Spousal Dependence and Maternal Nutrition Among the Afikpo Igbos of Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Maternal nutrition remains one of the most consequential yet structurally determined dimensions of reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa. In many communities, a pregnant or lactating woman's capacity to eat adequately is not simply a matter of food availability but is profoundly shaped by her relationship with her husband who has the primary economic and social authority in the household. This study examines how spouse dependence impacts on maternal nutrition among the Afikpo Igbos of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 345 married women of reproductive age (15–9) residing in Afikpo North and Afikpo South Local Government Areas, and conducted in-depth interviews with 18 purposively selected informants. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and a 24-hour dietary recall tool were used alongside structured questionnaires measuring spousal control, decision-making autonomy, and social support. Findings reveal that 71.3% of respondents reported high levels of spouse dependence in food and nutrition decisions, and these women were 2.9 times more likely to experience dietary inadequacy during pregnancy and lactation than those with moderate or low dependence. Key mechanisms identified include male gatekeeping of household food resources, patriarchal norms governing food taboos, and women's limited economic autonomy. Cultural idioms of wifely deference, rooted in Igbo cosmology and reinforced by community social sanctions, compound these structural constraints. The study draws on Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach and feminist political economy to argue that maternal malnutrition in Afikpo is not a nutritional problem reducible to dietary knowledge deficits, but a gendered justice problem demanding structural redress. Policy recommendations include community-level spousal nutrition education, women's economic empowerment programmes, and the integration of gendertransformative approaches into maternal health services.