Comparing Nutritional Awareness of Honey Values between Rural and Urban Dwellers in Ikorodu, Lagos State

Introduction

Apis mellifera bees produce honey, which contains a wide range of substances, the majority of which are carbohydrates, glucose, and fructose [1]. Honey contains between 13% to 23% water [2]. Bees generate natural honey by secreting flower nectars, which are generally acknowledged as food and medicine by all generations [3, 4]. Natural honey is popular among people of all ages, and its use cuts beyond cultural and ethnic boundaries. All religious and cultural beliefs supported and accepted the usage of honey. Honey consumption is growing due to its therapeutic properties [4]. Honey sales are increasing as a result of the increasing use of honey in natural remedies, the growing use of honey in the formulation of medications for the treatment of cough and acute throat infections due to its antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties, and scientific confirmation of its therapeutic properties [5]. Furthermore, the introduction of numerous organic honey products and significant investments in organic foods by market participants present attractive potential for them during the projection period.

The market for organic honey will continue to develop as consumers become more aware of the benefits of organic honey as well as the disadvantages of chemical-based alternatives [5]. Natural honey has long been recognised for its medical properties, but it is also useful as a food sweetener, complete food, and natural beauty agent [1, 6]. Honey contains a variety of nutritional properties; consequently, consumers should be aware of and knowledgeable about these values. Honey consumption is projected to increase as awareness and knowledge of its health benefits increase.

Despite the benefits of honey [7], there is a lack of information about its nutritional knowledge gap among rural and urban consumers. Zanchini, et al. [8] discovered that little attention has been paid to the factors that influence consumers’ use of honey for its health advantages and medicinal capabilities. If consumers are to make informed choices for health and nutritional improvement, they must be aware of the nutritional value of what they consume. As a result, this paper investigates the nutritional knowledge of honey among rural and urban populations in the Ikorodu local government area, to encourage more people to consume honey for a healthier lifestyle.

This study focuses on the following objectives: Determine the respondents’ personal characteristics, assess their level of knowledge about the nutritional value of honey, identify sources of awareness about the nutritional value of honey, and determine their attitude towards honey consumption.

Results

Table 2 shows the results of respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics. The majority (64.8%) of participants were men, while 35.2% were women.

Discussion

The participants were males and women (Table 2). This finding demonstrated that both sexes consumed honey, the high representation of males could be attributed to a random selection of respondents. Both men and women consumed honey in their homes [9], but 60% of the users were women. The male and female participants are of varying age groups. The mean age of the respondents was 41 years. The findings indicate that there are no age restrictions to honey consumption. Young people notably consumed honey because it was offered as a dietary supplement at their family table. This finding is consistent with Zak [10] assertion that young people consume honey because it is always present at their family’s dining tables, and that older people eat honey for its pro-health properties; they believe honey contains a lot of nutrients and has some therapeutic properties, particularly among married people.

A higher percentage of respondents were married; given the respondents’ mean age of 41 years, they were expected to get married, provide food for their family members, and support their children’s schooling. Secondary school education had the biggest proportion of responses. Additionally, few of the total respondents had primary education, some had higher education, and the minority had no formal education. This finding indicates that the majority of respondents were educated, which may influence their food consumption patterns. Because the majority of them are educated, it is believed that they understand the nutritious significance of honey, which will encourage respondents to consume it. This finding is reinforced by Wahab, et al. [9], who discovered that those with university education consumed more honey than those with lower education status.

The distribution of respondents by occupation shows that some were civil servants, less than half of the respondents were private sector workers, and few were self-employed while a minority of the respondents were unemployed. The type of employment may influence participants’ income. The average income is N17, 007. Because the majority of respondents were working to supplement their income, they may have been able to purchase honey for their families.

Most of the respondents said they always consumed honey. This demonstrates that the majority of respondents consumed honey consistently, which may have improved their nutritional and health status. Bogdanov, et al. [11] discovered that honey consumption lowered cholesterol and slightly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults while boosting better blood formation and greater weight gain in newborns. Furthermore, animal model studies indicate that honey may be effective in the therapy of metabolic, cardiovascular, and neoplastic illnesses [12].

The majority of respondents wanted to learn more about the nutritional value of honey. Some participants stated that honey has a high nutritional content that boosts the immune system and protects the body from infections and viruses, which is consistent with Palma-Morales, et al. [7] finding. Because they realised the worth of honey, the majority of respondents said that no amount of money spent on honey consumption was a waste, and the majority of consumers were also conscious about the quality of honey consumed at home. Less than half of the respondents agreed that honey is easily available for purchase in their area. This recommends that more honey should be available in urban as well as rural areas to improve consumption.

Table 4 lists several sources of information on the nutritional value of honey. These include Television, the internet, magazines/journals, and personal interactions with friends, newspapers, and social media. The findings suggest that television, radio, and personal interaction with friends were the most common sources of information. Honey marketers can use this medium to provide essential information to prospective consumers.

According to Table 5, the majority of respondents correctly answered the question on honey’s nutritional value, which states that honey is high in sugar and can be used for sweetening. The majority of participants got a question stating that honey contains vitamins correctly. This is consistent with the finding of Orfanakis, et al. [1], who concluded that honey is high in sugar and includes vitamins. The majority of respondents stated that honey was used to cure wounds and prevent disease. Salehi, et al. [13] confirmed that honey includes flavonoids that can enhance the human immune system against dental plaque and gingivitis.

Nearly all the respondents were aware that honey helps with allergies, and more than half of the participants believed that honey is high in antioxidants, which can combat allergies. This is corroborated by Salehi, et al. [13], who claims that honey contains antioxidants and has the potential to combat allergies. Some participants stated that honey consumption could help prevent disorders like coughing and high blood pressure. Khalil, et al. [14] discovered that honey supplements lower blood sugar levels in hypertensive individuals.

The majority of respondents had adequate knowledge of honey’s nutritional value. Given that the majority of respondents were aware of this, it is likely that honey was used in their family dishes. Participants were well-informed about the nutritional value and benefits of honey (Table

6). This could be attributed to personal interaction, the preservation of cultural legacy, and easy access to high-quality honey in rural areas. This is consistent with Wahab, et al. [9], who reported that respondents were aware of the healthy benefits of honey. It is anticipated that increased awareness will translate into consumption among consumers.

Table 7 shows that there was a significant difference in knowledge of nutrition (t = -3.0; p = 0.00) between rural and urban participants. The disparity in knowledge of nutrition between rural and urban populations could be attributed to the fact that urban dwellers are better educated than rural people. This study agrees with Kowalczuk, et al. [15] that consumption and understanding of the nutritious value of honey changes with educational level, with higher education resulting in greater knowledge.

Conclusion

Consumers’ understanding of the nutritional value of honey should extend to its consumption. This study found that the majority of respondents were aware of the health benefits of consuming honey, which is predicted to lead to increased consumption of honey among rural and urban residents. However, urban individuals were more knowledgeable about honey’s nutritional benefits than rural participants. This means that there may be a greater demand for honey in cities than in rural areas.

Recommendation

As a result of the findings, one of the effective marketing tactics for increasing honey sales in rural areas is to emphasise its nutritional benefits to potential consumers.