FOOD SKILLS AS PREDICTIVE MECHANISM OF DIET QUALITY: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF HEALTHY FOOD CHOICE OF ADOLESCENTS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Authors

  • Theresa Onu Department of Home Economics Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53555/nnssh.v8i8.1330

Keywords:

food skills, food choice, diet quality, adolescents, girls

Abstract

Several studies have identified young people's food habits and preferences in Nigeria and found a strong preference for fast foods, snacks, and fizzy drinks. Indeed, there is a growing concern about the dietary quality of ultra-processed foods. However, little is known about the role of adequate food skills in an individual's choice of a quality meal. This study examined food skills as a predictive mechanism for healthy food choices in adolescent girls. The participants comprised two hundred and eleven (n-211) female students pooled from three public tertiary institutions in the Enugu state of Nigeria. The respondents completed a self-report measure of food skills and healthy food choices. The result revealed a statistically significant interaction between food skills and food choice F (1,209), 38.17, P<.000. Thus, it was recommended that food skills are an essential determinant of healthy food choices. The result has implications for improving healthy food choices in adolescents.

References

Abd El-Shaheed, A., Mahfouz, N. N., Moustafa, R. S. I., & Elabd, M. A. (2019). Alarming eating behaviors among adolescents in Egypt. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 7(13). https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.583

Adedini, A. (2015). Stakeholders' views on why child obesity is rising in Lagos, Nigeria. Pharmacotherapy, 35(11).

Adegboye, O. R., Smith, C., Anang, D., & Musa, H. (2016). Comparing and contrasting three cultural food customs from Nigeria and analyzing the nutrient content of diets from these cultures to proffer nutritional intervention. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 56(15). https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2013.862201

Arisukwu, O., Olaosebikan, D., Asaleye, A. J., & Asamu, F. (2019). Feeding habit and the health of undergraduate students: Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences Research, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.32861/jssr.52.498.506

Arulogun, O. S., & Owolabi, M. O. (2011). Fast Food Consumption Pattern among Undergraduates of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria: Implications for Nutrition Education. J. Agric. Food. Tech, 1(6).

Begley, A., Paynter, E., Butcher, L. M., & Dhaliwal, S. S. (2019). Examining the association between food literacy and food insecurity. Nutrients, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020445

Buck-McFadyen, E. V. (2015). Rural food insecurity: When cooking skills, homegrown food, and perseverance aren't enough to feed a family. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106(3). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.106.4837

Centre for Disease Control. (2011). School health guidelines promote healthy eating and physical activity. In MMWR. Recommendations and reports: Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports (Vol. 60, Issue RR-5). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21918496%0Ahttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21918496

Christian, P. (2017). Global burden and epidemiology of adolescent nutrition: Issues and risk factors. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 71(Supplement 2).

Crino, M., Sacks, G., Vandevijvere, S., Swinburn, B., & Neal, B. (2015). The Influence on Population Weight Gain and Obesity of the Macronutrient Composition and Energy Density of the Food Supply. Current Obesity Reports, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-014-0134-7

Daly, M., & Kelly, G. (2015). Families and Poverty: Everyday life on a low income. In Families and Poverty: Everyday Life on a Low Income. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2017.1345172

de Brauw, A., & Herskowitz, S. (2021). Income variability, evolving diets, and elasticity estimating demand for processed foods in Nigeria. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 103(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12139

Demmler, K. M., Ecker, O., & Qaim, M. (2018). Supermarket shopping and nutritional outcomes: a panel data analysis for urban Kenya. World Development, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.07.018

Hammelman, C. (2018). Urban migrant women's everyday food insecurity coping strategies foster alternative urban imaginaries of a more democratic food system. Urban Geography, 39(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2017.1382309

Ishaq, F., Khan, R., Dar, M., Ali, M., Yameen, Z., Rana, I., Ashraf, M., & Abbas, A. (2020). Assessment of eating habits and knowledge regarding daily nutritional requirements among university students. Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Engineering, 10(1).

Jacka, F. N., Sacks, G., Berk, M., & Allender, S. (2014). Food policies for physical and mental health. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-132

Jenkins, S., & Horner, S. D. (2005). Barriers that influence eating behaviors in adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2005.02.014

Kennedy, L. G., Kichler, E. J., Seabrook, J. A., Matthews, J. I., & Dworatzek, P. D. N. (2019). Validity and Reliability of a Food Skills Questionnaire. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.02.003

Konwar, P., Vyas, N., Hossain, S., Gore, M., & Choudhury, M. (2019). Nutritional status of adolescent girls belonging to the tea garden estates of Sivasagar district, Assam, India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 44(3). https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_357_18

Lavelle, F., McGowan, L., Hollywood, L., Surgenor, D., McCloat, A., Mooney, E., Caraher, M., Raats, M., & Dean, M. (2017). The development and validation of measures to assess cooking skills and food skills. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0575-y

Lavelle, F., Spence, M., Hollywood, L., McGowan, L., Surgenor, D., McCloat, A., Mooney, E., Caraher, M., Raats, M., & Dean, M. (2016). Learning cooking skills at different ages: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0446-y

Mapis, G. (2020). The Dietary Decision-Making Process of Women in Nigeria. In ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

McGowan, L., Caraher, M., Raats, M., Lavelle, F., Hollywood, L., McDowell, D., Spence, M., McCloat, A., Mooney, E., & Dean, M. (2017). Domestic cooking and food skills: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(11). https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2015.1072495

McLaughlin, C., Tarasuk, V., & Kreiger, N. (2003). An examination of at-home food preparation activity among low-income, food-insecure women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 103(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2003.08.022

Mekonnen, D. A., Akerele, D., Achterbosch, T., de Lange, T., & Talsma, E. F. (2021). Affordability of Healthy and Sustainable Diets in Nigeria. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.726773

Misra, M. (2010). Lessons learned from metabolic bone disease associated with disordered eating. Pediatric Pulmonology, 45.

Monteiro, C. A., Moubarac, J. C., Cannon, G., Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. (2013). Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system. Obesity Reviews, 14(S2).

Olusanya, J. O., & Omotayo, O. A. (2011). Prevalence of obesity among Tai Solarin University of Education undergraduate students, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 10(10), 940–946. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2011.940.946

Opara, D. C., Ikpeme, E. E., & Ekanem, U. S. (2010). Prevalence of stunting, underweight, and obesity in school-aged children in Uyo, Nigeria. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2010.459.466

Perry, E. A., Thomas, H., Samra, H. R., Edmonstone, S., Davidson, L., Faulkner, A., Petermann, L., Manafò, E., & Kirkpatrick, S. I. (2017). Identifying attributes of food literacy: A scoping review. In Public Health Nutrition (Vol. 20, Issue 13). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017001276

Poti, J. M., Braga, B., & Qin, B. (2017). Ultra-processed Food Intake and Obesity: What Matters for Health-Processing or Nutrient Content? In Current obesity reports (Vol. 6, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-017-0285-4

Power, M., Small, N., Doherty, B., & Pickett, K. E. (2018). Hidden hunger? Experiences of food insecurity amongst Pakistani and white British women. British Food Journal, 120(11). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2018-0342

Prangthip, P., Soe, Y. M., & Signar, J. F. (2021). Literature review: nutritional factors are influencing academic achievement in school-age children. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2018-0142

Sharif Ishak, S. I. Z., Chin, Y. S., Mohd Taib, M. N., & Mohd Shariff, Z. (2016). A study protocol is a school-based intervention to prevent overweight and disordered eating in secondary school Malaysian adolescents. BMC Public Health, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3773-7

Sharif Ishak, S. I. Z., Chin, Y. S., Mohd Taib, M. N., & Mohd Shariff, Z. (2020). Malaysian adolescents' perceptions of healthy eating: A qualitative study. Public Health Nutrition, 23(8). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019003677

Soliah, L. A. L., Walter, J. M., & Jones, S. A. (2012). Benefits and barriers to healthful eating: What are the consequences of decreased food preparation ability? American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (Vol. 6, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827611426394

Sosanya, M., Freeland-Graves, J., Gbemileke, A., Adesanya, D., & Samuel, F. (2021). Why Are You So Thin? Exploring Individual and Household Level Factors of Adolescent Girls' Food Consumption in Rural Bauchi, Northern Nigeria. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(Supplement_2). https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab035_090

Stanner, S. (2004). Nutrition and teenagers. Women's Health Medicine, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1383/wohm.1.1.6.55412

Thavarajah, P. (2018). Is Global Food System Causing Obesity and Diabetes? Current Research in Diabetes & Obesity Journal, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.19080/crdoj.2018.06.555689

Verma, S., Mallaiah, P., Kadalur, U. G., & Sharma, R. (2016). Indian Dietary Habits in Relation to Dental Caries among 12-15-year-old School Children in Bangalore City. International Journal of Oral Health and Medical Research Int J Oral Health Med Res, 33(11).

Vidgen, H. A., & Gallegos, D. (2014). Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.01.010

Wolfson, J. A., Leung, C. W., & Richardson, C. R. (2020). More frequent cooking at home is associated with a higher Healthy Eating Index-2015 score. Public Health Nutrition, 23(13). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019003549

Wrottesley, S. V., Pedro, T. M., Fall, C. H., & Norris, S. A. (2020). A review of adolescent nutrition in South Africa: transforming adolescent lives through nutrition initiative. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 33, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2019.1607481

Zobel, E. H., Hansen, T. W., Rossing, P., & von Scholten, B. J. (2016). Global changes in food supply and the obesity epidemic. In Current obesity reports (Vol. 5, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-016-0233-8

Published

2022-08-19

How to Cite

Onu, T. (2022). FOOD SKILLS AS PREDICTIVE MECHANISM OF DIET QUALITY: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF HEALTHY FOOD CHOICE OF ADOLESCENTS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA. Journal of Advance Research in Social Science and Humanities (ISSN 2208-2387), 8(8), 18-23. https://doi.org/10.53555/nnssh.v8i8.1330