ABSTRACT

Adolescence is a crucial phase of physical and psychological development, necessitating a focus on nutrition for lifelong health. This study evaluates the food habit, nutritional knowledge and anthropometric status of adolescent students (10–19 years) in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State. The study was a cross-sectional study. Utilizing a multi-stage sampling technique, socio-demographic/economic characteristics, food habits, nutritional knowledge, and anthropometric status were assessed through questionnaires and physical measurements. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.0. The findings reveal a majority of respondents in the 10-14 age groups (71.6%) with an even gender distribution. Christianity is predominant (97.5%), and 33.3% of parents hold civil or public service roles with 57.8% having attained tertiary education. Food habit analysis exposes variations in meal patterns, with 60.3% consuming three meals daily and 90.7% regularly having breakfast. However, 50.0% reported skipping meals, primarily breakfast, citing availability and habit as reasons. Nutritional knowledge varied, with 28.4% having good knowledge, 65.2% average, and 6.4% poor. Anthropometric assessment indicates 90.7% with a normal height-for-age, 48.5% falling into the normal BMI-for-age category, and 44.1% at possible risk of overweight. Positive relationships were found between nutritional knowledge and meals per day (r = 0.176, p = 0.012), and between food habits and anthropometric status, emphasizing the need for balanced nutrition. A significant relationship was also found between adolescents' total nutritional knowledge and their BMI-for-age. In conclusion, majority of the students had good nutritional knowledge which influenced their feeding habits positively as most of them ate 3 times daily and always had breakfast. The feeding habits in turn also influenced their anthropometric status as a good number of them fell within the normal BMI-for-age category. This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between food habits, nutritional knowledge, and anthropometric status among adolescents, advocating for nutrition education and interventions to enhance awareness and encourage healthier food choices to address global malnutrition trends and ensure improved nutritional status.