Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe; Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe; Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike; Rosemary Ngozi Osunde; Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe, Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe, Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike, Rosemary Ngozi Osunde, Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe

Published in International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 7, Issue 4)

Received: 31 May 2018 Accepted: 20 June 2018 Published: 7 July 2018

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Abstract

Information is scarce about dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents in Ekpoma, Nigeria. This is partly because of this age group’s reputation for capriciousness and also because health services/research in developing countries tend to focus more on pre-school children and pregnant women. This study aimed to optimize the health needs of Nigerian adolescents by determining the dietary habits and the nutritional status of adolescents using anthropometry. The cross-sectional descriptive study engaged 400 adolescents aged 10 - 19 years in four secondary schools in Ekpoma using a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. Height (m²) and weight (kg) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was computed to assess underweight, normal weight, over-weight or obesity. SPSS was used to analyse data. Important factors affecting dietary habits include parental influence (87%), taste of food (71%), mass media reports (61%) and culture (55%). Percentages of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents were 24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, respectively. There was significant association between BMI and monthly household income, p<0.002. There were no significant gender differences. In contrast to the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide, this study has demonstrated that under-nutrition is a challenge in this environment. Intensified nutritional education, provision of adequate healthy diets and motivational strategies are imperatives to prevent malnutrition and its related health consequences in this adolescent population – tomorrow’s adults.

Published in	International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 7, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12
Page(s)	121-128
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Adolescents, Dietary Habits, Nutritional Status, Anthropometry, Nigeria

References

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APA Style

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe, Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe, Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike, Rosemary Ngozi Osunde, Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. (2018). Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 7(4), 121-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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ACS Style

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe; Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe; Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike; Rosemary Ngozi Osunde; Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2018, 7(4), 121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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AMA Style

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe, Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe, Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike, Rosemary Ngozi Osunde, Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2018;7(4):121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12,
  author = {Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe and Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe and Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike and Rosemary Ngozi Osunde and Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe},
  title = {Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {7},
  number = {4},
  pages = {121-128},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  abstract = {Information is scarce about dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents in Ekpoma, Nigeria. This is partly because of this age group’s reputation for capriciousness and also because health services/research in developing countries tend to focus more on pre-school children and pregnant women. This study aimed to optimize the health needs of Nigerian adolescents by determining the dietary habits and the nutritional status of adolescents using anthropometry. The cross-sectional descriptive study engaged 400 adolescents aged 10 - 19 years in four secondary schools in Ekpoma using a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. Height (m2) and weight (kg) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was computed to assess underweight, normal weight, over-weight or obesity. SPSS was used to analyse data. Important factors affecting dietary habits include parental influence (87%), taste of food (71%), mass media reports (61%) and culture (55%). Percentages of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents were 24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, respectively. There was significant association between BMI and monthly household income, p<0.002. There were no significant gender differences. In contrast to the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide, this study has demonstrated that under-nutrition is a challenge in this environment. Intensified nutritional education, provision of adequate healthy diets and motivational strategies are imperatives to prevent malnutrition and its related health consequences in this adolescent population – tomorrow’s adults.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria
AU - Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe
AU - Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe
AU - Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike
AU - Rosemary Ngozi Osunde
AU - Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe
Y1 - 2018/07/07
PY - 2018
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12
DO - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12
T2 - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP - 121
EP - 128
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2327-2716
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12
AB - Information is scarce about dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents in Ekpoma, Nigeria. This is partly because of this age group’s reputation for capriciousness and also because health services/research in developing countries tend to focus more on pre-school children and pregnant women. This study aimed to optimize the health needs of Nigerian adolescents by determining the dietary habits and the nutritional status of adolescents using anthropometry. The cross-sectional descriptive study engaged 400 adolescents aged 10 - 19 years in four secondary schools in Ekpoma using a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. Height (m2) and weight (kg) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was computed to assess underweight, normal weight, over-weight or obesity. SPSS was used to analyse data. Important factors affecting dietary habits include parental influence (87%), taste of food (71%), mass media reports (61%) and culture (55%). Percentages of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents were 24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, respectively. There was significant association between BMI and monthly household income, p<0.002. There were no significant gender differences. In contrast to the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide, this study has demonstrated that under-nutrition is a challenge in this environment. Intensified nutritional education, provision of adequate healthy diets and motivational strategies are imperatives to prevent malnutrition and its related health consequences in this adolescent population – tomorrow’s adults.
VL - 7
IS - 4
ER -

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Author Information

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe

Department of Nursing Science, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe

Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike

Department of Nursing Science, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
Rosemary Ngozi Osunde

Department of Nursing Science, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria
Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe

Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria

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APA Style

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe, Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe, Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike, Rosemary Ngozi Osunde, Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. (2018). Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 7(4), 121-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe; Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe; Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike; Rosemary Ngozi Osunde; Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2018, 7(4), 121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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AMA Style

Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe, Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe, Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike, Rosemary Ngozi Osunde, Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe. Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2018;7(4):121-128. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12,
  author = {Sarah Iyoefo Iyalomhe and Samuel Esiemokhai Iyalomhe and Ifeanyi Godwin Nwadike and Rosemary Ngozi Osunde and Godfrey Bolade Samuel Iyalomhe},
  title = {Assessment of Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in a Resource – Poor Environment in Nigeria},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {7},
  number = {4},
  pages = {121-128},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20180704.12},
  abstract = {Information is scarce about dietary habits and nutritional status in adolescents in Ekpoma, Nigeria. This is partly because of this age group’s reputation for capriciousness and also because health services/research in developing countries tend to focus more on pre-school children and pregnant women. This study aimed to optimize the health needs of Nigerian adolescents by determining the dietary habits and the nutritional status of adolescents using anthropometry. The cross-sectional descriptive study engaged 400 adolescents aged 10 - 19 years in four secondary schools in Ekpoma using a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. Height (m2) and weight (kg) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was computed to assess underweight, normal weight, over-weight or obesity. SPSS was used to analyse data. Important factors affecting dietary habits include parental influence (87%), taste of food (71%), mass media reports (61%) and culture (55%). Percentages of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents were 24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, respectively. There was significant association between BMI and monthly household income, p<0.002. There were no significant gender differences. In contrast to the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide, this study has demonstrated that under-nutrition is a challenge in this environment. Intensified nutritional education, provision of adequate healthy diets and motivational strategies are imperatives to prevent malnutrition and its related health consequences in this adolescent population – tomorrow’s adults.},
 year = {2018}
}

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