Food insecurity and malnutrition are persistent problems in Nigeria. Analysis of
spatial pattern of these problems at community level is important to target the
affected with appropriate intervention. This study determined the prevalence and
spatial pattern of food insecurity and childhood malnutrition in Akinyele Local
Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria. Data were obtained from 409 mothers of
under-five children across 40 communities in the study area, which included
information on socio-economic characteristics, food insecurity, hygiene practices,
height, weight and coordinate of points of survey. Community was the unit of
analysis and Geographical Information System was utilized to present visual
information about the communities and descriptive statistics to present the nonspatial
data. More than half (52.6%) of households were classified as food insecure.
Overall prevalence of childhood stunting, underweight, and wasting were 41.6%,
19.8% and 5.6% respectively. Spatial pattern of food insecurity and malnutrition
varied across the study area and suggested that the rural communities have higher
degree of food insecurity. In conclusion, there is high prevalence of food insecurity,
stunting, wasting and underweight among under-five children and their distribution
varied across the study area. The maps generated from this study could be used for
proper resource allocation and targeting of nutrition intervention and development
efforts