School food environments affect the food acquisition and consumption of pupils while they are at school, and are a major determinant of their overall nutrition and health. The prevalence of snacking among adolescents has been found, by many studies, to have increased over the years. Adolescence presents a window of opportunity for growth and development for most people. Adolescence is also a period to establish good food habits, because food habits formed at this stage are likely to be carried into adulthood. Studies in developed countries have showed that the most preferred snacks among adolescents are high in saturated fats, sodium and total calories but low in micronutrients such as iron, vitamin C and zinc. This dietary habit has contributed to the rise in obesity and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. The Ghanaian school food environment, which has been proven to lack strict regulating policies is expected to be varied and complex. Therefore, it was imperative to study the prevailing school food environments to determine the nutritional quality of snacks consumed by adolescents and examine their snack choice drivers. It is also crucial to find out the types of snacks and specific quantities carried by snack vendors in the school environments. This may help relevant stakeholders to give interventions to mitigate the problem. The aim of the study was to determine the nutritional quality of snacks consumed by adolescents in Junior High Schools. The study design was cross-sectional, with a quantitative approach. 400 adolescents in four selected Junior High Schools and 39 snack vendors in the immediate environment of the schools participated in the study. Dietary data and drivers of snack choice were collected using a single 24-Hour recall, a 7-day Modified Food Frequency Questionnaire and a Snack Choice Drivers Questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements of respondents were also taken to ascertain their Body Mass Index-for-Age. A separate questionnaire was used to gather and audit available snacks from snack vendors within a 50-meter radius around each school. Data were entered into excel and analyzed with STATA, version 13.0. Overall, respondents exceeded the recommendations for daily energy (d=322.8 Kcal), protein (difference=1g), fat (difference=33.6g) and sodium (difference=1,181.8mg) requirements, but did not meet the zinc (d=-5.3 mg) and iron (=-11.3mg) requirements in their diets. The results showed that the most preferred snacks in both private and public schools were imported packaged snacks (68.5% vs 82.5%, p<.001) and fizzy drinks and sugar sweetened beverages (63.6% vs 77.7%, p=.02), with the least preferred being confectionaries (20.7% vs 59.4%, p<.001). There were more snack vendors in the public schools (n = 25) compared to private schools (n = 14). Fizzy drinks and sugar sweetened beverages were the most available snacks, while the least available snacks were fruits. Respondents from public schools recorded relatively higher consumption of energy (d=136.8Kcal, p=.09), protein (d=0.6g, p=0.10, fat (d=30.8g, p=.06) and sodium (d=69.8mg, p<.001) than their counterparts from private schools, who also consumed relatively more zinc (d= 0.3mg, p<.001) and iron (d=1.0mg, p<.001) during snack times. Sensory attributes (median score=100, IQR=25), familiarity (median score=66.7, IQR=33.3), weight maintenance/management (median score=66.7, IQR=66.6) and prices (median score=100, IQR= 33.5) highly influenced respondents snack choice, while ethical concerns (median score=0, IQR=66.7) was the least driver of respondents’ snack choices. There was a significant association between gender of adolescents and their frequency of consumption of imported packaged snacks (p<.001), fizzy drinks/sugar sweetened beverages (p<.001), local snacks (p<.001) and confectionaries (p<.04). There was also a significant relationship between the availability of fried snacks (p<.001), flour based snacks (p=.02) and imported snacks (p<.001) and their frequency of consumption.

	views
Nutritional Quality of Snacks in the School Food Environment of Adolescents	9

	views
September 2024	0
October 2024	0
November 2024	0
December 2024	2
January 2025	1
February 2025	6
March 2025	0

Statistics for Nutritional Quality of Snacks in the School Food Environment of Adolescents

Total visits

Total visits per month

File Visits