Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to establish the dietary practices, assess nutrition status based on body mass index and the relationship between dietary diversity and nutrition status of female undergraduate students at Kenyatta University, Kenya.
Methods
The study adopted a cross-sectional analytical design involving sample of 422 female undergraduate students randomly selected from Kenyatta University. Minimum Dietary Diversity – Women and Food Frequency Questionnaire were used to assess the dietary practices of the female students. Weight and height were measured to assess the nutrition status of the female students. Data obtained was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.
Results
The results showed that 64.0% of the participants had consumed ≥ 5 food groups while 36% had consumed <5 food groups over a period of 24 hours. In terms of nutrition status, 68.4% of the participants had normal Body Mass Index while 23.9% were overweight, 5.55% were underweight and 2.3% were obese. Minimum Dietary Diversity – Women was significantly associated with nutrition status (p=0.044).
Recommendation
The results illustrated unhealthy eating habits and sub-optimal nutrition status among a significant number of the female students. Policy makers should scale up interventions that would help improve dietary practices of women of reproductive age particularly university students.
Lay summary
Title
Not enough healthy food options available for female students at Kenyatta University
Brief summary of the what & so what (result and why it matters) [+- 20 words]
Researchers say poor food choices and a lack of food variety is behind ill health and high levels of obesity seen in female undergraduate students at Kenya’s Kenyatta University.
Why was this study done? (problem statement and background)
Lifestyle changes and habits in Kenya have led to an increase in obesity generally, and for students in particular, such dietary choices may impact their health for the rest of their lives. A study among undergraduate students in Nairobi showed that 22.9% of the students were overweight and obese, while 5.5% were underweight.
What was the purpose of this study? (Aims and objectives)
This study looked specifically at the diets and health of female students at Kenyatta University. Researchers wanted to identify diets that are most likely to cause obesity and ill health.
What did the researchers do (summary or overview of methods, the big picture)
The researchers did a cross-sectional study of 422 female undergraduate students randomly selected from Kenyatta University. They interviewed the students about the diversity in their diets, as well as how often they eat.
What were the results of the study?
The study found that 64.0% of the female students consumed 5 food groups, while 36% had consumed fewer than 5 food groups over a period of 24 hours. The food groups most consumed by the participants were cereals at 92%, and vegetables at 78.4%. Nuts and seeds were the least consumed at 18.4%.
The study found that 68.4% of the participants had normal Body Mass Index, while 23.9% were overweight, 5.55% were underweight and 2.3% were obese. The researchers determined that the majority (68.4%) of the students were in good health.
How do these findings add to what was already known? (impact on the current science)
What are the potential weaknesses/uncertainties/controversies of the study? (If the paper talks about them at all, but most important for where they mention where future research is needed, or where the data was lacking)
The researchers don’t explain why they specifically looked at women students only. They mention anything about the socioeconomic circumstances or difficulties that the women may face such as access or expensive healthy food etc.
“How will these findings help solve a challenge in Africa?” (question speaking to the impact of the research on society as a whole, outside of the scientific community).
The researchers recommend that policy makers should scale up dietary health programmes to improve the diets of women of reproductive age, particularly university students.
The study recommends that university eating premises should provide nutritious, varied, convenient meal options. This would ensure that students are discouraged from relying on unhealthy fast foods.
Number of words:
Glossary terms for translation and coining:
Body mass index (BMI):
cross-sectional study: in medical research, social science, and biology, a cross-sectional study is a type of observational study that analyzes data from a population, or a representative subset, at a specific point in time—that is, cross-sectional data.
Other keywords for ease of understanding:
Final summary for translation
Not enough healthy food options available for female students at Kenyatta University
Researchers say poor food choices and a lack of food variety is behind ill health and high levels of obesity seen in female undergraduate students at Kenya’s Kenyatta University.
Lifestyle changes and habits in Kenya have led to an increase in obesity generally, and for students in particular, such dietary choices may impact their health for the rest of their lives. A study among undergraduate students in Nairobi showed that 22.9% of the students were overweight and obese, while 5.5% were underweight.
This study looked specifically at the diets and health of female students at Kenyatta University. Researchers wanted to identify diets that are most likely to cause obesity and ill health.
The researchers did a cross-sectional study of 422 female undergraduate students randomly selected from Kenyatta University. They interviewed the students about the diversity in their diets, as well as how often they eat.
The study found that 64.0% of the female students consumed 5 food groups, while 36% had consumed fewer than 5 food groups over a period of 24 hours. The food groups most consumed by the participants were cereals at 92%, and vegetables at 78.4%. Nuts and seeds were the least consumed at 18.4%.
The study found that 68.4% of the participants had normal Body Mass Index, while 23.9% were overweight, 5.55% were underweight and 2.3% were obese. The researchers determined that the majority (68.4%) of the students were in good health.
The researchers don’t explain why they specifically looked at women students only. They mention anything about the socioeconomic circumstances or difficulties that the women may face such as access or expensive healthy food etc.
The researchers recommend that policy makers should scale up dietary health programmes to improve the diets of women of reproductive age, particularly university students.
The study recommends that university eating premises should provide nutritious, varied, convenient meal options. This would ensure that students are discouraged from relying on unhealthy fast foods.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
