Food Intake Pattern of Public Primary School Children in Eleme Local Government area; River state; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: The health of an individual is the bedrock for all of life's activities. A balanced diet which includes carbohydrates; proteins (macronutrients); fruits; cereals; and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals (micronutrients); which are indispensable for the good condition of the skin and real beauty treatment from within. Hunger evokes restlessness; which is capable of affecting concentration thereby exerting an adverse effect on academic performance.Aim: To examine the food intake pattern of the public primary school pupils within Eleme Local Government Area.Methods: Seven schools were randomly selected. One hundred pupils from each of the schools were purposively selected as the participants of the study. A total of seven hundred male and female participants were selected for the study. A self- structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on their food intake. The data were analysed using simple statistics of frequency counts and percentages.Results: The study revealed that the nutritional pattern of the respondents centred on carbohydrate meals predominantly which is only one of the macronutrients. Two hundred out of a total of 700 respondents go to school without breakfast. A gross absence of micronutrients in their meals was observed.Conclusion: The study revealed that the nutritional pattern of the respondents was far from balanced or adequate. Based on the findings of the study; recommendations such as the creation of more awareness on the need to select food from the macro and micro nutrients groups to make up a balanced or adequate diet based on individual's socio- economic status among the pupils and the parents was made