Parental Roles in Shaping the Nutritional Habits and Outcomes of Primary School Pupils in Ekiti State

This study investigated the roles parents play in shaping the nutritional habits and outcomes of primary school pupils in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Using a descriptive survey design, data was collected from 120 parents of primary school pupils in Ado Local Government, Ekiti State, selected via purposive sampling. The research instruments, two self-designed questionnaires on food types and parental roles, demonstrated strong reliability with Cronbach Alpha coefficients of 0.76 and 0.74. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, mean, percentage, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (T-test). Key findings revealed that a variety of foods are provided to pupils, but parents' socioeconomic status significantly influences the nutritional choices made for their children (p-value = 0.000<0.05). The study identified the high cost of healthy food as a major barrier to adequate nutrition, an issue tied to the state of the economy. While parents were found to play important roles in monitoring and educating their children on food, the research showed no significant difference between the roles parents play and the nutritional choices made for their children (p-value = 0.679>0.05). The study concludes that parental socioeconomic status is a critical factor influencing children's nutritional outcomes and that economic barriers must be addressed to improve child nutrition in the region.