Journal of Food and Nutrition Science

The Role of Dietary Practices and Nutrition Status of Schools in Kenya

Abong Nyachieo¹*, Okoth Njue¹, Owade Jobor², Fazleabas Kadija²

¹Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, University of Nairobi, Kangemi, Kenya
²Food and Nutritional Evaluation Laboratory (FANEL), International Potato Centre (CIP), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Regional Office, Old Naivasha Road, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Regular meal consumption, consistent physical activity habits and a diet characterized by a favorable nutrient profile all contribute to a healthy way. unfortunately, the feeding behaviors of adolescents are characterized by high consumption of able to eat foods, frequent snacking particularly of food of low nutrition quality and unhealthy weight loss practices like skipping meals, additional therefore breakfast. The poor decisions on what to eat and snack on, created by the adolescents, puts them in danger of being thin, overweight and or rotund. beneath nutrition, overweight and fat are problems with public health concern, as they world faces the double burden of deficiency disease. The aim of the study was to work out the dietary habits and nutrition standing of adolescents in mixed day public secondary colleges. As such, the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical study style. The study population comprised of adolescents in mixed public day secondary colleges in Thika, Kiambu County, Kenya wherever 212 adolescents more established the study instruments. knowledge was collected mistreatment man of science administered structured questionnaires. knowledge on dietary intake was collected mistreatment 7-day food diary and a seven-day food frequency form. measure measures of Weight, height; that was accustomed calculate body mass index and waist circumference in addition hip circumference to calculate waist-hip quantitative relation were conjointly taken to work out the nutrition standing. Dietary intake knowledge was analyses mistreatment nutri-survey, whereas United Nations agency anthro-plus was accustomed calculate the nutrition standing of the adolescents. knowledge analysis was conducted mistreatment SPSS (IBMTM) version twenty. The results indicated that adolescent skip meals particularly the breakfast meal, consume high sugar food, and effervescent drinks. the typical energy intake per day was 2467.1±723.96 Kcal with solely 21.1% of boy and 35.9% ladies earned the RDA. Majority of the respondents 88.7% had z-scores of between < +1sd and >-2sd, 5.7% were in danger of metabolic disorders as assess mistreatment waist circumference whereas four.7% had abdominal fat once waist-hip quantitative relation make up my mind.

Keywords:

Adolescents, Dietary follow, Nutrition standing, Secondary colleges.