Pattern of geophagy among inhabitants of Owerri, Nigeria

The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of geophagy among inhabitants of Owerri senatorial zone of Imo State, Nigeria. The study which adopted a descriptive survey design was guided by three specific objectives, three research questions and four null hypotheses. Multi-stage sampling procedure was utilized to draw a sample of 1,200 respondents from the population. A self-structured and validated questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.89 was used to collect data for the study. Data collected were analysed using percentage and Chi-square test-of-association statistics for answering the research questions and testing the hypotheses respectively. The findings of the study revealed that 81.32% of the respondents were geophageous. Kaolin chalk, locally called ‘Nzu’ was the most commonly consumed type of earth (66%). Twenty three percent were everyday consumers while 32.7% of the respondents had been geophageous for over 15 years. The study further established that age, sex, educational status and location of residence were significantly associated with geophagy: prevalence, type of soil, frequency of consumption and length of consumption of soil among the respondents. The study concluded that geophagy was a common practice in Owerri senatorial zone and that education interventions can play a role in curbing the practice. Thus, recommendations included that public health officers, health administrators should get involved in planning appropriate and educative programmes aganist the increasing trend in the consumption of geophagic materials in our society especially in the face of identified health risks of such practice.