INFLUENCE OF AWARENESS OF DIETARY CHOLESTEROL ON CONSUMPTION OF CHICKEN EGGS IN ZARIA

Structured questionnaires were administered on 228 respondents within Zaria and its environs to evaluate the acceptability of chicken egg as food despite its cholesterol content. The study was conducted between May and June, 2009. The questionnaires were retrieved; collated and data analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The data were analyzed for frequencies and correlated relationships between the measured attributes. The results indicate equal distribution between male (49.6%) and female (50.4%) respondents. The highest percentage of the respondents was between the active age group of 20 to 50 years of age. Most of the individuals interviewed were either single (59.2%) or married (33.3%). About 70% of the respondents had tertiary education while the rest had secondary (27.2%) and primary (3.1) education. The respondents were mainly students, civil servants, academics and private business people and their corresponding respective frequencies were 98, 60, 19 and 51, respectively. Almost all (93.4%) the respondents liked chicken egg as food. 63.2% of the respondents ate an egg per meal while 7% of them did not eat egg at all. Age and profession of respondents significantly (P<0.05) affected respondents’ likeness for chicken egg. This study therefore, shows that the higher the level of education the more the fear of the cholesterol in chicken eggs.