Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia
Owing to its unique nature and contribution to household food security, grass pea is among important legumes grown widely in many areas of the world, including Ethiopia. Nevertheless, it has severe consequences on human health (e.g. lathyrism) if consumed in large quantities over an extended period....
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doaj-4530f587aaca46ca955b7b496dc12f942021-10-03T04:42:59ZengElsevierScientific African2468-22762021-09-0113e00853Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, EthiopiaDawit Diriba Guta0Shimeles Damene1Mohammed Assen2Poshendra Satyal3Center of Environment and Development Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Corresponding author at: P.O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Center of Environment and Development Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaSchool of International Development, University of East Anglia, United KingdomOwing to its unique nature and contribution to household food security, grass pea is among important legumes grown widely in many areas of the world, including Ethiopia. Nevertheless, it has severe consequences on human health (e.g. lathyrism) if consumed in large quantities over an extended period. In this context, this study analyzed the driving factors of household grass pea consumption and its implications on health, particularly the case of lathyrism. We used cross-section data collected from a random sample of 384 households in Northeast Ethiopia. To account for zero consumption of grass pea by households, Tobit model was applied. The results indicate that grass pea is an inferior food crop and its consumption decreases with an increase in household wealth, the number of livestock owned, and access to farm extension services. Moreover, households who perceive the threat of climate change tend to consume more grass pea compared to counterparts who do not perceive the threat. In contrast, household size and age of head are associated positively with grass pea consumption. The study indicates that lathyrism is a severe health problem in the study area, affecting about 3.6% of the sampled households. In light of these findings, federal to regional level government policymakers should target poverty reduction strategies to enhance the wellbeing of the local people and improve access to extension services. In particular, there is a need to increase awareness about lathyrism problem that arises from continued consumption of grass pea and encourage switching to substitute crops.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227621001575Grass pea consumptionLathyrismHouseholdsTobit modelEthiopia |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Dawit Diriba Guta Shimeles Damene Mohammed Assen Poshendra Satyal |
spellingShingle |
Dawit Diriba Guta Shimeles Damene Mohammed Assen Poshendra Satyal Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia Scientific African Grass pea consumption Lathyrism Households Tobit model Ethiopia |
author_facet |
Dawit Diriba Guta Shimeles Damene Mohammed Assen Poshendra Satyal |
author_sort |
Dawit Diriba Guta |
title |
Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia |
title_short |
Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia |
title_full |
Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia |
title_fullStr |
Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in Wollo Zone, Ethiopia |
title_sort |
factors influencing household grass pea consumption and implication for lathyrism in wollo zone, ethiopia |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Scientific African |
issn |
2468-2276 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
Owing to its unique nature and contribution to household food security, grass pea is among important legumes grown widely in many areas of the world, including Ethiopia. Nevertheless, it has severe consequences on human health (e.g. lathyrism) if consumed in large quantities over an extended period. In this context, this study analyzed the driving factors of household grass pea consumption and its implications on health, particularly the case of lathyrism. We used cross-section data collected from a random sample of 384 households in Northeast Ethiopia. To account for zero consumption of grass pea by households, Tobit model was applied. The results indicate that grass pea is an inferior food crop and its consumption decreases with an increase in household wealth, the number of livestock owned, and access to farm extension services. Moreover, households who perceive the threat of climate change tend to consume more grass pea compared to counterparts who do not perceive the threat. In contrast, household size and age of head are associated positively with grass pea consumption. The study indicates that lathyrism is a severe health problem in the study area, affecting about 3.6% of the sampled households. In light of these findings, federal to regional level government policymakers should target poverty reduction strategies to enhance the wellbeing of the local people and improve access to extension services. In particular, there is a need to increase awareness about lathyrism problem that arises from continued consumption of grass pea and encourage switching to substitute crops. |
topic |
Grass pea consumption Lathyrism Households Tobit model Ethiopia |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227621001575 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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