Knowledge of nutrition and weight control of civil sevants in Osun state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the knowledge of nutrition and body weight control among civil servants in Osun State of Nigeria. The study is informed by the increase in the number of men and women the world over with overweight and obesity problems. A total of 400 randomly selected civil servants (250 men and 150 women) in Osun State Civil Service, served as respondents in the study. A short questionnaire, developed by the investigator, with a test-retest reliability of 0.73, was used to collect data for the study. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that majority of male respondents (53.2%) had poor knowledge of the nutritive values of the food they eat, compared to a substantial proportion of the female respondents (51.3%) who had a good knowledge of nutritional values of the food they eat and the values of the food their bodies need. Consciousness about body weight control is higher among female than male respondents. While ninety six percent (96%) of the female indicated they employed dieting as a means to keep their body weight under control, a substantial proportion of the male respondents (87.6%) indicated they paid little or no attention to what they eat. Sixty four percent (64%) of the respondents indicated they felt they were overweight, and/or obese. It was concluded that the tendency among male respondents to become overweight and obese may constitute a threat to healthy living and productivity of the male work force.

African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance Vol. 13 (1) 2007: pp. 32-42