Developing appropriate eating patterns among adolescent students in boarding schools: a case study on Sekyere West District

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2004-11-21
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Many people if asked why they eat would respond with “to stay alive” or “because of hunger.” Both of these are appropriate answers; the body has a physiological need for food, and when deprived for even a short period of time, a sensation of hunger is experienced. This is a normal physiological response, designed to balance the output and storage of nutrients with input from food. In most cultures, food customs or habits were created by geographical location, superstitions, religious beliefs, social activities, economics, foreign influences and technological advancement. The study was a descriptive qualitative type. Self-administered questionnaires and structured interviews were tools used to collect data for the study. A sample size of 180 was used. The study covered all the major schools in the Sekyere West District. The sample size of 180 was distributed among the main boarding schools as follows: Amanianpong Secondary School 48 (26.7%) St. Monica’s Teacher Training College 51(28.3%) St. Monica’s J.S.S. 48 (26.7%) and St. Monica’s Secondary School 33 (18.3%) since most of the issues studied were qualitative, data analysis was done manually and the results put in tables and percentages. The result showed that the people interviewed were all educated. This means that the responses were not only based on perceptions alone but also experience. The majority of the people interviewed were much concerned about the nutrient content of the meal prepared for students. 70% of the respondents said that the nutrient content of the students’ meals is low. There were not many complaints about the taste of the meals since majority of the respondents said that the taste is good. Almost everybody interviewed was of the view that the meals provided to the boarding students were not balanced diets for that reason; authorities should do their best to improve upon it. Most of the respondents said that the quality of meals given to the students is not commensurate with the amounts they pay, and that the meals are not worth the price they pay. The idea of the dinning hail being run by private agents was not supported by majority of the respondents. About 75% of the people interviewed were not satisfied with the idea. All the four Headmasters plus 78% of the parents and 86% of the matron/kitchen staff interviewed supported the idea of creating a forum for students to ventilate their views. The study brought to the fore problems that have to be solved. It is anticipated that due to the time limitations and financial constraints further study would be conducted to unearth any problem that this study was unable to identify.
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Community Health, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences in partial requirements of the Master of Science degree, 2004
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