Food Consumption Patterns of Nigerian Adolescents and Effect on Body Weight
published online 18 January 2010.
Abstract
Objective
Association between nutritional status of adolescents and food consumption pattern.
Design
Data on number of meals and snacks consumed daily were collected using structured questionnaires. Nutritional status was assessed as weight-for-age body mass index score less than fifth percentile of the National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organization International Growth Reference.
Setting
Cross-sectional studies of adolescents using multistage random sampling procedure.
Participants
401 adolescents from 32 secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria.
Analysis
Frequency counts, percentages, and cross-tabulation analysis were used to analyze data, analysis of variance was used to test the differences, as well as chi-square analysis. Level of significance was taken at .05 and .01 levels.
Results
66.1% of adolescents ate 3 meals daily; this percentage was higher among rural (75.4%) than urban (61.4%) children (P < .001). About 33.0% consumed snacks daily but to a varying degree, which was higher among urban than rural adolescents (P = .002). Prevalence of underweight was 20.1%, more common in rural (22.1%) than urban adolescents (18.7%). Underweight prevalence was highest among those who ate 3 meals and no snacks daily (28.6%) and least among those who ate 3 meals and snacks twice daily (15.9%).
Conclusion
Snacks are important in food consumption among adolescents; when snacks are consumed in addition to 3 meals, they will improve the nutritional status of adolescents.
1Department of Family, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
2Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
3Department of Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
Address for correspondence: M. F. Olumakaiye, PhD, Department of Family Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria; Phone: +234 803 4021 395
ABSTRACT