Paucity of Nutrition Guidelines and Nutrient Quality of Meals Served to Kenyan Boarding High School Students

Kevin Serrem,Bridget Atubukha,Judit Oláh,Anna Dunay,Csaba Bálint Illés,Charlotte Serrem

doi:10.3390/su12083463

Abstract

Adequate nutrition is vital for the optimal growth, development, and general well-being of adolescents. A lack of nutritional guidelines for school meals poses a major challenge in the provision of nutritious meals to students in Kenyan boarding high schools. The aim of the study was to investigate the nutrient quality and portion sizes of meals served to students and the adequacy of the meals in meeting students’ health requirements. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 50 catering or kitchen managers of 50 high schools in Kenya. Data were obtained through researcher-assisted questionnaires. It was established that menus were simplistic in nature, lacked variety, and were repetitive. With regard to nutrients, menus offered to students were excessively highin dietary fiber, containing three or five times more than the recommended daily intake. In most cases, students were underfed on nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamin A, folic acid, potassium, calcium, proteins, and vitamins B1–12, resulting in low energy provision. It is concluded that a majority ofthe Kenyan high schools studied do not provide nutritionally adequate meals. The government of Kenya should have nutrition guidelines to ensure that schools provide diets with high foodand nutrient quality to students.

Highlights

The burden of malnutrition, which includesunder- and over-nutrition, is an emerging crisis in developing countries
The results of this study indicate that the meals provided met the recommendations regarding the contributions of the three macronutrients to the energy needs of the high school students
In comparison to the FAO [9], which acts as the worldwide benchmark for the development of school dietary guidelines, the study notes that none of the high schools in Kenya adequately meet the nutritional requirements of meals served to school-goers

Summary

Introduction

The burden of malnutrition, which includesunder- and over-nutrition, is an emerging crisis in developing countries. Adequate nutrition is vital for optimal growth, development, and general well-being, of children and adolescents [1]. Availability of adequate nutrition, either at home or through the education system, contributes to thereduction of malnutrition, especially among children who attend school [2]. There is evidence that educational institutions in developing countries are grappling with malnutrition that could have far-reaching effects on the health of school-goers, compromising an entire generation’s health. In Africa chronic and acute under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiency of iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin A persist among children and adolescents, according to Gegios et al [3]. All forms of malnutrition negatively impact the ability of children to stay in school and learn throughout the year, and affect health by creating deficiency diseases such as protein energy malnutrition, as well as predisposing children to chronic lifestyle diseasesin adulthood [5,6]

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