Abstract
The study investigated gender and socio-economic influence on eating
habits of adults’ residents in Akwa-Ibom State for healthy lifestyle. Four
research questions guided the study. Expost-facto design was used. The
population was 3,902,051 (1,983,202 males and 1,918,849 females). Multi-
stage sampling technique was used to select 420 respondents. Questionnaire
was used for data collection. Mean was used for data analysis. Finding
shows that males eat more of poultry items to look big, while females dwell
more on fruits and vegetables, skip their meals to remain shapely among
others on gender factors that influence eating habits of adult residents. The
finding shows that high income status dwell more on convenience and
read-to-eat food, always experiment with food and so on, while the low and
medium status lack money to by wholesome foods among others, The
findings also revealed that exposing the adult residents to nutritional
knowledge among others is one of the ways of bridging the gender
influence on the eating habits of adult residents. Again, healthier foods and
more nutrient ones costing less and easy access of markets as well as
availability and variety of healthy foods in neighborhood stores among
others are the ways of bridging socio-economic status influence on eating
habits of adult residents. Based on the findings, it was recommended that
there is need for a multidisciplinary approach targeting social-economic
needs of the residents and need to improve their nutritional knowledge
through extension services..