Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://10.10.97.169:4000/handle/123456789/41

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Browsing Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection by Subject "Adolescents"

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    Secondary school food environment and purchase choices of adolescents in Mbeya city
    (Tanzania Journal of Health Research, 2024) Kamwela, Mercy; Mbwana, Hadijah; Jumbe, Teresia
    Background: Increasing levels of overweight and obesity among adolescents are quite alarming worldwide. Among the depicted causes is poor diet, in which the food environment plays a major role in contributing. Still, little is known about adolescents and the school food environment they are exposed to in Tanzania. Objective: This study aimed to explore the secondary school food environment and document food and drink mostly purchased by secondary school adolescents Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved 8 secondary schools in Mbeya City, 384 secondary school adolescents and 35 food outlets. Aspects of the food environment studied were under the external domain, food availability, price and promotion and policy and guideline. Personal domain: accessibility, affordability and desirability. Direct observation was used in food outlets with the help of an observation tool adopted from the Nutrition Environment Measure Survey. Structured interviews were done with the school administrators or teachers responsible for nutrition issues in school with the help of a questionnaire designed based on WHO Nutrition Friendly Schools Initiative. Also, a student purchased a recall questionnaire designed based on the Nutrition Environment Measure Survey, which also helped identify the adolescents' demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression were used to establish prevalences and associations between variables. Results: Most available food outlets outside the school were retail shops and canteens inside the schools. The foods most purchased by adolescents are sweets, fried snacks, and sugar- sweetened beverages. Most adolescents purchase their food and drinks in school shops and canteens. Cereal-based foods are most available, while fruit and vegetables are least available inside and outside school. Adolescents care most about taste and least about nutrition and weight control while purchasing food and drinks. Demographic characteristics like age, level of education, and the type of school adolescents attend are associated with purchasing certain foods. Conclusion: Secondary schools have weak policies and guidelines on the food environment, and they are filled with ultra-processed foods, fried snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Adolescents respond to their environment by purchasing what is most available. Adolescents’ responses depend on their age and the school type, either public or private. This situation calls for effective planning and interventions from the national to the institutional/school levels to ensure a nutrition-enabling environment is created in secondary schools.
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    Total body fat is associated with increased risk for pre-diabetes and hypertension among secondary school adolescents in Morogoro Region, Tanzania
    (Iomcworld, 2022) Makbel, Khadija; Mwanri, Akwilina; Ramaiya, Kaushik
    Aims: We aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension among adolescents in Morogoro region, Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, which involved 384 adolescent students. Standard procedures were used to measure weight, height, body fat percentage, blood pressure and random blood glucose levels. Hyperglycemia was diagnosed using American Diabetes Association criteria and hypertension diagnosed using American Heart Association Guidelines for childhood hypertension. Dietary assessment was done using a validated dietary diversity questionnaire. Physical activities were assessed using a self-administered 7-day recall physical activity questionnaire for adolescents. Statistical analyses was done using IBM SPSS version 21. The Chi-square and logistic regression analysis were used to determine determinants for diabetes and hypertension. Results: Prevalence of pre-diabetes was more than twice as much (7.3%) in the urban compared to the rural areas (3.1%). Determinants of pre-diabetes were overweight/obesity (OR 5.64; 95% CI 2.82–11.31), school type (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.04–3.84) and elevated body fat (EBF) (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03 – 1.09). Likewise, prevalence of hypertension was much higher among urban adolescents (17.2%) compared to their peers (5.7%). Determinants of hypertension were location (OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.11 – 3.07), overweight/ obese (OR 5.89; 95% CI 3.19 – 10.89), elevated body fat (EBF) (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.09 – 1.19) and low physical activities (OR 1.58; 95% CI (1.35 – 3.48). Conclusion: High prevalence of pre-diabetes and hypertension among adolescents is alarming. Total body fat and increased BMI are associated with increased risk for pre-diabetes and hypertension. Promotion of healthy lifestyle should start at a younger age to prevent development of diet related non-communicable diseases.