Abstract

Soursop (Annona muricata) is a nutritious fruit, beneficial to all human race but under-consumed due to various factors. Hence, this study investigated the determinants of soursop fruits consumption among residents of Oyo state, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 241 respondents and an interview schedule to obtain data on respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, purchasing pattern, consumption level and constraints to consumption of the fruit. Data were analysed using percentage, mean, Weighted Score (WS), Pearson Product Moment Correlation and regression analysis. Results show that mean age was 35 years, 52.7% were male, while 26.1% and 55.2% were traders and had tertiary education, respectively and 70.5% earned less than ?200,000per month. Majority (78.4%) had never purchased soursop fruits, had low level of consumption (58.5%), while limited promotion and marketing (WS = 176.3), seasonal variability (WS =170.2) and accessibility issues (WS = 167.6) were severe constraints to consumption of soursop fruits. Significant relationships existed between the respondents’ age (r= 0.186, p= 0.004), monthly income (r = -0.186, p= 0.004) and consumption of soursop fruits. Residents’ age (? =0.44; p=0.00) and price of soursop fruits (? =0.26; p=0.01) determined their consumption of soursop fruits. It is concluded that despite the accrued benefits in soursop fruits, majority of the residents do not consume the fruits probably because of their age and price of the fruits. Therefore, a campaign on benefits accrued in soursop fruits should be embarked upon with collaborative efforts from stakeholders in agriculture, health practitioners and communication development experts.

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