Relationship between Intake of Energy-Dense Diets and Nutritional Status of Adolescents in Primary Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya
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Date
2024-03
Authors
Muinga, Evelyne Ndunge
Waudo, Judith
Osur, Joachim O.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AJOL
Abstract
Background: Energy-dense diets are of low nutrient quality but high energy content and
this may have adverse health outcomes, especially in adolescence where the body is
transforming from childhood to adulthood. Intake of energy-dense diets is associated
with various forms of malnutrition including obesity, overweight, underweight and other
micronutrient deficiencies. There is however scanty information about the relationship
between the intake of energy-dense foods and adolescents' nutritional status. Aims: This
study aimed to establish the relationship between intake of energy-dense diets and the
nutritional status of adolescents in Nairobi County. Subjects and Methods: The study
was a cross-sectional descriptive research design involving quantitative techniques of data
collection. A total of 161 adolescents, 87 females and 74 male aged 10-14 years
participated in the study. Cluster sampling was used to select schools in Embakasi South
Sub- County. Simple random sampling was used to select adolescents in classes 5, 6 and
7. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, 7-day food frequency
questionnaires, and anthropometric measurements. Data analysis was done using; SPSS
version 23.0 (quantitative data), ENA for SMART (anthropometric data), Nutrisurvey
software (Dietary data) and hypothesis testing (Pearson correlation). Results: The study
established a burden of malnutrition among adolescents in Nairobi County (13%)
underweight, (5.7%) overweight, (4.3%) severely underweight, and (2.5%) obese. The
energy-dense foods which were found to have significant relationship with the nutritional
status of the adolescents were: potato chips (r = 0.044, p = 0.045), doughnuts (r = -0.02,
p = <0.001), pancakes (r = -0.001, p = 0.762), bhajia (r = -0.014, p = 0.897), cheese (r =
-0.107, p-value = 0.660), and Regular soft drink (r = -0.147, p= 0.101. Conclusion: The
nutritional status of the adolescents was influenced by the intake of some energy-dense
diets and sociodemographic characteristics.
Description
Article
Keywords
Food energy-density, dietary intake, undernutrition, overweight, obese, fatty foods
Citation
Muinga, E., Waudo, J., & Osur, J. (2024). Relationship between intake of energy-dense diets and nutritional status of adolescents in primary schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 8(17), 52-65.