The Home and School Food Environments of Senegalese Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Background: In West Africa, there is scarcity of data on the food environment of adolescent girls even though these factors impact their nutritional status. This study described the school and home food environment of Senegalese adolescent girls living in Dakar city. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Dakar city, Senegal over a two-month period among adolescent girls aged 13-18 years old (n = 136) years old attending two colleges. Dietary intake and food behaviours were assessed using three 24-hour recalls. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale was used to assess accessibility to food in the adolescents’ home environment. To assess the availability and access to food in their school environment, an inventory of all foods available and their prices was performed in all food outlets located near each college where adolescents purchased food. Principal findings: Two thirds of adolescent girls` households were food insecure. Overall, food outlets sold more unhealthy than healthy foods. The average price of meat, poultry and fish, as well as the average price of sweets were higher than that of other food groups. Conclusions: Results show that Senegalese adolescent girls’ home and school food environments do not support healthy eating. Actions at multiple levels of the food system are needed to improve adolescents’ availability and accessibility to healthy foods.