Dairy Products Consumption Prevalence in Northern Nigeria: A Study of Sokoto Metropolis

This study analysed the consumption prevalence of dairy products in Sokoto metropolis. The metropolis was grouped into four clusters, namely; Sokoto main, GRAs, Resident community and Peri-urban whereby 160, 100, 90 and 150 respondents were respectively selected on a random basis. Data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire. Descriptive and chi-square statistics were used to analyse the data. The results showed that 76% of the respondents were Hausas while 69% had a tertiary education and 66% earned above NGN50, 000 per month. The analysis reveals that yoghurt was the most widely consumed dairy products while powdered milk was much more consumed than the evaporated milk. An analysis of the stated preferences of the respondents shows that there was no single dairy product which was overwhelmingly preferred by all the respondents. However, a chi-square analysis of the stated preferences of the respondents shows that ethnicity, education and income levels of the respondents were the major variables influencing the stated preferences of the respondents. Meanwhile, over 64% of the respondents sourced their dairy products from supermarkets and shops/kiosks. While a great proportion of sampled respondents (66.74%), cited health benefits as the main reason for their consumption of dairy product. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that dairy product consumption in Sokoto metropolis is widespread and that people are aware of the health benefits of dairy product consumption. Therefore, it is hereby recommended that promotions that emphasize the nutritional benefits of dairy products should be intensified so as to increase demand.