The Relationship Between Food Habits, Eating Behavior, and Nutritional Knowledge of High School Female Students and Their Demographic Attributes

The Relationship Between Food Habits, Eating Behavior, and Nutritional Knowledge of High School Female Students and Their Demographic Attributes

¹Ola Ne’amah Abd-Ulzahrah, ²Aysen Kamal Mohammed Noori

1. MSN, Community Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq. E-mail: ula.alkaradia89@gmail.com
2. Instructor Doctor, PhD, Community Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq. E-mail: aysenkervanci@gmail.com

Corresponding author: Ola Ne’amah Abd-Ulzahrah

Email: ula.alkaradia89@gmail.com

Received: 03 September 2021, Accepted: 15 December 2021, Available online: 20 January 2022

INTRODUCTION

The importance of promoting a balanced diet and physical activity in children and adolescents cannot be overstated because the habits that develop during these years tend to persist throughout adulthood (Pender et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2019). Many of the significant health issues that affect adults have ties to adolescent behavior (Liao et al., 2019).

Given that childhood and adolescence are crucial times for growth and development, it is necessary to adopt healthy eating habits during these years (Ness et al., 2005). According to studies, eating behaviors formed and reinforced during these stages are more likely to persist into adulthood (Mikkilä et al., 2004). However, it is apparent that adolescence is also a time when effective treatments for promoting healthy eating habits tend to evolve. Thus, increasing the consumption of nutritious meals during infancy and adolescence is a significant public health concern (Rasmussen et al., 2006).

A lower risk of mortality has repeatedly been linked to regular physical activity (Mok et al., 2019; Stewart et al., 2017).

This study is the first of its kind in Iraq, Arab nations, and the Middle East to look at eating habits, physical activity, healthy and unhealthy diets, self-efficacy, barriers to change, knowledge of nutrition, knowledge of food safety, knowledge of food safety, and behavior in hygienic practices.

Adolescence is a time to develop and solidify good dietary and lifestyle habits. To understand the relationships between influencing variables and eating behaviors, various models and ideas have been put forth. (Story et al., 2002). However, little is understood about the psychological factors affecting adolescents' eating behaviors. Environmental determinants (food availability at home/school) and personal (attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived hurdles and benefits of a healthy diet) as well as social (reported parent and peer conduct and support) have all been linked to a healthy diet (Story et al., 2002; Vereecken et al., 2009). Additionally, socioeconomic status (SES) must be considered because it appears to have an effect on the caliber of European adolescents' diets (Michels et al., 2018).

Low intake of fruits and vegetables and frequent eating of unhealthy foods, such as ultra-processed foods, are characteristics of adolescent food consumption (UPFs). Teenagers' consumption of UPFs is influenced by a number of behaviors, including eating breakfast, watching television while eating, and spending a lot of time in front of screens (Delfino et al., 2020).

METHOD

Study Design

The descriptive correlational design, sometimes referred to as the simple correlational design, is a subtype of correlational study whose main goal is to analyze relationships between and among variables.

The Setting of the Study

The study was conducted in Baghdad City's public high schools female students.

Sample and Sampling

A simple random sample of female high school students who agreed to take part in the study was included in it. The study subjects were recruited from eight public high schools. The student researcher obtained the list of students enrolled in the selected schools and cut each student’s name in identical piece of paper with folding them in the same way. The student researcher put the students’ names in each school in an independent container in order to draw proportionate number of students from each school. The student research stirred well these papers and draw a piece of paper alternatively till obtaining the required proportion.

The sample size calculation using G*Power software considered the parameters of an effect size 0.25 (medium effect size), A power of 0.95, five groups, and an alpha error probability of 0.05. Thus, the recommended sample size would be 305. If there were a 20% attrition rate, 61 more participants would be needed. So, 366 would be the suggested sample size. The total number of samples is 384.

Inclusion Criteria 

The study subjects were recruited to involved in this study based on the criteria of high public schools and those who do not experience any physical disability.

Exclusion Criteria

The exclusion criteria include students of private schools and those who are experiencing any physical disability.

The Study Instrument

The sociodemographic characteristics consists the first part of the study instrument consists of subjects’ of age, gender, grade, students’ living arrangement, the family's socioeconomic status was determined by the 2016 revisions of the Kuppuswamy and B. G. Prasad socioeconomic scales (Shaikh & Pathak, 2017) which encompasses parents’ level of education which consists of 10 level (10 points for each of the parents), household’s occupation which consists of seven levels; the seventh level takes 10 points, and family’s monthly income which includes six categories; the highest or sixth category takes 10 points.

Data collection

A self-reported instrument was used for data collection for the period from February 24th, 2021 to March 31th, 2022.

Statistical Analyses

Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) for Windows version 28. The students researcher utilized statistical measures included linear regression, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent-sample t-test, frequency, percent, mean, and standard deviation,

Ethical Considerations

The student researcher presented the study's findings to the administration of the schools after gaining consent from the College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, for the investigation. To ensure that the study subjects understood that participation was voluntary and that they might withdraw at any moment, the student researcher explained the broad goal of the study and how they could respond to the study instrument to them. The student researcher gave participants his word that he would securely keep and uphold the confidentiality of their information both during and after study participation. The student researcher gave study participants additional assurances that he would protect their anonymity in the presentation, reporting, and/or any potential study publications.

RESULTS

Table 1

Difference in study concepts among grade groups

df = Degree of freedom; F = F-statistics; Sig. = Significance

The study results reveal that there is no statistically significant difference in their Self-Efficacy, barriers to change, nutritional knowledge, knowledge about food safety, and knowledge about food safety and behavior among the groups of grade.

 Table 2

Difference in study concepts among track groups

df = Degree of freedom; F = F-statistics; Sig. = Significance

DISCUSSION