Journal of Food Science & Nutrition

DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus

Review Article

of University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

1Janet Agyarkwaa Oti*, 2Guy Eshun
Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Home Economics Education, University of Education, Winneba, GHANA, P.O.Box 25, Winneba-
Ghana. Email:jannittaa@yahoo.com
Corresponding Author: Janet Agyarkwaa Oti, Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Home Economics Education, University of
Education, Winneba, GHANA, P.O.Box 25, Winneba- Ghana. Email:jannittaa@yahoo.com
Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of
Education, Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109
Copyright: ©2020 Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Received Date: 23 September, 2020; Accepted Date: 29 September, 2020; Published Date: 8 October, 2020

Abstract
Even though empirical evidence exists to validate the avowal that dietary habits hold the key in reducing the surge
in non-communicable diseases among adolescents and young adults and for optimal nutritional status, little is
known about the nexus of these variables in the Ghanaian context and much less in Ghanaian universities. In view
of this dearth in literature, this study investigated dietary habits and its effect on nutritional status among
undergraduate students of the Winneba Campus of University of Education, Winneba. Using the Social-Ecological
Model (SEM) as the theoretical basis, this study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey research design
with the quantitative approach where proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select
3,065 students for the study. The assessment of nutritional status was done where height and weight were
measured in Kg/m2 and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the recommendations by the World
Health Organization. Data on the dietary habits was collected with a closed-ended questionnaire which was
analyzed using both descriptive statistics like frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation as well as
inferential statistics such as multiple regression. The study discovered that undergraduate students of the
University of Education, Winneba, were of normal weight than overweight and underweight while obesity was
ranked the least. The study further revealed that even though students moderately consumed fish, meat, eggs and
dairy products legumes and nuts, they had a low intake of fruits and vegetables, but high consumption of energy-
dense foods and fast foods such as cakes, pastries, cookies, deep-fried foods, biscuits, sandwiches, indomie and of
soft drinks. It was further established that majority of the students skipped meals notably breakfast. Besides, the
study showed that all the dietary habits outlined in the study collectively contributed significantly to students’
nutritional status. Therefore, it is recommended that the University through its health directorate and the
Department of Food and Nutrition should regularly organize health talks and symposiums to admonish students
on the dangers of not observing optimal dietary habits. Additionally, the University through its Academic Board
should introduce a general course on nutrition education to equip students with current theories in dietary
practices for improved dietary habits.

Keywords: adolescents; food; Dietary habits;
nutritional status; young adults
Introduction
Health, nutritional complications and morbidity are
considered as a global health crisis in the contemporary
era, and empirical evidence identifies poor dietary
practices as a major cause of the menace. As a result, there
has been a growing interest in the dietary habits of
adolescents and young adults in recent years. Globally, in
2012, the World Health Organization projected that
over one billion adults worldwide are overweight, with about
500 million of them being obese. In the United States of
America [1], observed that chronic diseases such as type 2
diabetes, stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, are a
major bottleneck and the prominent cause of death and
disability. Likewise, the [2] estimated that up to one-third of
cancers are directly related to poor dietary practices resulting
in excess weight and physical inactivity and that being
overweight or obese is the second leading cause of death in the
United States [3]. More recently, the [4] reported that the
world has witnessed an upsurge of ‘obesity epidemic’ and that
currently, the prevalence of obesity, especially among

Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 1

 Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of
Education, Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109
adolescents and young adult (15-25 years) has risen from 11
million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016. These statistics bring
into question the dietary habits of adults during their youthful
times.
In Ghana, even though practitioners such as [5] maintained
that statistics on the prevalence of obesity is nationally non-
representative, findings from previous studies [6, 7, 8] have all
reported overweight and obesity prevalence of between 7.8%
and 25.9%. It is inferred from these reports that poor dietary
habits have dire consequences on a large portion of humans
worldwide. The need for optimal dietary habits especially
among young adult is premised on the fact that it is critical in
the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) such as
cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases while it
is also beneficial in reducing risky health conditions such as
anaemia, dental caries and obesity [9, 10]. In essence, to
combat obesity, an understanding of the dynamics of eating
attitudes and behaviours of young adults such as university
students is imperative for the prevention and management of
chronic conditions in later life.
Practitioners and academicians in nutrition studies are
convinced that enduring optimal dietary habits especially at
the youthful stage is essential in preventing diet-related
diseases in later life. For instance, a diet rich in whole foods
like fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of death and
disease [1]. Similarly, the [11] praises increased consumption
of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole-grains and nuts, while
warns against the intake of free sugars and salt (sodium).
Previous studies conducted on adolescents and young adults
have disclosed that diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables
do not only have the potential of realizing the lowest risk of
obesity and diabetes but also link to lower incidence of
depression and anxiety, resulting in greater happiness, higher
life satisfaction, and greater socio-emotional well-being of an
individual [12, 13]. Concluded that daily intake of fruits and
vegetables among young adults were discovered to have had
greater emotional well-being than their counterparts who ate
less or no fruits and vegetables [14]. Understandably, young
adults such as undergraduate students are required to choose
recommended dietary routines and eschew inappropriate
dietary habits if they desire to avoid being prone to the
occurrence of non-communicable diseases and survive in this
ever- changing knowledge-based world, and safeguard the
quality of life in adulthood.
However, empirical studies have consistently disclosed the
dietary habits especially amongst adolescents and young
adults have reached unacceptable levels and violate
recommended practice. Indeed, large scale comparative data
on the national and international survey has continually
shown that the dietary habits of most adolescents and young
adults are characterized by meal skipping notably breakfast,
low intake of fruits and vegetables, high intake of energy-
dense foods, snacking, increased intake of a high-calorie snack,
consumption of soft-drink, etc. [15, 16, 17]. According to [18]
snacking refers to the intake of any food or energy-containing
beverage outside usual meal times (breakfast, lunch and
supper). [19] gave some examples of snacks like nuts, cheese,
crisps, pretzels and bread and other sweet such as cakes,
Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109
yoghurts, fruits, biscuits, chocolates and confectionery, and
beverages like fruit juices, squashes, carbonated soft drinks or
milk. Frequently consumed snacks which are usually energy-
dense diets are of poor quality in terms of essential
micronutrients [20, 21].
In their quest to discover a huge prevalence of overweight and
obesity in Nigeria [22], revealed that snacking and fast-food
consumption is a contributory factor to the development of
obesity and overweight [23]. Also discovered that there is a
strong nexus between meals skipping and increased obesity
risk in children. In their assessment of nutritional status and
eating practices of university students in Malaysia [24],
revealed that even though most students consumed fruits
(male: 65.6%, Female: 58.3%) and vegetables (male: 45.6%,
female: 44.5%), a greater number of the students skipped
breakfast, 65.5% and 52.8% for male and female students
respectively with 33.3% of males and 29.1% female students
consuming fast food several times a week. A school-based
survey of students’ dietary habits by the World Health
Organization in Oman in 2013 disclosed that 50% usually
skipped breakfast, 33.4% usually drunk sugar-sweetened
carbonated soft drinks, 10% ate fast-foods regularly and 70%
ate fruits and vegetables regularly.
Researchers such as [25] indicated that 35.4% skipped
breakfast meal. Similarly, [26], disclosed that nutritional
knowledge, food habits and health attitudes of Chinese
University Students showed that 61% of the respondents
sometimes skipped meals during the day. Meals sometimes
skipped included breakfast (59%), lunch (34%) and supper
(10%). Elsewhere in Nigeria [27], revealed in their study of
breakfast habit and nutritional status of undergraduates in
Ekiti State, that 52% of the students skipped breakfast. In
Ghana, while [15] reported of 41.8% of the adolescent’s
involved in their study skipping breakfast, with the majority
(94%) of the adolescent’s alleged lack of time [28], unveiled in
her study of dietary practices and food preferences among
Ghanaian Junior High School adolescents that 62.8% of the
adolescents usually skipping breakfast citing insufficient
feeding money as reasons.
Closely linked to students dietary habits is their nutritional
status, and empirical studies have documented different
variations of obesity prevalence in different parts of the world.
For instance, in their exploration of the differences in eating
behaviours, dietary intake and body weight status between
male and female Malaysian university students [29], unveiled
that the prevalence of overweight and obesity was between
9.4% and 3.4% respectively. According to [30] and [31] in
studies on undergraduate students in Nigeria reported a much
higher overweight and obesity prevalence of 4.6% and 0.5%
and 22.4% and 6% respectively. In Ghana [32], examined the
impact of nutrient intake and physical activity level on
nutritional status among undergraduate students of University
of Development Studies in Ghana and revealed percentages of
underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity to be
24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, respectively [6]. Also disclosed in their
study of the nutritional status of adolescent students in the
Mfantseman Municipality of Ghana that 25.9% of the
adolescents were overweight, 5.5 and 5.8% were lean or
2
Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

severely lean while 39.0% were normal with boys recording 2. What are the dietary habits of undergraduate students of
higher prevalence of malnutrition than girls. With these Winneba campus of the University of Education, Winneba?
findings in mind, researchers and health professionals can 3. What is the effect of dietary habits on the nutritional status
begin to identify what promotes or trigger this unfortunate of undergraduate students of Winneba campus of the
phenomenon. This study sought to investigate the extent to University of Education, Winneba?
which the dietary habits outlined in the literature affect The findings of this study would be relevant for several reasons.
undergraduate students’ nutritional status in the study area. Firstly, it is hoped that the findings of the study would provide
Researchers have investigated the link between dietary habits insight into the nutritional status and dietary habits of
of students and their nutritional status in different contexts. In undergraduate students at the University of Education, Winneba.
their studies, [33] and [34] revealed that improper dietary This information is vital because it would help the students to be
habits such as the high intake of sweetened drinks and high-fat aware of how their dietary habits impact on their nutritional
food consumption has a positive association and effect between status. Again, the results would be crucial to health professionals
overweight and obese. It is inferred from this finding that such as Nutrition researchers, Home Economics Educators and
unhealthy dietary habits enhance one’s potential of becoming others to provide targeted support based on evidence. This
overweight and obese which eventually leads to worrying support would be channelled towards maximizing and praising
nutritional status amongst students while risk being disposed good dietary habits. This research would provide useful data and
to contracting NCDs in later life. In contrast to this finding [35], recommendations to educators, policymakers, the Health
disclosed that there is no statistically significant relationship Directorate of the University to make decisions about the future
between students eating behaviour and their nutritional status. plans on nutrition education programmes for the students.
Therefore, the literature on previous researches has Finally, the students would be the ultimate beneficiaries of the
demonstrated inconsistent results on the relationship between results of the study. When the recommendations of the study are
students’ dietary habits and their nutritional status. implemented, it would help to enhance the dietary habits of
students, and subsequently, decrease their chances of being
Undergraduate students of the University of Education, prone to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases in later
Winneba, like students in other universities in the world fall life.
within the age brackets of adolescents and young adults (18-26
years) as proposed by [36]. Empirical evidence indicates that Theoretical Framework
university students face difficulties in regulating their dietary
The theoretical framework of this study is grounded in the
habits since it is a transition of where they stay away from their
Social-Ecological Model (SEM). This theory proposes to explain
family home [24]. This situation makes them susceptible to
the underlying factors behind dietary habits. Proponents of the
poor dietary habits due to momentous autonomy making them
SEM [39, 40] contend that SEM is concerned with throwing light
a subject of numerous social pressures. Besides, the heavy load
on the fact that optimal dietary habits and behaviours are a
of academic activities and tight schedules often interfere with
multifaceted process that encompasses several factors across
their daily activities of cooking and following unhealthful
different backgrounds. These scholars add that individual food
dietary practices resulting in the intake of processed foods,
choices are decided in a multiplicity of settings, both at home and
having meals at unusual times, not having breakfast, and
away from home. Away-from-home settings comprise schools,
preferring quick meals which may be difficult to change and
worksites, community centres, and food retail and foodservice
may have dire consequences [37, 38]. Consequently, the issues
establishments. Organizational settings such as these are critical
of concern to the researchers were: what has been the dietary
in regulating what foods are offered and what opportunities for
habits of undergraduate students of the University of
physical activity are provided and what approaches to align with
Education, Winneba, in the midst of these challenges? What
the dietary guidelines that are implemented in these settings can
effects do their dietary habits have on their nutritional status?
influence individual choices and have the potential for broader
These concerns motivated this study. Figure 6: Postsurgical photograpgh showing wide excision ofare
population-level impact either positively or negatively if they
Even though available literature has discussed at length that mass located in retromolar área.
integrated with strategies by multiple sectors [41].
the dietary habits of adolescents and young adults have
implications in their later life, it appears no study has been From the above perspectives, it could be deduced that SEM is a
Discussion
model which can be employed in comprehending the myriad of
done on these variables in the University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. This dearth in knowledge needs to be dealt factors such as personal and environmental that trigger people’s
These type ofand
food habits tumours are very
behaviour. SEMrarewasthey comprise
adopted as theonly 5% of
theoretical
with because, in the face of calls to reduce and prevent the neoplasms and are seen in 0.4-2.6 for every 100,000 cases around
upsurge of non-communicable diseases in later life, framework of the study based on the notion that dietary habits
the
areworld,
complexthe endeavour
mucoepidermoid tumourcontributions
demanding affects parotidfromand multiple
minor
adolescents and young adults who are tomorrow’s adults salivary glans in adults and is mostly seen in women and Young
would be in the forefront in this agenda. Therefore, the levels of influence from the individual and the environment. The
nutritional status and dietary habits of students and the extent impactmost
adults, fromtofthetheindividual
cases ariseand the the
in the social environment
parotid gland withsuchthis as
to which these variables relate need to be assessed from time the school setting is critical in determining the dietary habits
ccase accounting for only 2-4% of the cases because it was seen in of
to time to proffer the necessary solution. an individual. Therefore, to attain optimal dietary habits, it is
the submandibular gland, this patient is currently under treatment
heexpected that there
was performed two is a synergistic
sugeries relationship
for removal between
of ganglions social
locanated
Research Questions inand
neckecological factors as an gland,
and in the submandbullary antecedent to dietaryforhabits.
highes prevalence this
The study was guided by the following research questions: Juxtaposing
type of tumourthe tenets the
is around of fifth
SEM decade
and dietary habits,
of life and they SEM
can beis a
1. What is the nutritional status of undergraduate students of asymptomatic like in this case with the patient having few to noIt is
concept that will ensure and sustain optimal dietary habits.
Winneba campus of the University of Education, Winneba? based on this
symptoms. premise
It has that SEM
a puripotent cellisorigin
relevant
andinasthis
we study.
mention can
be classidief into three stages [3].
Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 3
References
Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

Methodology
Grounded in the positivist paradigm of how to generate knowledge, this study adopted a descriptive survey design. The descriptive
survey design seeks to describe and interpret what exists in its present condition, attitudes, practices and beliefs and it is used to
investigate the existence of effects and relationships [42, 43]. The researchers considered the descriptive survey as most appropriate
for the study because the purpose of the study was to describe the dietary habits and its effects on nutritional status among
undergraduate students of the University of Education, Winneba. Unlike qualitative researchers, quantitative researchers believe
that the sample size should be large so that it is representative of the target population [44]. For instance, [45] suggested that the
sample size in quantitative studies should not be less than 5% of the target population.
In line with this proposal, this study used 11% (3,065 students) from the target population of 27,862 undergraduate students from
six faculties on the Winneba campus.
However, out of the 3,065 questionnaires given out to the students, 2,649 were recovered representing a response rate of 86.45%.
This response rate was realized because some of the questionnaires were badly answered while others had many missing data.
Nevertheless, this response rate was considered appropriate for the study based on the suggestion of [46] that a response rate of
50% is adequate in surveys. The study utilized a multi-stage sampling technique where proportionate stratified random sampling
techniques were employed in the selection of the study sample. Proportionate stratified random sampling is a probability sampling
technique in which the entire target population is divided into different subgroups or strata, and a random selection is done
proportionately from each stratum [47]. In this study, stratification was based on the student’s year of study (levels 100, 200, 300 &
400). The distribution of the sample size for each stratum is presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Distribution of Sample Size

Levels Target Population Proportion to the Target Population Sample Size
100 9,854 (36%) 1,104
200 7,065 (25%) 766
300 5,670 (20%) 613
400 5,273 (19%) 582
Total 27,862 100% 3,065 (11%)

Source: Basic Statistics from Planning Unit, University of Education, Winneba, 2019/2020
The selection of the sample was done based on the student’s year of study. Thus, the proportion of a level to the target population
was computed and sampled. For instance, the proportion of level 100 to the target population was 36%. Therefore, 36% of the sample
size of 3,065 is 1,104 which were sampled. The same procedure was followed in sampling respondents for the other levels (200, 300
& 400) as shown in Table 1.
The instruments for data collection included a closed-ended questionnaire on weekly diet intake by the students. The questionnaire
was made up of two sections. Section One gathered demographic information of the respondents such as gender, age, faculty and
nature of residency. Section Two contained items on the weekly diet intake recall by the students measured on a 5- point Likert-type
scale. Response options included: Never (1), rarely (2), Once or twice weekly (3), thrice/four times weekly (4), and Daily (5). The
dietary habits of students included their intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products, intake of legumes and nuts, intake of fruits and
vegetables, intake of soft drinks, consumption of energy-dense food, meal skipping and pattern of meal as experienced by the
participants were determined where they chose from the five options to describe
Figure their habits.
6: Postsurgical Anthropometric
photograpgh showingmeasure was done
wide excision of to
compute the Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine the nutritional status of the students using the weight in (kg)
mass located in retromolar área.and their height in
meters squared (m2).
In assessing the reliability of the weekly diet intake recall instrument, the internal consistencies of the various items on the
Discussion
questionnaire were computed using Cronbach alpha during a pre-test with Perez University students which is a private University
and as such, share characteristics with the undergraduate studentsTheseof the University
type of Education,
of tumours are very rare Winneba. The Cronbach
they comprise only 5%alpha
of
coefficient gained for the seven (7) construct for dietary habits which included intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products,
neoplasms and are seen in 0.4-2.6 for every 100,000 cases around intake
of legumes and nuts, intake of fruits and vegetables, intake of soft the
drinks, consumption
world, of energy-dense
the mucoepidermoid food, parotid
tumour affects meal skipping
and minorand
pattern of meal were 0.77, 0.76, 0.81, 0.83, 0.86, 0.78 and 0.84 respectively
salivary glans in adults and is mostly seen in women and Young is
with the overall questionnaire yielding 0.85 which
within the threshold of at least 0.7 but less than 1 as proposed by [48]. The reliability assessment for nutritional status was done in
adults, most tof the cases arise in the the parotid gland with this
line with [4] recommendations. Face and content validation of the weekly diet intake recall instrument was approached as the
ccase accounting for only 2-4% of the cases because it was seen in
researchers submitted the instrument to some Faculty members and a Professor in Food and Nutrition. Suggestions relating to
the submandibular gland, this patient is currently under treatment
typographical mistakes, ambiguities, grammatical errors, and the expert advice were all incorporated to fine-tune the instrument
before the actual data collection. he was performed two sugeries for removal of ganglions locanated
in neck and in the submandbullary gland, highes prevalence for this
Before the analysis, the researchers checked all the filled-in questionnaires, and those
type of tumour that were
is around either
the fifth not of
decade responded to orcan
life and they poorly
be
answered were eliminated. The questionnaires were coded and entered into the version 22 of Statistical Product for Service
asymptomatic like in this case with the patient having few to no Solutions
(SPSS). The data were explored to identify missing data and outliers symptoms.
using descriptive
It has statistics
a puripotentsuch
cellasorigin
frequency,
and aspercentages,
we mention mean
can
be classidief into three stages [3].
Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 4
References
Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Ethical issues such as
anonymity, informed consent, and confidentiality were ensured in the study before the instruments of the study were administered
by the researchers.

Results and Discussion

Research Question One:

What is the nutritional status of undergraduate students of Winneba Campus of the University of Education, Winneba?

This research question sought to ascertain the nutritional status of undergraduate students on the Winneba Campus of the
University of Education, Winneba. In this study, the Body-Mass Index (BMI) was used as an indicator where the heights and weights
of the students were measured in line with the [4] recommendation where the ratio between weight in kilograms and height in
meters squared and results recorded as (kg/m2) was computed. The nutritional statuses of the respondents are categorized
according to their Body Mass Index as indicated in Table 2.
Table 2: Scale for Determining Level of Nutritional Status

Scale BMI Range in Kg/m2 Nutritional Status Index

1 ≤18.50 Underweight
2 18.50-24.99 Normal
3 ≥25.00-29.99 Overweight
4 30-34.99 Obese Class I
5 35-39.99 Obese Class II
Source: World Health Organization (WHO, 2016)
The information in Table 2 proposes that when a number that falls within ≤18.50 in Kg/m2 range indicates a person being
underweight; a number that falls between 18.50-24.99 Kg/m2 portrays normal; nutritional status is deemed to be overweight when
the range is between ≥25.00-29.99 Kg/m2. A person is deemed obese class I and obese II when the range is 30-34.99 Kg/m2 and 35-
39.99 Kg/m2 respectively. The results on the nutritional status of the undergraduate students are presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Nature of Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of the University of Education,
Winneba
Scales BMI Range in Students’ Nutritional Status Frequency Percent
Kg/m2
1 ≤18.50 Underweight 532 20.1
2 18.50-24.99 Normal 1431 54.0
3 ≥25.00-29.99 Overweight 540 20.4
4 30.00-34.99 Obese Class 1 109 4.1
5 35.00-39.99 Obese Class 2 37 1.4
Total 2649 100.0
Source: Fieldwork Data, 2019
Comparing the results in Table 3 to the criteria set by [4] as contained in Table 2, it could be observed that students’ ranked highest
on normal (n=1431, 54%) than overweight (n=540, 20.4%) and underweight (n=532, 20.1%). The information further reveals that
there were more obese class I (n=109, 4.1%) than obese class II (n=37, 1.4%) students. The results established that most of the
undergraduate students of Winneba Campus of University of Education, Winneba, were normal than overweight and underweight
while obese class 2 was ranked the least.
Research Question Two:
What are the Dietary habits of undergraduate students of Winneba Campus of the University of Education, Winneba?
This objective examined the dietary habits among respondents in relation to their intake of fish, meat, eggs, poultry and dairy
products, legumes and nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, soft drinks, energy-dense foods, breakfast as well as the meals they
mostly skipped. In this study, mean and standard deviation were calculated to determine the perceived dietary practices such that
mean of ≤2.50 indicated/perceived as low intake, mean of >2.50 but <3.50 showed moderate intake, and mean of ≥3.50 indicated
high intake. The analysis of the results is shown in Table 4.
As indicated in Table 4, the proportion of students who indicated eating fish, meat, eggs and dairy products once or twice weekly
(n=1178, 44.5%) were more than those who indicated eating fish, meat, eggs and dairy products thrice or four times weekly (n=589,
22.2%), daily (n=468, 17.7%), rarely (n=264, 10%) and never (n=150, 5.7%). The data further reveals that on the intake of legumes
and nuts, more than half of the students indicated taking legumes and nuts once or twice weekly (n=1415, 53.4%) while the rest

Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 5

Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

were those who indicated eating them thrice/four times weekly (n=494, 18.6%), daily (n=327, 12.3%), rarely (n=287, 10.8%), and
never (n=126, 4.8%).
Table 4: Descriptive Statistics on the Nature of Undergraduate Students’ Dietary habits
Std. Level of
Description of Dietary Practices Responses Frequency Percent Mean Dev. Intake
Intake of fish, meat, eggs and Never 150 5.7
dairy products Rarely 264 10.0
Once/twice weekly 1178 44.5 3.36 1.06 Moderate
Thrice/four times weekly 589 22.2
Daily 468 17.7
Total 2649 100.0
Intake of legumes and nuts Never 126 4.8
Rarely 287 10.8 3.23 0.96 Moderate
Once/twice weekly 1415 53.4
Thrice/four times weekly 494 18.6
Daily 327 12.3
Total 2649 100.0
Intake of fruits and vegetables Never 565 21.3
Rarely 423 16.0 2.29 1.25 Low Intake
Once/twice weekly 962 36.3
Thrice/four times weekly 408 15.4
Daily 291 11.0
Total 2649 100.0
Intake of soft drinks Never 180 6.8
Rarely 223 8.3
Once/twice weekly 408 15.3 3.71 High intake
Thrice/four times weekly 676 25.6
Daily 1162 44.0
Total 2649 100.0
Frequency in consumption of Never 150 5.7
energy-dense foods and fast foods Rarely 243 9.2
(cakes, pastries, cookies deep- Once/twice weekly 388 14.7 3.74 High intake
fried foods, biscuits, sandwiches, Thrice/four times weekly 868 32.4
indomine etc. Daily 1000 38.0
Total 2649 100.0
Pattern of meal followed in a day 1 meal per day 689 26.0
2 meals per day 1,333 50.2
3 meals per day 390 14.8
4 or more meals per day 237 9.0
Total 2649 100.0
Pattern of meal mostly skipped in Breakfast 1,726 65.1
a day Lunch 533 20.1
Supper 390 14.7
Total 2649 100.0
Source: Fieldwork Data, 2019
Concerning the intake of fruits and vegetables, the data show that the proportion of students who indicated taking fruits and
vegetables once or twice (n=962, 36.3%) were more than those who indicated never (n=565, 21.3%), rarely (n=423, 16.0%),
thrice/four times weekly (n=408, 15.4%), as well as those who indicated taking them daily (n=291, 11.0%). On the intake of soft
drinks, the proportion of students who indicated taking soft drinks daily (n=1162, 44.0%) were more than the proportion of students
who indicated taking them thrice/four times weekly (n=676, 25.6%), once/twice weekly (n=408, 15.3%), rarely (n=223, 8.3%) and
never (n=180, 6.8%). The results on the frequency in consumption of energy-dense foods and fast foods disclose that the proportion
of students who disclosed eating energy-dense foods such as cakes, pastries, cookies, deep-fried foods, biscuits, sandwiches, indomie
etc. daily (n=1000, 38.0%) were more than the proportion of students who indicated taking them thrice/four times weekly (n=868,
32.4%), once/twice weekly (n=388, 14.7%), rarely (n=243, 9.2%) and never (n=150, 5.7%).
On the pattern of meal followed in a day, the findings of the study disclosed that the proportion of the students who indicated eating
2 meals per day (n=1333, 50.2%) was higher than those who indicated 1 meal daily (n=689, 26.0%), 3 meals per day (n=390, 14.8%)
and 4 or more meals per day (n=237, 9.0%). The findings on the distribution of the respondents on the pattern of meal mostly skipped

Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 6

Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

in a day reveal that more than half of the students indicated not eating breakfast (n=1,726, 65.1%) than those who indicated skipping
lunch (n=533, 20.1%) and supper (n=390, 14.7%). Using mean and standard deviation as defined, it could be said that the
undergraduate students of the Winneba campus of the University of Education, Winneba, moderately consumed fish, meat, eggs and
dairy products. Again, it could be also observed from the findings that, they also moderately consumed legumes and nuts while their
intake of fruits and vegetables was discovered to be low. Besides, it could also be observed that undergraduate students of the
University of Education, Winneba had a high intake of soft drinks and high consumption of energy-dense foods and fast foods such as
cakes, pastries, cookies, deep-fried foods, biscuits, sandwiches and indomie. Finally, it could be realized that the students mostly
skipped meals with majority indicating skipping breakfast than lunch and supper.
Research Question Three:

What is the effect of dietary habits on the nutritional status of undergraduate students of Winneba campus of the University
of Education, Winneba?

This research question investigated the extent to which dietary habits contributed to undergraduate students’ nutritional status. The
dietary habits included in the analysis were intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products, intake of legumes and nuts, intake of fruits
and vegetables, intake of soft drinks, consumption of energy-dense food, meal skipping and pattern of meal. Multiple regression was
used to analyze the data, and the results are presented in Table 5.

Table 5: Model Summary for Dietary habits Factors Contributing to Students’ Nutritional Status

Std. Error Change Statistics

of the R Square
R Square Adjusted R Estimate Change F Change Sig. F
Model R Square df1 df2 Change
1 0.627a 0.392 0.372 0.341 0.392 22.227 7 2641 0.000

a. Predictors: (Constant), intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products, intake of legumes and nuts, intake of fruits and
vegetables, intake of soft drinks, consumption of energy-dense food, meal skipping and pattern of meal
b. Dependent Variable: Nutritional Status
The multiple regression results in Table 5 reveal that dietary habits factors such as meal skipping, intake of fruits and vegetables, and
consumption of energy-dense foods, collectively contributed 39.2% of the variance to nutritional status which was found to be
statistically significant [F (7, 2641) =22.227, p<0.05].
Table 6: ANOVA Results for Students’ Dietary habits and Nutritional Status

Model Sum of Mean

Squares df Square F Sig.
1 Regression 58.498 7 14.624 22.227 0.000b
Residual 1739.630 2641 0.658
Total 1798.128 2648
a. Predictors: (Constant), intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products, intake of legumes and nuts, intake of
fruits and vegetables, intake of soft drinks, consumption of energy-dense food, meal skipping and pattern of
meal
b. Dependent Variable: Nutritional Status
Source: Fieldwork Data, 2019

This result implies that other factors not included in this study were responsible for 60.8% influence on students’ nutritional status.
It is inferred from this result that generally dietary habits included in this study were good predictors of undergraduate students’
nutritional status in the University of Education, Winneba.

The study further investigated the contribution of each of the dietary habits to nutritional status, and the results are shown in Table
7.

Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 7

Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109

Table 7: Standardized and Unstandardized Coefficients for Dietary habits Scales

Model Unstandardized Standardized T Sig. Collinearity

Coefficients Coefficients Statistics
B Std. Error Beta Tol. VIF
1 (Constant) 2.757 0.267 10.316 0.000
Intake of fish, meat, eggs and 0.246 0.089 0.534 4.429 0.000 0.577 1.578
dairy products
Intake of legumes and nuts 0.445 0.056 0.487 6.556 0.004 0.712 1.812
Fruits and veg. intake -0.126 0.071 -0.160 -1.770 0.003 0.647 1.545
Intake of soft drinks -0.235 0.041 -0231 -3.241 0.002 0.552 1.321
Consumption of energy 0.224 0.044 0.445 5.052 0.000 0.681 1.469
dense food
Meal skipping -0.250 0.075 -0.294 -3.344 0.001 0.680 1.471
Pattern of meal 0.278 0.059 0.424 4.699 0.000 0.647 1.545
Source: Fieldwork Data, 2019

The results in Table 7 indicate that all the components of dietary habits such as intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products (β=
0.534, p=0.000), intake of legumes and nuts (β= 0.487, p=0.004), intake of fruits and vegetables (β= -0.160, p=0.003), intake of soft
drinks (β= -0.231, p=0.002), consumption of energy-dense food (β=0.445, p=0.000), meal skipping (β= -0.294, p=0.001), and pattern
of meal (β=0.424, p=0.000) all made unique significant contribution to nutritional status.

Discussion of Results
Research question one sought to ascertain the nutritional status
of undergraduate students on Winneba Campus of University of
Education, Winneba. The study discovered that students ranked
highest on normal (n=1431, 54%) than overweight (n=540,
20.4%) and underweight (n=532, 20.1%) with the rest being
obese class I (n=109, 4.1%) and obese class II (n=37, 1.4%).
The finding of this study is consistent with [49] finding where
they discovered 24%, 72%, 3% and 1%, on underweight, normal
weight, overweight, and obesity respectively among the
students of University for Development Studies in Ghana. The
findings of this study, however, depart from [30, 31] findings on
their studies involving undergraduate students in Nigeria which
reported a much higher overweight and obesity prevalence of
4.6% and 0.5% and 22.4% and 6% respectively.
Research question two examined the nature of dietary habits
among undergraduate students at the Winneba campus of the
University of Education, Winneba. It was revealed that students
of the Winneba campus of the University of Education, Winneba,
mostly skipped meals with majority indicating skipping
breakfast. These results support the finding of [27] which
revealed in their study of breakfast habit and nutritional status
of undergraduates in Ekiti State (Nigeria) that 52% of the
students skipped breakfast. Similarly [26], disclosed that
nutritional knowledge, food habits and health attitudes of
Chinese University Students showed that 61% of the
respondents sometimes skipped meals during the day. Meals
sometimes skipped included breakfast (59%), lunch (34%) and
supper (10%). Additionally, the study revealed that the
undergraduate students at the Winneba campus of the
University of Education, Winneba, consumed fruits and
vegetables less often. This finding disagrees with [24]
assessment of nutritional status and eating practices of
university students in Malaysia, where most students consumed
fruits (male: 65.6%, Female: 58.3%) and vegetables (male:
45.6%, female: 44.5%), respectively with 33.3% of males and
29.1% female students consuming fast food several times a
week. The finding of this study, however, is in agreement with
[16] study where students disclosed consuming low intake of
fruits and vegetables. Besides, the study also revealed that the
undergraduate students had high intake of soft drinks and also
high consumption of energy-dense foods. These findings are in
agreement with those of [12, 17] where high intake of energy-
dense foods, snacking, increased intake of high-calorie snack,
consumption of soft-drink, etc. were discovered among students.
The third research question sought to investigate the extent to
which dietary habits such as intake of fruits and vegetables, meal
skipping, and the intake of energy-dense food influenced
undergraduate students’ nutritional status, and it was revealed
that dietary habits accounted for a significant 39.2% in
nutritional status. Based on this result, the study concluded that
dietary habits are a good predictor of undergraduate students’
nutritional status. These results confirm the findings of previous
studies [33, 34]. Nevertheless, the finding of this study is
contrary to [35] where they disclosed that there is no
statistically significant effect between students’ eating
behaviour and their nutritional status. The results of this study
and previous studies have consistently proven that generally
when students practice healthful dietary practices, their
nutritional status improves leading to a reduced occurrence of
non-communicable diseases in later life. Nevertheless, this study
has established that intake of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products,
intake of legumes and nuts, intake of fruits and vegetables,
intake of soft drinks, consumption of energy-dense food, meal
skipping and pattern of meal all made unique significant
contribution to nutritional status.
Conclusions/Recommendations
This study has gathered empirical evidence on the nutritional
status of undergraduate students of the Winneba campus of the
University of Education, Winneba, and the link it has with their
dietary habits. The findings of the study have proven that even
though most undergraduate students of the Winneba campus of
the University of Education, Winneba, had normal weight with

Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109 8

 Table 4: Summary of main attribute groups of the mouthfeel wheels in food products
Citation: Oti, J.A., & Eshun, G. (2020) Dietary Habits and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Winneba Campus of University of Education,
Winneba, Ghana. Jou Food Sci&Nutri: JFSN-109.DOI: 10.46715/jfsn2020.10.1000109
respect to their nutritional status, there were areas for
improvement relative to their dietary habits. Most
undergraduate students of the Winneba campus of the
University of Education, Winneba, consistently skipped meals
notably breakfast. It was also revealed that they had low intake
of fruits and vegetables, had a high intake of energy-dense foods
and soft drinks in relation to their nutritional status.
Nevertheless, this study has gathered enough evidence to
establish that the dietary habits of students are crucial in
boosting their nutritional status.
The link between students’ dietary habits and nutritional status
suggests that nutritional status outcomes will suffer if students
are unable to apply the healthful dietary practices required to
realize improved nutritional status. Therefore, students are
required to apply appropriate dietary habits that are most
beneficial to trigger enhanced nutritional status. The findings of
this study, therefore, serve as a clarion call on the University’s
management through its health directorate to design and
implement programmes to conscientize students on the need to
develop and practice effective and optimal dietary habits. There
should be regular seminars and workshops organized for
lecturers to be equipped with current theories in dietary
practices so that they can offer necessary assistance to students
on how to improve on their dietary habits. This has implications
for recruitment and training of personnel such as dieticians and
nutritionists and other qualified staff who possess the capacity
to carry out programmes in a manner that yield desired results.
Finally, the study has shed light on the dietary habits such as
intake of fruits and vegetables which was judged to be low. As
such the students need to be admonished on the dangers of low
intake of fruits and vegetables. The implication is that the
University through its health directorate and the Department of
Food and Nutrition Education needs to regularly organize health
talks and symposiums to admonish students on the dangers of
not observing optimal dietary habits. Finally, it is recommended
that the university through its Academic Board should introduce
nutrition education as a general course for all students. This will
make them apply result-driven dietary practices so as to achieve
desired dietary habits.
Suggestion for Further Study
It is suggested that this study is replicated in all the campuses of
University of Education, Winneba and other universities in
Ghana in order to get a comprehensive picture of the effect of
dietary habits on students’ nutritional status. This will help
develop a national strategy to improve the dietary habits for
improved nutritional status and in the entire country. Again,
based on the finding that 60.8% in nutritional status was
unaccounted for by the variables involved in this study, it is
suggested that further studies are conducted to examine the
effects of other variables that could account for nutritional
status of the undergraduate students of the Winneba campus of
the University of Education, Winneba.
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