Nutritional Contents of Lunch Packs of Primary School Children in Nnewi; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: Lunch packs play a significant role in the nutritional status and academic performance of school children. Available data show a high prevalence of malnutrition among school-age children. Aims: The aim of this study is to document the nutritional contents of lunch packs of primary school children in Nnewi; Anambra state; Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1018 primary 1-6 pupils selected by stratified systematic random sampling from six primary schools; two each of private; - mission; - and government (public) - owned schools in Nnewi metropolis with the aid of the semi-structured questionnaire. Lunch packs of the pupils were examined. Results: Majority of the pupils (77.8[792/1018]) had lunch packs although about half of pupils in public schools had no lunch pack. Only 12.4 (98/792) and 19.2 (152/792) of pupils with lunch packs had balanced meals and fruits/vegetables in their lunch packs; respectively. The odds of not coming to school with packed lunch was about 13 and 12 times higher for mothers with no formal education or only primary education; respectively; compared with those with tertiary education. Type of school had a strong influence on possession and contents of lunch pack (?2 = 2.88; P 0.001; phi coefficient