Current dietary intake and eating habits in connection with socio-demographic characteristics of students of Nangui Abrogoua University of Côte d'Ivoire

Ecol Food Nutr. 2018 Sep-Oct;57(5):391-404. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2018.1493471. Epub 2018 Jul 9.

Abstract

The socio-demographic features and eating pattern were assessed on 156 Ivorian students (18-34 years) from Nangui Abrogoua University. The study population was made of randomly selected students who were willing to participate to the survey. The semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on breakfast, lunch, and dinner consumption pattern and 24-h dietary recall to document the dietary intake. Results showed that 88% of the respondents were not used to having breakfast, while 87.70% and 94.80% would have lunch and dinner, respectively. 33.30% of the respondents claimed financial problems as a reason for skipping meals. 82% of the respondents do daily physical activity for a minimum of 30 min three times a week. 25.69% of the students with bad nutritional status including 17.95% being underweight and 7.74% overweight to the extent of obesity. Rice and "Attiéké" (cassava semolina) were the favorite foods during the three daily meals.

Keywords: Breakfast; Nangui Abrogoua University; eating habits; lunch; students.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Breakfast
  • Cote d'Ivoire / epidemiology
  • Demography
  • Diet Surveys
  • Diet*
  • Energy Intake
  • Exercise
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Life Style
  • Lunch
  • Male
  • Manihot
  • Meals*
  • Nutritional Status
  • Obesity / epidemiology
  • Oryza
  • Overweight / epidemiology
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Students*
  • Thinness / epidemiology
  • Universities*
  • Young Adult