Evidence-based strategy for prevention of hidden hunger among adolescents in a suburb of Nigeria

Abstract

Background Hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiencies) among adolescents are linked to impaired physical growth, poor cognitive function, low resistance to infection as well as degenerative and chronic diseases at later age. To prevent these deleterious impacts of hidden hunger, effective intervention strategy that improves nutrition knowledge and promotes healthy food choices among this age-group becomes imperative. The intervention was to evaluate the impact of a 14-page locally developed nutrition education aids on the teenagers’ knowledge of the functions, food sources and deficiencies of some micronutrients and their food choices. Methods A one group pre-and post-intervention quasi-experimental study design was conducted with 869 adolescents (13–17 years) selected using multi-stage sampling technique in public secondary schools in a suburb of Nigeria. Using the instructional material development guidelines, the nutrition education aids were developed with nutrition facts, pictures of staple micronutrients-rich foods, and computer graphics. Baseline (pre-intervention) knowledge of nutrition and practice of food choices in relation to micronutrients were determined before exposing the students to the developed nutrition education aids and reassessing (post-intervention) them after 6 months. Data obtained were subjected to paired samples t-test using SPSS version 21. Results The adolescents were mostly females (58.92%) aged 16–17 years (53.62%). There was significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean knowledge scores of general nutrition (65.77 vs. 39.61%) and food sources of nutrients (82.26 vs. 66.87%) at post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. Also, the mean knowledge of functions and deficiencies of vitamin C, folic acid, iron, calcium, and zinc were significantly (p < 0.05) higher at post-intervention than at pre-intervention. The study further revealed percentage increase in the proportion of respondents who consumed meat (27.72%), mango (128.20%), watermelon (152.29%), carrot (336.34%) and leafy vegetables (85.56%) daily after the intervention. In addition, the percentage of students who rarely consumed all the studied micronutrient-rich foods decreased after the intervention. Conclusion The intervention strategy increased the nutrition knowledge and the consumption of some micronutrients-rich food sources among the adolescents. The developed nutrition education aids are recommended for use in the fight to reduce/eradicate hidden hunger among adolescents in Nigeria.

Hidden Hunger or Knowledge Hunger? an Interventional Study in a Public School of Rawalpindi

“…Following the educational intervention, a remarkable increase in knowledge was noted. This is in accordance with interventional studies carried out in Nigeria, 11 ,India, 12 and Tehran, 13 which show that educational interventions carry a significant effect on nutrition knowledge and practices among adolescents. In comparison to the study conducted in Hyderabad, India, 12 in which two modes of intervention were used, our study only used multimedia presentation as the main intervention strategy.…”

“…Pre-test was taken to assess their baseline knowledge about micronutrients using an intervieweradministered, validated, closed ended questionnaire. 11 The questionnaire consisted of three parts. Part A was based on sociodemographic details and eating habits of participants.…”

Nutrients Intake and Physical Activity Levels Assessment Among University Students and Secondary School Students in North Central Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Among secondary school students, malnutrition is associated with impaired physical growth, poor cognitive function, low resistance to infection, and chronic diseases later in life (16). It has been found that malnutrition among university students has a slight but signi cant correlation with cognitive performance (30). Additionally, malnutrition among university students can also affect their overall well-being and nutritional status, with nearly onethird of adolescent girls in a selected secondary school being underweight (31).…”

Advanced biotechnological strategies towards the development of crops with enhanced micronutrient content

“…Alongside micronutrient deficiency or hidden hunger, inadequate dietary intake of necessary minerals and vitamins has also imparted severe effects on human health. Currently, approximately two billion population worldwide is affected by micronutrient deficiency or hidden hunger (White and Broadley 2011 ; Ritchie et al 2018 ; Ibeanu et al 2020 ) and the impacts are more prominent in the African continent and South Asian countries. In these regions, the infants and particularly women at the reproductive stage are mostly affected by malnourishment, lacking sufficient dietary minerals and vitamins, leading to severe growth problems and various birth related issues.…”