Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge of Nutritional Practices: Implications for Active Ageing

Abstract

This study investigated undergraduate students’ knowledge, practices and implications for active ageing the study was conducted in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria. The design of the study was ex-post facto research design. two research questions and two null hypotheses were raised and formulated to guide the study. The population of the study was all students in public universities in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria. The sample for the study comprised 400 students, 200 males and 200 females respectively from 100 to 400 levels in public universities in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria. Due to the heterogeneity of the sample, purposive sampling technique was used. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled; Students’ Nutritional and Health Practices Questionnaire (SNHPQ). It was a 4 – point rating scale and responses weighted as strongly Agree = 4 points, Agree = 3 points, Disagree = 2 points and strongly disagree = 1 point. The questionnaire was subjected to face and content validity. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha and a coefficient of 0.86 was derived. 400 copies of the instrument were administered and 100% return was attained. Data collected were analyzed using mean (x̅) scores and standard deviations. The score of 2.50 was the criterion mean (x̅) to determine the level of acceptance of each mean (x̅). t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings in the study showed, among other things, that most students in public universities in Edo and Delta States have adequate knowledge of nutritional practices for promoting active ageing, possessed similar knowledge in the areas of nutritional practices required for ageing actively irrespective of gender and have good knowledge of nutritional value of adequate food (water, eating vegetables and fruits, lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes) intake and possible avoidance of alcohol intake; however, certain nutritional practices like eating between meals, skipping of meals should be avoided to promote healthy living that enhance ageing actively. Based on the findings, it was recommended among other things that, students should be exposed to dietary recommendations by experts in their homes and schools to attain good health and age actively and that, university authorities and students’ union bodies should help to display the food pyramid chat in all eating centers in university campuses, to enable students work out their meal plans to maintain good nutrition that aids active ageing.