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ORIGINAL RESEARCH REPORT
Knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables among secondary school students of Obele Community Junior High School, Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria Oluwakanyinsola Ojuolape Silva, Olayinka O. Ayankogbe, Tinuola O. Odugbemi Department of Community Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Address for correspondence: Ms. Oluwakanyinsola Ojuolape Silva, Department of Community Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. E‑mail:
[email protected]
Background: The incidence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing in developing countries, largely due to lifestyle and dietary changes. Adolescents are a nutritionally vulnerable age group; however, poor eating habits are often observed in adolescents. It has been observed that individuals who develop healthy eating habits early on in life are more likely to maintain them into adulthood and have a reduced risk of developing NCDs. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and consumption pattern of fruits and vegetables among junior secondary school students. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional descriptive study of 220 respondents selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer‑administered questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed using Epi Info Version 7 statistical software. Results obtained were presented with the use of frequency tables. Results: Results from this study revealed that 84.99% of the respondents displayed good knowledge of the nutritional and health values of fruits and vegetables; however, the consumption of fruits and vegetables was appropriate in only 5.48% of the respondents, having five portions of fruits and vegetables daily. Parental intake, encouragement, and supervision as well as availability and accessibility to fruits and vegetables at home were motivators for appropriate consumption. Conclusion: This study has revealed that the students of Obele Community Junior High School, Surulere, have good knowledge of the nutritional and health values of fruits and vegetables. However, the students have inappropriate daily consumption, as their consumption falls below the World Health Organization recommended five portions daily. Efforts should be made by the students themselves, the family, the School, all and sundry in the community to effect change soonest, so that these adolescents maintain healthy eating habits into adulthood, and hence prevent the occurrence of nutrition‑related NCDs later on in life. Key words: Adolescents, consumption, diet, fruits and vegetables, knowledge
INTRODUCTION Fruit and vegetable consumption is important for the provision of micronutrients to the body, as these food items are a rich source of vitamins and minerals required for the growth, development, and normal functioning of the human body.[1] Although required in small proportions, vitamins and minerals are an essential part of the daily diet, as the human body is not able to synthesize them in sufficient amounts to meet the nutritionally recommended daily allowance.[1] Access this article online
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DOI: 10.4103/jcls.jcls_60_16
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Fr u i t s a n d ve g e t a b l e s p rov i d e d i e t a r y f i b e r s (soluble and insoluble) vital for the optimal functioning of the gastro‑intestinal tract. [2] They also enable the body to use other nutrients required for its normal functioning (like the energy from fats and carbohydrates).[1]
Urbanization, industrialization, technology development, economic development, and market globalization have led This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. For reprints contact:
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How to cite this article: Silva OO, Ayankogbe OO, Odugbemi TO. Knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables among secondary school students of Obele Community Junior High School, Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria. J Clin Sci 2017;14:68-73.
© 2017 JOURNAL OF CLINICAL SCIENCES | PUBLISHED BY WOLTERS KLUWER - MEDKNOW
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Silva, et al.: Fruits and Vegetables: Knowledge and consumption among secondary school students
to rapid changes in diet and lifestyle in the past decade.[3] The incidence of noncommunicable and chronic diseases especially cancers and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are also increasing in developing countries, largely due to the life style and dietary changes.[4] Diet‑related diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, CVD, and cancer are on the increase in Nigeria.[3] The high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries has been attributed to the low level of knowledge of the nutritional value of these fruits and vegetables, as well as their low consumption, despite their availability and cultural acceptance in these countries.[5] As part of a healthy diet low in fat, sugars, and sodium, World Health Organization (WHO) suggests consuming more than 400 g of fruits and vegetables per day (equivalent to five portions) to improve overall health and reduce the risk of certain noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).[6] In 2013, the WHO estimated that approximately 5.2 million deaths worldwide are attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption. [7] The low consumption of fruits and vegetables globally (below the above requirement) is said to be responsible for the increased incidence of CVDs and cancers;[8] the two leading causes of death worldwide.[8] Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables has been recommended as a key component of a healthy diet for the prevention of noncommunicable chronic diseases.[8] Low consumption of fruits and vegetables has also been ranked the sixth major risk factor for mortality in the world.[9] The population of secondary schools is primarily adolescents. Adolescents are defined by the WHO as persons aged 10–19 years. They comprise 20% of the global population, and approximately 80% live in developing countries.[10]
Adolescents are a nutritionally vulnerable age group because of their increased nutritional needs, eating patterns, lifestyles, and susceptibility to environmental influences.[11] The dietary practices of students are a matter of concern as it affects more than their present health and well‑being.[12] There is the added risk that dietary practices established during early adulthood can continue into later life.[13] Hence, healthy eating habits play a fundamental role in growth and development during adolescence.
However, poor eating habits are often observed in adolescents, whose diets are characterized by a low intake of dairy products, fruits, green vegetables, protein, and iron, and a high intake of sugar, soft drinks, and sodium‑ and energy‑dense food items, both in developed and developing countries.[12,14] This eating pattern is of major concern because it can lead to overweight and a higher probability of chronic NCDs, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, CVDs, and cancer later on in life. Studies from industrialized countries have reported that
adolescents have unique dietary patterns that predispose to NCDs in adult life.[4]
One of the nutritional problems affecting adolescent populations worldwide and Nigeria in particular is a micronutrient deficiency in iron, calcium, and Vitamin A.[14]
It has been observed that individuals who develop healthy eating habits early on in life are more likely to maintain them into adulthood, and to have a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases.[13] Thus, it is necessary to promote and encourage a healthy eating pattern in adolescents.
Providing information on nutrition and the eating habits of adolescents is important to identify risky and unhealthy behavior in this age group, and help when executing effective intervention programs to bring about positive changes in food intake and to reduce the occurrence and development of NCDs later in life. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables among students of Obele Community Junior High School Surulere, Lagos state, Nigeria.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Background and study design
This was a descriptive cross‑sectional study assessing the knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables among secondary school students of Obele Community Junior High School, Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria. Obele Community Junior High School is a Government‑owned coeducational school, founded in the year 2003. It is located on a large expanse of land at Randle Avenue, Surulere, Surulere LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria. Facilities and classrooms are housed within a twin 3‑storey building. The school caters for three levels of education ‑ JSS1 (basic 7), JSS2 (basic 8), and JSS3 (basic 9), with 4 arms each – A, B, C, and D. The student body of the school had 256 boys and 154 girls in JSS1, 200 boys and 217 girls in JSS2, 131 boys and 100 girls in JSS3. There were 1058 students in the school as at the year the study was done, 2015.
Sample size determination
A minimum sample size of 220 was determined using the Cochran’s formula, with a prevalence value got from a previous study[11] of 15.2%, at 95% confidence, precision of 5%, and a non-response rate of 10%. Correction for population
