Dietary behaviour, knowledge and perception of undergraduate students towards obesity in a Nigerian university

Abstract

Background: A steadily increasing trend of obesity among young adults is becoming evident, and this could lead to an increased burden of chronic non-communicable diseases in adulthood.

Objective: This study assessed the knowledge of undergraduate students on obesity and its related conditions, their perception and dietary behaviour.

Method: A total of 394 undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire with four sections; socio-demographics, knowledge of obesity, perception and dietary behaviour was used to collect data. The correct response to each question was scored 1 and 0 for an incorrect. Participants' were graded as good or positive if they score above the median for each section. A Chi-square test was done to assess the relationship between categorical variables. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results: Majority (64.0%) had poor knowledge of obesity and were mostly males (54.0%), and 58.4% had a positive perception of obesity and were mostly females (62.1%). Also, 57.6% had poor dietary behaviour and were mostly males (58.8%). The daily consumption of fruits (8%) and vegetables (4.1%) were low among participants. A statistically significant relationship (X2= 10.546; p=0.001) was found between obesity knowledge and perception. There was no statistically significant relationship between obesity knowledge and dietary behaviour.

Conclusion: Most undergraduate students in the studied population had poor knowledge of obesity and poor dietary behaviour. Therefore, public health interventions to prevent obesity among university students should focus on improving their knowledge and dietary behaviour.