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Published:
Feb 16, 2022DOI:
10.4314/jdan.v12i1.8Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Association of skipping breakfast on nutritional status of adolescents in selected secondary schools in Opi, Nsukka local government area, Enugu State, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Although breakfast meal has been regarded as the most essential meal for the day because it improves both the nutritional status and academic performance, research findings have demonstrated that skipping of meals was prevalent among group of individuals.
Objective: Association of skipping breakfast on nutritional status of adolescents in selected secondary schools in Opi, Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed in conducting this study. The study was conducted in Opi, a town in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State in South-Eastern Nigeria. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting 210 secondary school students involved in the study. The collection of data included the use of a structured questionnaire; measurement of anthropometric indices. Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) version 21was employed in the data analysis. T-test and Chi-Square were used to analyze the relationship among variables and results were presented as frequencies and percentages, means, and standard deviations. Significance was accepted at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: Majority (72.4%) of the respondents were females and 60.0% were aged 14-16 years. Approximately 50% of the respondents’ fathers and 25.5% of mothers earned less than N 30,000 every monthly. Majority (94.8%) of the respondents skipped breakfast. Little above twenty percent (20.5%) of the respondents was mildly stunted while 13.3% were overweight for their age.
Conclusion: Breakfast skipping and malnutrition in the form of mild to moderate stunting and overweight were prevalent among the study participants suggesting the need for nutrition education to enlighten them on the importance of regular consumption of breakfast meals.
