Eating habits of students of Obrachire Senior High School

Abstract

The study investigated the eating habits of students of Obrachire Senior High School. The objectives were to find out students‟ nutritional knowledge, their food intake, factors that influence their food choices and the effects of their eating habits. A descriptive survey design was used for the study. One hundred and twenty students were randomly selected as respondents. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were used for data collection and was analyzed using SPSS version 19. Results indicated that students‟ nutritional knowledge is low. Students generally had two meals a day especially the day students with majority taking snacks between the main meals. Factors that affected student‟s food choice included: food available, religious and ethnic taboos, food advertisement and money available. Recommendations include; students should be educated on food nutrients and functions, parents should be encouraged to feed students with well balanced meals including fruits and vegetables. Promotion of healthy eating guidelines and messages should become a mass media campaign in order to target large groups, especially adolescents. If students acquire healthy eating habit from home, they will practice it when out of home.