Annual consumption rate of fish types in Tanzania's Singida municipality during 2022

Abstract

This study assessed the annual fish consumption among the households in Singida Municipality. This was due to the long-time of unsatisfactory pupil performance in joining secondary schools which may be linked to a lack of Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The study used a questionnaire based on a random household consumer survey of 204 households. The questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 27 and the results were reported using descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, percentages, and frequency distributions. The results showed that the highest mean annual consumption was 25.92 kg and 23.00 kg per person for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) respectively. Manyara tilapia (Oreochromis amphimelus) had a consumption rate of 22.27 kg annually per person. Nile perch (Lates niloticus) had the lowest consumption of 18.98 kg annually per person. The trend of respondents' perceptions on occurrences of non-communicable diseases was blood pressure, diabetes, stomach ulcers, marasmus, and inflammation of the lungs, epilepsy and Cancer. It was concluded that fish consumption in this study area varies with the type of fish and is higher than the national average fish consumption rate of 8.5 kg in 2020. Although unsatisfactory school performance may be attributed to other factors, more research should be conducted on fish omega-3 quantities from this study area.

Keywords

• Fish consumption per capita
• African catfish
• Cognitive development
• Nile tilapia