles have made street foods to be an important meal option in Nigeria. They contribute to daily nutrient intake of consumers. The main objective of this study was to assess street food consumption with respect to socio-demographic factors of people in Oyo. Methods : Using interviewer-administered questionnaire, data on street food consumption and socio-demographic factors were collected from 400 professionals sampled across the city. Data were analysed using chi-square test at 5% confidence interval. Results : The mean age of the respondents was 34.7years. About half (53.0%) were male, 60.8% were married, 81.8% had post-secondary education and 72.2% came from monogamous family. Over half (59.0%) spent more than 6 hours outside the home daily. Overall, 55.2% consumed street foods at least three times in a week; and 54.5%, 17.3% and 28.2% consumed it on week days only, on weekend only and any day of the week respectively. Street foods were consumed mainly to save time (77.2%) and for convenience (64.5%). Male (20.8%) consumed street foods more often than female (10.6%). Polygamous family (19.8%) consumed street foods more frequently than monogamous family (14.5%) (p=0.048). Bankers (26.0%) consumed street foods five times a week compared to Teachers (6.0%) (p=0.000). On week days, 59.3% of respondents having higher education consumed street foods compared to those having secondary education (32.8%) (p=0.000). Conclusion : Belonging to a polygamous family, occupation and education were predisposing factors to street food consumption. Nutrition education is suggested for people to make a better choice of nourishing street foods. Key words : street foods, consumption, socio-demographic factors, professionals