Abstract:
The present study was undertaken to understand socio-cultural factors influencing
attitudes and perceptions on food and nutrition of adult men and women residing in
Morogoro Municipality. Specifically, the study aimed at determining the socio-cultural
factors influencing attitudes and perceptions on food and nutrition; to assess the influence
of socio-cultural factors on dietary pattern in the study area; to evaluate household
decision making on food accessibility; and to assess the nutritional status of adult
household members. Face to face interview and focus group discussion were used to
explore the factors. Also, anthropometric dimensions of the respondents were measured,
and households were visited for direct observation. A total of 534 respondents were
interviewed and the nutrition status of 500 respondents was assessed. The main finding of
the study indicates that most of the people in the study area (88%) attained primary school
education. The majority of respondents (96%) were involved in agriculture activities. A
high proportion (66%) of the respondents lack knowledge on food and nutrition. The
nutrition status of the respondents explains the prevalence of under nutrition. About 69%
of assessed male and 31% of female respondents are underweight using the standard BMI
cut off of 18. Moreover, socio-cultural factors influenced the subjects’ attitudes and
perception on food and nutrition. The study concluded that there is an inverse relationship
between socio-cultural influences and eating behaviour of the people in Morogoro
Municipality. Through interaction, people adopt different culture but they do not
completely lose their culture, still adhere to their old traits therefore interventions need to
be geared towards different groups of the population focusing more on factors influencing
their attitudes and perception on food and mark the basis for planning culturally sensitive
interventions to promote healthy eating.
