-

University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No ISSN 1118 - 0021

Author 1 OBIDOA, Mabel A. Ph.D

Author 2 ENWERE, N J. Ph.D

Author 3

Title

Effect of Diet on Body Weight of some Participants in the 2003 Rohi Youth Camp: Implication for Commercial

Food Product Development, Nutrition Education and Councelling

Keywords

Description Journal

Category Educational Foundation

Publisher Home Economics Research Association of Nigeria

Publication Date 2007

Signature

MIC i RCH

Home Economics Research Association of Nigeria [HERAN]

Editorial Board I'r'of. Eliz;beth U. Any.11colia Department of Vocational Education, ( l X L ) / . - ; / I i l l - chi(^/) Universi ty of Nigeria, Nsu kkn. N waltego Molokw~c -Ph.D Ilcpar tmcn t of Voca tionol & Technical

Education, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki

Afiong Akpan - Ph.D Department of Homc Economics University of Uyo, Nigeria.

Prof. Julia R. Gitobii

I'rof. Carol E. Anderson

Dr. M.J. K a l a

1'rof.A. Uwaegbute

Dr. B. Ukpore

Department of Home Economics, Anambr.~ State of Ed11c.a t i o ~ ~ , Nsugbc. Dcpar tment of Vocational Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Advisory Board I I

Ilepar tincnt ol Vocational ~ c l ~ i c a tion, University of Nigeria, Nsu hka I Department of Vocational b;( Technical Education, Univcrsity of ~ e d i n , Benin- City I Department of Home Eco~~ornics Kcnyn ttn Univcrsi ty, Kcnya. Collcgc of Human Ecology Cornell University I

L3epartment of Home Economics, University of Agriculture, Makurdi. Dcpastlnent of I-lomc Economics, Univcrsity of Agriculture, Uinudikc. Department of Home Economics, Delta State University, Abraka.

. . , , 1 : 1 ,

, i : . EffeOt 06 Diet on Body Weight of Some Participants in the I ! ! 2003 Rohi, Youth Camp: Implications for Commercial Food ''Product Development, Nutrition Education and Counselling

. I , ... r

Enwere, N. J. PI1.D Department of Food science and 'Technology,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Obidoa, M. A. Pl1.D I

Department of Educa tionnl Fo~tnda tions ' University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Abstract In this study, some socinl c/mmcter.islics, food consrrnrptiorl pot tertr, irivolwvicrll of respohdcnfs in dieling nnd plrysicnl ttimslrrrnwnt ofnctrrol bod^/ sfnlistics nmf mlct~lnliorr of body mnss'index (BM1) were undthnkcrr. Ddkn oblninrd from (Ire slrdt, drowcrl hrnt flrc respondmts lived in diffekeent types of rcsidmcc but consrrmcd mostly high ~.rrrr,y)/oods sliclr ns ricc,'Uenns, platthin, noodles m d cnssmn prodtrcts. Altlzotigli only 18.03% ltnw dictcd ill the lost two yc'crri, 32.79% Imvc rrmintnined nlnrrt Hrc snme body w i g h t , rdtik 62.30% of tlrc ksporideltfs oltserr?ed varinlion in llrrir body miqlrt. ~ c f r r n l p/tysiml

Introdrictibri I :;I I ' ' I f i .: 1 I i : ' I

The state of the healthy bady weight is se t using n u m e r o u s methods. Crrrrentl y, in medical and nutrition literature, greater use is made of body mass index (BMI) for setting healthy body weight. This is a weight -for -height standard that is most closely

related to body fat. However, tlw athlete is a notaGle exceptio~r who map be overweight but not over fat. A healthy weight- for- height is a BM1 of 18.5-24.9. Health risk from excess weight begins when the BMI exceeds 25 (National Centre for Cl~ronic Discxcl 13revet-ttion and Health l J t -mm~ion,

2005). Many adolcsccnts are at risk of overweight and obesity.

Adolesccncc which is part of youth developmental stage lies between cl~ilc.lhood.and adulthood. I t is a time of nccclera ted grow 111 and change second only to infancy. The youth includes yocing people between the ages of 13 to 25 ye'lrs, wlwrcas suine other agencies or governments have a ceiling of 30 to 35 yetus (Spore, 2004). To support this 111~1jor physical tmnsformalion, the body r e q u i r ~ s increased ellcrgy, proteins, v i t ~ ~ n i n s and f i ~ t . I'hesc nutrients are t c m ~ mates that work together to provide thc required good nutrition. '['~ILIS teenagers. us~~al ly eat more to si~tisfy this t r c ~ m d o u s nutritional clcmand and arc likcly to accumulate cxcess body weight (Adcgoke, 2003; WClrdlaw and Kessel, 2002). There is no onc miracle food or supplement that c m supply all our nutritional needs, The key to balancing the diet is to combine different foods so that nutrient deficiencies in somc foods are made up by nutrient s~~rpluses in others. It is important to establish sound eating practices that will be beneficial and provide a measure of well-being throughout life (Groves, 2005). Therefore, youths and "adolescents sl~uuld eat right during their formative years to ensure proper physical and mental development (Ene-Obong, 2001).

While many teenage girls are especially very concerned with weight gain, appearance, and social acceptance, others are victims of overweight and

0

obesity. They often do not think about the long term benefits of good health and do not ttsually relate today's actions to tomorrow's health outcofi~s. These is need to focus on youths and adolescents in which excess weight and sedentary lifestyle may form basis for a life time of weight-related illness aqd increased mortality. It is therefore important tq '&mtrol body weight through appr+riate diet, counselling, and education of those who ark likely to be to suffer from obesity or underweight and thus are nutritionally at risk with the attendant heqlth problems (Wardlaw and Kessel, 2002). l'o reach their highest potential, all their body systems must be perfectly d i e d . Nothing is more important to their well-being and ability to perform tHan good nutrition. Eating thk' ri'ght foods helps to maintain desirable body ,weight, stay,physically 'fit and establish , ' t . ,

optimum nerve-muscle re h&s. ~ o b d

(Groves, I l a I I t

ROHI ~ d i t c a tiondl , ~erv$$s, Nsukka, camps in August year 2000 AD, in holistic and integrated practice that w learn, and are and challengeu ru use talents well for a life time bf self reliance, responsible

(Rohi , c '

. . a

. ,

Objectives of the Study Vie gcncral objwtivo of t l~c studv l \ i ~ r c f o ~ ' ~ was 10 dctenninc tlic food consoniplion- p t t ~ - t i in ~-~l i l t io~i (0

gcndcr a n d body wciglit a r ~ t l involvement in dieling of scmc

I'oynlation and Sample 'I'lic popi~lati(m for tlic sludy consiskd of all tlic 100 participants in tht. 2(10? I<olii I-Iol iday You 111 Camp wliicli took plncc in I+dcral Covcrnriicnl (;it+;' Collcgcl, L,cjjii, 1:nugu Slalc, i~-otu AUgust 24 to 30tl1,2OO3. Questionnaires were administered to 80 participants. Tlic sample consisted of sixty onc participa~i ts wh(> coniplctcd ~licir q~~cslionnaires propcrly and rctutwd 111~111.

D a t a Colleclion Data fur the study was col1c.ctc.d using qucsL-ionnairc a n d p h y s i c a l

with a long ruler marked on the wall multiple classification, means and and circumference of were measured standard deviation and correlation with flexible tape. analysis. Body mass index (BMI) was

calculated using the formula: Data ~ n a l ~ s i s Data from the study was analysed using

Body Mass Index = Body w e i ~ h t (in kilonranQ Height2 ( in metres)

Findings and Discussion

Social characteristics of respondents The social ci~aracteristics of the respondenls are givcn in "rable 1. Data

' obtained from the study show that majority of the respondents were university ~~ndcrgkacluates and senior secondary school graduates and those still in senior secondary school classes. There were no re males (57.38OL)) than fcmalts (42.62%). Most of the participants (88.52%) attended schools in tlw urban area. They were mainly between the ages of 16-20 years and most of them attended school from their parents houses. The type or residence influences the decision nbou t the food parented fur inmates. T l ~ e residence of lmstels and dormitories have to eat whatever is in the general menu with little room for flexibility.

Thcre is likely to bc more flexibility in decision made for food at homc because less people are likely to be involved. in order to influence food consump tion at food service centres such as hostels and dormitories, those rcsponsiblc for providing food shoi~ld bc trained o n the selection of

a y proprh te food combinations for their target groups. The youths also have to be udtlcated and counselled on the importance of good nutrition so as to make inputs into the kind of food they expect and not reject certain foods which they may not like but which are good for them. Leaving in the urban area should expose the youths to many foods which are available for theirdaily needs. Therefore convincing them to eat certain foods may not ' pose much problems during couhsellinR and nutrition education.

Food Consumptior F the Respondents The food consumptkur I ~ I I L ' I I I ~ ) f the respondents are given in Table 2. Foods liked very much and consumed bv many respor were: rice plantain (44 ,~0- /u j , yam ~ ~ U . Y U - / O ~ , w p a 3 1 5 ) cassava (29.51%), noodle (27.87%)), and ~ ~ w i n - ~ n o i ~ ~ (26.23%). These foods are high calorie diets, They consumed less fruits and vegetables, thus, they are likely to be nutritionally at risk. Many yout l~s d o not even know the long term benefits of good food and

their relationship to, good Iiealth. to includc giving up favourite foods. Healthful teen I food habits do not have

Table 1: Social chnractcristil?; of rcspndcnts -- Social characteris tics Frequency Prrrce~i tnge of respondents (N=61)

~ducational Qualification Junior sccondary school class Senior secondary school class Senior secondary scl~clo! graduate Ut~iversi ty undcrgraduatc University graduate I'ostgradua te s t~rdcnt Gender Fe~nale Male Location of School . Urban Iiural No response Age (years) 1,-15 -

16-20 21 -25 26-30 Na resy onse Type of Residence Dormitory +

Hostal Parents hotne Boy's quarter Friend's house No response

What is required is heal thy food habits preparation of food, either at norne or In

resulting in proper food choices from food service centres such as school wha t is available and affordable within refectories, and restarrran ts. These the economic class of consumers and choicesshould be made from foods that those responsible for purchase and are not excessively refined, and

J H E R Vol. 8,2007

containing balanced quantities of associated problems (Adetunji, 1999; dietary fibre, proteins, vitamins and Ohr, 2004; Goldberg, 1994; Dynadis mineral and nutraceuticals to prevent 2003). overweight and obesity with their

I

Table 2: Food consumption pattern of the respondents

Foods liked very much and consumed by res y onden ts

Frequency Percentage (N=61)

liicu Y m T'a p Fruits l+;g 12c.ans Spaghetti/ indomie/ noodle / mncaroni Moin-tiwin '

I'lantain S W W ~ p(jtat0 Okpa (bnmbara groundnut moin-moin) Drcad ( with or without butter) Tct? Carri/ cassava/ foo-foo/ akpn (wilh egusi, ogbono, bittor Icaf, oha, nsala, and okro soups) Abachcl/ Airica~l salad Mixcd vcgulables/ cold slaw/ vugctable salad hlcL~L (hccf, chicken, l i~rkcy , pork) I'cppm suup Corn n~ci~ l I'nnca kc Coffce *Multiple rcsponscs

In advanced countri,es, youths including teenagers obtain one-frlrth of Ilwir energy and major nutrients fro111 sacks s~rch as corn chips, cookies, candies, and ice crcatn. By choosing wisely and eating in moderation, teens can cat a t quick service restaurants and still consume healthy diets. Snacks and quick scrvicc restaurants themselves are

not the problem, poor ruva cno~ces are. I'oor dietary habits formed during tcenagc years often continue into adulthood, giving rise to increased risk of chronic cardiovascuiar and some types ul ciulcer \ vvarulaw anu Kessel, 2002).

Without a doubt, ;ducation and

the promotion I I of healthy eating habits influence food consumpt ion . Inequalities in access to Iical tli promotion messages, to health education, and to adequate healtli services impede gaining knowledge of behaviour changes necessary to achieve healthier lifestyles. These also increase r i s k f a c t o r s f o r c h r o n i c

L

non-communicable diseases associated with nutrition, such a s heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, some types of cancer, and osteoporosis, among others (Pan American Health Organisation 2002).

Respondents' perspective of their body weight and size Tho resyrmdcti ts' pcrspcctivc of their body weight nncl size arc given in Table 3. From thc data obtained from thcl study, many of the respondents see themselves as having normal body weight and size. 0n!y few see tl~crnsclvcs as tr~idcl- weight, or over weight, and as slitti, thin, pltrrnp or fat. In advanced countries, tccnagc girls arc vcry concerned with weight gain, appearance and social ncccptancc (Wardlaw and Kessel, 2002). A positive concept of the body is an important concept of a heal thy and positivc self concept (Fitts, 1985; Obidoa, 1485).

Table 3: Respondents' perspective of their body weight and size

Body Statistics Frequency Percentage (N=61) I

Body weight Normal 42 68. 5 Underweight 2

ti

Overweight 5 No response 12 Body size I

Ndrmal 38 62.30 Thin . 4 6.56 Slim 1 1.64 Plump 1 1 -64 Fat 1 1.64 No rcsyonse 16 26.23

Respondents' involvement in dieting they have ever dieted. Some dieted for The level and nature of dieting by the weight loss (11.48%) and some for respondents are shown in Table 4. Very weight gain (6.58%). However, 32.79'10 few respondents (18.03%) indicated that observed that they maintained almost

the same body weight in the last two that of 11.48% decreased and 6.58% did years, while 62.30% did not maintain not check their body weight to see if the same body weight within the same there were changes. period. Among these respondents, the body wcight of 47.54% increased whilc

Table 4: Respondents involvement in dieting and nature of variation of body weight in the last two years

Responses Frequency Percentage (N=61)

Number involved in dieting Dicteci Did not Dict No response Nature of dieting Dickd for weight loss C

Dictccl for wcight gain

Variation in body weight in the last 2 years Maintained body weight Did not maintain body weight No response Nature of variation Incrcascd Decreased Don't know / did nut check

Age and body statistics obtained by actual physical measurement The minimun~, maximum and mean values oF age, height, weight, length of leg, length of hand, circumferences of ankle, wrist and upper arm and body rnnss index (BMI) with their standard deviations, s tandard error, and coefficient of variations are given in Table 5. The dr'l ta obtained show that tlw miniinurn, maximum and mean

values 'of all parameters for the males were higl~er than those of tl~e females.

Calculation of the! BMI also revealed that females had mean BMI of 24.302 and males had 24.414. The mean BMI for males and females did not exceed 24.49 which is the limit for acceptable and healthy adults. Of all he respoidents, 6.56% had BMI less than 18.5,88.52% had BMI between 18.5 and 24.49, and 4.92% had BMI between

b '

' t i l i ; I + q ' '

,$.!I ,and 2&. .This shows tho t most of a the youths in the study (88.52%) had healthy body weight and did not face the risks associated with ovcrwcight and under weight, Using BM1 to categorize body weight gives BMI of below 18.5 as underweight and nu tritiondly at risk, 18.5-24.9 as acceptable and healthy, 25.0-29.9 ils

overwciglit and at risk of obesity and related health problems, 30-39.9 as obese and increased health risk, 40 and above as severely obese and a t major I~ealth risk. Therefore, some of the respondents are really at some level of risk of overweight or obesity based on their BMI value. (National Center for Cl~ronic Disease Prevention and Health

Promotion 2005 ; Wardlaw and Kcsscl, 2002).

W l ~ i l c many youths and adoIesmnts who me consc in~~s of tlicir looks may be involvvd in dieting, obesity is likely to occur in those that over eat or do not engage in vigorous physical activity to burn off excess fat. One side eflcct of excess weight is an impairnicnt of hormonr insulin's abili ty to do the job of processing fuel, or fats and sugars properly, which is known as insulin rcsistancc. Due to this c-oricli tion of insulin rcsistsnce, the body store more fat than i t SIICNIICI, but nevw require body to burn i t off.

Table 5: Age and body statistics of female and male participants obtained by physical measurement of different parts of the body

Parameters Gender Mean Minimum Maxirnum Standard Standard Co&fficicnt &via tion error nf6arin1ion

' Age (years) F T 6.654 12.01) 24.UO 2.667 0.523 i017 M 18.538 15.00 26.00 2.672 0.524 1.412

Height (cm) F 161.623 106.00 178.00 13.485 2.615 3.375 M 17 1 .(100 1.1 6.00 192.I)O 11.832 2.029 1 h.603

Weight F 58.385 43.00 77.011 9.27% 1.820 ' l5.HV2 M . 64.765 52.00 90.00 7.161 1.228 I 1 .(I57

(1.116 5.1 14 6.58s 4.81 1

1.902 12.023 5.559 3.460 6.603 4.857

Length of hand' F ' M

Length of leg. F M

C-of upper arm, F M

C- of ankle F M

C of wrist F M

Body mass index F M

J N E R Vul. 8,2007 97

Relationshi ys of the dimensions of different body pa'rts as obtained from physical measurement The correlation cocfficicnt of the .dimensions of the different body parts in relation to eachaother are. given in Table 6. The data obtained from the study show that for both female and male respondents, the coefficient of corrclation between weight and length of leg, and circumference of upper arm, ankle, and 0.01 wrist were statistically significant (P 0.05). Correlation coefficient for age and I' was only significantly related to circumference uf upper arm for only females showing that the dimension of the female bvdy was different from those of males.

In females, the coefficient of correlation between height and length of leg; between length of hand and length of leg and circu~nference of ankle and wrist; between length of leg and circumference of upper arm, ankle

and wrist; n11d between circumference

In the male rcspondcnts, corrclation coefficient betwcen height and length of upper arm; between Icngth of hand and length of leg; between circumference of upper arm and ciscutnfercncds of ankle and wrist; and br r ferc~ice

positiwly rclated. When tfth data for the males and fcmalcs wtlre dombincd, shifts wcrc obscrvcd &I& to the differences in the body statistics of males and ftl~nales as can be secn from the data in Tables 5 and 6. I

Implications of findings for food product developnient, nutrition education and The study reve cons~rnption L I W yvuiris LIICIL

attended the 2003 ROHl Youth Camp I t was observed from the research data

jHER Vof. 8, 2007 99

I

. . that the youths consumed more of energy dense foods such as rice, beans and beans products, noodles, plantain and cassava products, and less of fruits and vegetables. However, only a few (4.92% ) of the respondents were really at some level of risk of overweight or

obesity based on their BM1 values and so require counselling on weight, food choices and ,healthy eating habits. Cct ting this message across to youths is an important and challenging task for parents, caregivers, food product dcvclopers, nutrition educators and youth co~insellors.

1t is important to educate and counsel the youth and others on the importance of proper nurri tion so that

, they will not perceive obesity and excess weight as remote problems more relevant to a socio~econoinic context of abu~idancc or of less significance than protein .malnutrition and other deficiencies associated with poverty.

Furthermore, it is an error to think that the actions that some rich coirn tries have taken to face the adverse effects of obesity and overweight can be c o p i e d o r a d a p t e d w i t h o u t ~noclification. The problem is essentially different and probably more serious in the poor countries because many people d o not eat what they want but what ttwy'can get, or d o not even know what they sl~ould eat Poor people are malnourished because they do not have enui@ food to feed themselves, and they are obese because they eat poorly, with an important energy imbalance ( Pan American Health Organisation

V

female but because the males were b r t h w had slivhtlv l n w ~ r WMI.

Conclusion This study has reyealcd that the youths in this study ccmsurned high energy diets which placed some of them at the risk of obesity and overweight. The body dimensions of the male respondents were hirrher than those of the '

talk- -- .-] . .--- -ub-.-, --..-- --..-. Some of them have tried dieting as a means of controlling weight, either for weight loss or weight gain. However, require education and counselling on weight, food cl~oices and healthy eating habits. Food product developers should concern themselves with developing health foods rich in proteins, dietary, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals . .I

in order to prevent overweight and obesity with their attendant health problems instead of mass- produced

t. 1 . - 1 I . I . 1 r . remen rooas 111gn in sugars ana rats.

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he-Obong, H.N. (2001). E n h g Right. A Niltritiol~ Ctridtl. Calabar: The University of Calabar Press.

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Rohi E Organisation, August 2,2002.

klucational Services (2004). Fifth RohiYou tli leadership Camp brochure, Rohi Educational a . *.* I . .-. -. services and Women s lnltiatlve Support Services Organization.

Spore (2004). Youth and Rural Development, Spore, Number lO9, pp 1-2

Wardlaw, G. 0. and Kessel, M. (2002). I)Erspctivc it1 Nutrition, 5th ed, New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

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