Nigeria, like many African nations, continues to confront challenges such as food insecurity, malnutrition, inflation, and changing dietary habits. In these dynamic environments, access to timely and accurate data is essential for shaping policies and interventions that truly reflect the needs of the people.

One method proving especially effective is telephone surveying a remote research approach that enables stakeholders to gather firsthand insights on nutrition, food consumption, and household well-being.

This article explores the role of telephone surveys in understanding food and nutrition in Nigeria, how they work, and why they are essential for informed decision-making across both local and national levels.

Understanding the Value of Telephone Surveys in Nigeria

Unlike internet-based surveys that often exclude rural and under-served populations, telephone surveys are more inclusive and scalable. In Nigeria, where mobile phone usage is widespread even in remote regions this method offers a practical and reliable way to collect nationwide data.

Why telephone surveys work for Nigeria’s food and nutrition sector

• Cost-effective compared to in-person fieldwork

• Allow respondents to participate from the comfort of their homes

• Can be conducted in local languages like Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and more

• Reach across Nigeria’s urban and rural divides in a short time

This makes telephone surveys an indispensable tool for nutrition-related research, enabling a clearer picture of real-time challenges like food inflation, seasonal hunger, or shifting diets.

Capturing Nigeria’s Unique Nutrition Patterns

Food habits in Nigeria are as diverse as its regions. From the north to the south, dietary patterns, meal frequencies, and nutritional gaps vary. Through telephone surveys, researchers are able to gather accurate, firsthand responses on:

• Daily food consumption patterns

• Portion sizes and number of meals

• Intake of fortified foods and dietary supplements

• Infant and maternal feeding practices

• Household food affordability and availability

By using Telephone Survey, enumerators can digitally record responses while maintaining consistency and privacy. This system also allows easy translation into local dialects, making the data collection more accessible and trustworthy.

Informed Nutrition Policy Through Data in Nigeria

The power of data collected from telephone surveys goes far beyond research it is shaping Nigeria’s health and agricultural policies, NGO programs, and donor interventions. Through this method, government bodies and organizations are able to:

1. Design more nutrition-sensitive agricultural policies

2. Assess the impact of food aid and school feeding programs

3. Identify and support vulnerable populations affected by hunger

4. Tailor health education campaigns around real-world eating behaviors

For example, following flooding in parts of Northern Nigeria, telephone surveys helped identify child malnutrition trends in Borno State, enabling emergency nutrition responses in a matter of days.

Real-Life Impact Across Nigeria and Beyond

Across the African continent and especially in Nigeria, CATI-based telephone surveys have proven to be game-changers.

• In Nigeria, mobile interviews supported nutrition assessments after major flooding, especially in the northeast.

• In Ghana, health agencies used telephone data to promote the adoption of vitamin-rich foods.

• In Kenya, surveys tracked how rising maize prices impacted household food security.

These examples show that the role of telephone surveys in understanding food and nutrition in Nigeria and Africa is growing stronger and more impactful.

How Telephone Survey is Transforming Nutrition Research in Nigeria

CATI Africa employs Telephone Survey systems to streamline, automate, and scale survey operations. These tools are helping organizations in Nigeria execute large-scale nutrition surveys with ease.

Key benefits of Telephone Survey:

• Secure and automated data logging

• Real-time quality monitoring

• Multi-language survey capabilities

• Faster report generation and analysis

Telephone Survey allows nutrition researchers to capture the voice of Nigerian communities in real time turning each phone call into data that fuels meaningful change.

Overcoming Challenges in Remote Nutrition Research

While effective, telephone surveys in Nigeria also face challenges like:

• Poor network coverage in rural zones

• Shared phone usage in some households

• Occasional call dropouts or language barriers

However, with trained enumerators, proper call scheduling, and trust-building strategies, these challenges are being effectively managed ensuring the data remains robust, inclusive, and ethically collected.

 Let’s Work Together: Power Your Next Nutrition Program with Insight

Whether you're launching a food program in northern Nigeria, evaluating urban nutrition patterns in Lagos, or conducting a nationwide food security assessment, CATI Africa can support your goals.

We bring deep local expertise, trained enumerators, and a multilingual approach to every Telephone Survey project.