Lifestyle habits, macronutrient intake, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in rural-periurban community senior high schools in the Ho municipality of Ghana

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescence is a critical stage in the life cycle that presents a window of opportunity for the formation of lifetime habits or an aversion to childhood malnutrition effects. This study assessed the lifestyle habits, macronutrient intakes, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in some selected Senior High Schools in rural communities in Ho Municipality.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 272 adolescents aged 13–19 years and attending senior high schools in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Data on sociodemographic, physical activity levels, dietary habits, and anthropometrics were obtained. A body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were determined, while a repeated 24-h dietary recall was used to collect the dietary intakes of the participants.ResultsThe majority of the adolescents did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for calories (94.5%), dietary protein (68.8%), and fibre (91.5%). Adolescent boys consumed more calories (1,969.7 ± 579.9 Kcal) on average than adolescent girls (1,658.0 ± 458.7 Kcal) (p = 0.001). Overweight and obesity prevalence were 15.8 and 8.5%, respectively. About 90.4% of the adolescents did not meet the WHO recommended 150 min per week of physical exercise. On sedentary, 97.6% of adolescents spent half an hour to 5 h per day watching television when at home. Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal (47.9%), and 59.6% of adolescents consumed fast foods such as pizza, burgers, and ice cream one to three times per week. Adolescent girls also had higher odds of being overweight or obese compared with adolescent boys (AOR = 2.4, p = 0.094, 95% CI = 0.9–6.4). Adolescents who did not meet the RDA for calories had lower odds of being overweight or obese compared with those who did (UOR = 0.3, p = 0.045, 95% CI = 0.1–0.9).ConclusionPoor dietary habits and intake, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity prevalence were observed among the adolescents. Being an adolescent girl was associated with obesity risk, while not meeting caloric intake showed a protective effect. Efficient and effective nutrition and lifestyle education programme should be promoted in communities to improve the dietary intake and lifestyle habits of adolescents.

Ethnicity, physical activity, and the dietary intake of boarding high school students: A photovoice mixed method study

“…The selection of female participants was predetermined due to previous research indicating variations in health practices among high school students based on gender. Female students were able to apply a better daily lifestyle, but most nutrient intake remained lower, and their fat intake was higher than that of their male counterparts [18,22]. With biological changes during the adolescent phase, females ofhigh school age are more prone to nutrient deficiencies [23].…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Obesity among Undergraduate Student Population in Ghana: An Evaluation Study of Body Composition Indices

“…A meta-analysis involving 29,160 Ghanaian children across sixteen studies reported 8.6% obesity and 10.7% overweight [7]. There exists a signi cant number of studies that quanti es the burden of obesity in Ghana with a special focus on the general adult population [8][9][10][11][12][13], women [14][15][16][17][18][19][20], school-aged children [21][22][23], adolescents [24][25][26], healthcare workers [27][28][29][30][31], civil servants [32][33][34][35][36][37] and commercial workers [38]. However, knowledge and data about the experiences of being overweight and obese among young Ghanaian adults are inadequate.…”