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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Autores principales: Bello, Faïck, Koukou, Elie, Bodjrenou, Sam, Termote, Céline, Azokpota, Paulin, Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: BioMed Central 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140475
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author Bello, Faïck
Koukou, Elie
Bodjrenou, Sam
Termote, Céline
Azokpota, Paulin
Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
author_browse Azokpota, Paulin
Bello, Faïck
Bodjrenou, Sam
Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
Koukou, Elie
Termote, Céline
author_facet Bello, Faïck
Koukou, Elie
Bodjrenou, Sam
Termote, Céline
Azokpota, Paulin
Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
author_sort Bello, Faïck
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
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.
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spelling CGSpace1404752025-12-11T21:26:42Z Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: A case study Bello, Faïck Koukou, Elie Bodjrenou, Sam Termote, Céline Azokpota, Paulin Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa school feeding nutrition knowledge nutrition education public health attitudes feeding habits 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. 2024-03-04 2024-03-18T09:35:05Z 2024-03-18T09:35:05Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140475 en Open Access application/pdf BioMed Central Bello, F.; Koukou, E.; Bodjrenou, S.; Termote, C.; Azokpota, P.; Hounkpatin, W.A. (2024) Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: A case study. BMC Nutrition 10:40. ISSN: 2055-0928
spellingShingle school feeding
nutrition
knowledge
nutrition education
public health
attitudes
feeding habits
Bello, Faïck
Koukou, Elie
Bodjrenou, Sam
Termote, Céline
Azokpota, Paulin
Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
Food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among children in public primary school with canteens in southern Benin: A case study
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
knowledge
nutrition education
public health
attitudes
feeding habits
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140475
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