Perception of secondary school adolescent girls on their own diet and health status in urban Benin

Abstract

From childhood to adulthood, adolescence phase transition, implies many lifestyle changes. This study aims to investigate the perception of adolescent girls of their own diet and health status. A cross-sectional study, using a structured face-to-face administered questionnaire, were carried out in 395 adolescent girls 15 - 19 years old in secondary schools in Cotonou, in Benin. Chi 2 and Wilcoxon - Mann Whitney tests were performed to appreciate the variables associations. Logistic regression was executed to appraise the effect of self-perception on dietary practices. The average age of the participants was 16.7 ± 1.26 years. The prevalence of self-reported anaemia, diet quality and overweight/obesity was 18.23%; 57.72% and 9.87% respectively. Considering school character, more adolescents in private schools perceived themselves as being “overweight/obese” (22.8%) compared to their peers from public schools (0.4%). Self-perceived anaemia was related to dark green leafy vegetable and vitamin C-rich fruits consumption while self-perceived overweight/obesity decrease the consumption of meat and meat products. Adolescents who perceived their own diet as healthy reached the Minimum Dietary Diversity. The findings of this study highlight the importance of self-perception in adolescents eating habits and this should be considered in interventions improving their diet quality.