Food and Beverage Consumption among Adolescents in Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria

Document Type : Case study

Authors

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Food Science and Human Ecology, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria.

Abstract

Adolescents’ diets have been found to be of lower quality as a result of their increased consumption of beverages. To assess food and beverage consumption among adolescents in Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State. A cross-sectional descriptive study was used. Data was collected in five randomly selected secondary schools in Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State. 220 adolescents (11-19) were randomly selected. Data were obtained on sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, nutrient intake, and beverage intake using pre-tested self-administered questionnaires, and 24-hour dietary recall. The data were analyzed and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical significance was established at P = .05. The highest age range of participants was between ages 15 to 18 years (56.8%), and most respondents were female. Carbohydrate intake was excessive among the male (100%) and female (96.5%) respondents. There is inadequate intake of protein (45.5%) and fat (31.2%) among the male respondents compared to female respondents with protein (4.2%) and fat (7.0%). Most of the respondents (44.5%} consume hot beverages e.g., tea, coffee, etc. 1-5 times a week. More than half (61.8%) of the respondents do not consume alcohol at all. There was a significant relationship between gender and protein intake (P = 0.002), and gender and fat intake (P = 0.001) respectively. There was high consumption of beverages such as energy drinks, sodas, alcohol, and herbal drinks among the respondents, revealing unhealthy dietary habits. This study also reveals that most of the respondents had excess energy.

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