Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study
Abstract Background Food and nutrition notion among schoolchildren in Benin is still less documented. Few studies have examined the determinants of food and nutrition among schoolchildren while others have attempted to link knowledge, attitudes and practices to diet. The present study aims to evalua...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00857-7 |
| _version_ | 1827328315204042752 |
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| author | Faïck Bello Elie Koukou Sam Bodjrenou Céline Termote Paulin Azokpota Waliou Amoussa Hounkpatin |
| author_facet | Faïck Bello Elie Koukou Sam Bodjrenou Céline Termote Paulin Azokpota Waliou Amoussa Hounkpatin |
| author_sort | Faïck Bello |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Food and nutrition notion among schoolchildren in Benin is still less documented. Few studies have examined the determinants of food and nutrition among schoolchildren while others have attempted to link knowledge, attitudes and practices to diet. The present study aims to evaluate food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among schoolchildren enrolled in public primary schools canteens in Cotonou and its surroundings. Methods A diagnostic study was conducted in twelve public primary schools with canteens. A structured interview questionnaire was used to collect data from 861 schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years. Three scores were used to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice. The overall score was the total of correct responses. The maximum score for all the three parameters was 15, 6 and 4 respectively for knowledge, attitude and practices. Data were analyzed using STATA 16. Logistic regression was performed to identify the relationship between food and nutrition practices and knowledge and attitude. Pearson goodness of fit test was performed to verify the adequacy of the model. A P-value of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) was considered significant at 95% confidence interval. Results schoolchildren’s nutrition knowledge was low (mean score 2.52 ± 1.33) while attitude and practices were acceptable (mean score 4.08 ± 1.39 and 2.84 ± 0.77). Only 18.2% of schoolchildren knew the different food groups and 3.4% knew that they should eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day. Most of the schoolchildren (93.6%) were favorable to eat at least five fruits and vegetables and 86.8% were willing to eat more than 3 times a day. Among all practices, snacking between meals and eating breakfast were poorly observed by the schoolchildren. Nutrition knowledge was associated with practices observed among schoolchildren but not with attitudes. However, a significant positive association was observed (p < 0.05) between attitudes and practices. Conclusion Knowledge on food and nutrition among schoolchildren from public primary schools with canteen was low. This study suggests implementation of nutritional education to improve schoolchildren’s knowledge and attitudes towards healthy diets and nutrition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:16:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-96870900cb394da89017df451d14ed0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-0928 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:16:14Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-96870900cb394da89017df451d14ed0e2024-03-05T17:55:48ZengBMCBMC Nutrition2055-09282024-03-011011810.1186/s40795-024-00857-7Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case studyFaïck Bello0Elie Koukou1Sam Bodjrenou2Céline Termote3Paulin Azokpota4Waliou Amoussa Hounkpatin5School of Nutrition and Food Technology and Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-CalaviSchool of Nutrition and Food Technology and Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-CalaviSchool of Nutrition and Food Technology and Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-CalaviAlliance of Bioversity International and CIATSchool of Nutrition and Food Technology and Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-CalaviSchool of Nutrition and Food Technology and Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Abomey-CalaviAbstract Background Food and nutrition notion among schoolchildren in Benin is still less documented. Few studies have examined the determinants of food and nutrition among schoolchildren while others have attempted to link knowledge, attitudes and practices to diet. The present study aims to evaluate food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among schoolchildren enrolled in public primary schools canteens in Cotonou and its surroundings. Methods A diagnostic study was conducted in twelve public primary schools with canteens. A structured interview questionnaire was used to collect data from 861 schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years. Three scores were used to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice. The overall score was the total of correct responses. The maximum score for all the three parameters was 15, 6 and 4 respectively for knowledge, attitude and practices. Data were analyzed using STATA 16. Logistic regression was performed to identify the relationship between food and nutrition practices and knowledge and attitude. Pearson goodness of fit test was performed to verify the adequacy of the model. A P-value of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) was considered significant at 95% confidence interval. Results schoolchildren’s nutrition knowledge was low (mean score 2.52 ± 1.33) while attitude and practices were acceptable (mean score 4.08 ± 1.39 and 2.84 ± 0.77). Only 18.2% of schoolchildren knew the different food groups and 3.4% knew that they should eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day. Most of the schoolchildren (93.6%) were favorable to eat at least five fruits and vegetables and 86.8% were willing to eat more than 3 times a day. Among all practices, snacking between meals and eating breakfast were poorly observed by the schoolchildren. Nutrition knowledge was associated with practices observed among schoolchildren but not with attitudes. However, a significant positive association was observed (p < 0.05) between attitudes and practices. Conclusion Knowledge on food and nutrition among schoolchildren from public primary schools with canteen was low. This study suggests implementation of nutritional education to improve schoolchildren’s knowledge and attitudes towards healthy diets and nutrition.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00857-7School feedingNutrition education programPublic primary schoolBenin |
| spellingShingle | Faïck Bello Elie Koukou Sam Bodjrenou Céline Termote Paulin Azokpota Waliou Amoussa Hounkpatin Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study BMC Nutrition School feeding Nutrition education program Public primary school Benin |
| title | Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study |
| title_full | Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study |
| title_fullStr | Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study |
| title_short | Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: a case study |
| title_sort | food and nutrition knowledge attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern benin a case study |
| topic | School feeding Nutrition education program Public primary school Benin |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00857-7 |
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