FOOD PURCHASING HABITS OF UNDERGRADUATES OF UNIVERSITY OF BENIN AS DETERMINANT OF UNIVERSITY OF BENIN AS DETERMINANT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS

ABSTRACT

This study investigates on the food purchasing habits of undergraduates of university of Benin as determinate of nutritional status. Three 3 research questions were raised and the literatures related to the study were also reviewed. The study adopted the descriptive study research design. The population of the study consisted of fourty three thousand eight hundred and twenty one (43,821) undergraduate students of the university of Benin. One hundred and seventy two (172) respondents, systematically and randomly selected, formed the sample of the population. The instrument used for the study was a "Questionnaire on the food purchasing habits of undergraduates if university of Benin as determinants of nutritional status". the questionnaire was validated by the project supervisor and two other lecturers from the department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education (HSE). The test retest reliability method using the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient formula was used to obtain the reliability coefficient. Data obtained from the instrument were analyzed using frequency count and simple percentages. The findings revealed that more than 50% of the respondents perceived that the food purchasing habits of undergraduates in the university of Benin is poor as they eat more of junk foods with excess calories and unhealthy addictives which are not good for the health. This finding is in consistency with that of Jung (2018) that Jerennam university student's perception of food safety and purchasing behaviour. The findings also reveals that undergraduates purchasing habits is affected or influenced by social media, adverts mobile apps delivery system due to the fact that they don't have the time to prepare home-made foods, they then purchase anything they can access and afford, so therefore the purchasing habits of undergraduates poor. Also the results reveals that the nutritional status of the undergraduate students is poor as majority of them tend to feed more on junks, foods with excess calories and also skip meals. Most of them are not even conscious of their food if it contains vital vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates. It also reveals how undergraduate students don't often mind on limiting the consumption of surgery beverages and snacks as some daily depends on it before going for classes.