Fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Benin

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.contributor.affiliationBioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Abomey-Calavi
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Western Ontario
cg.contributor.affiliationInstitut Régional de Santé Publique
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.contributor.donorEuropean Union
cg.contributor.initiativeFruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets
cg.coverage.countryBenin
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionWestern Africa
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africa
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050767
cg.identifier.publicationRankNot ranked
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn1661-7827
cg.issue5
cg.journalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.volume22
dc.contributor.authorHoundolo, Melina Maureen
dc.contributor.authorHoundolo, Sam
dc.contributor.authorJordan, Irmgard
dc.contributor.authorMajaliwa, Elianna
dc.contributor.authorKoukou, Elie
dc.contributor.authorNgianga-Bakwin, Kandala
dc.contributor.authorAzandjeme, Colette
dc.contributor.authorKatsivo, Melanie Nyambura
dc.contributor.authorTermote, Céline
dc.contributor.authorHounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-30T20:27:57Z
dc.date.available2025-05-30T20:27:57Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/174889
dc.titleFruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Beninen
dcterms.abstractFruit and vegetables (F&V) are recommended for a healthy life. Adolescence is a critical period for the onset of eating disorders and future health. F&V consumption among adolescents is globally low, making this group a key target for diet/nutrition-related interventions. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess F&V consumption among secondary school students in the food-insecure communes of Boukombe (rural) and Natitingou (urban), Benin. Using probabilistic random sampling, 303 students completed F&V intake frequency questionnaires and 24-h dietary recalls on school and non-school days. Poisson models identified factors associated with F&V consumption. The results showed that only 8.8% (Boukombe) and 11% (Natitingou) of students consumed fruit at least twice per day, and over 80% of students had not eaten fruit in the preceding 24 h; 9.9% and 11.4%, respectively, consumed vegetables at least twice per day. On average, 45.5% of students in Boukombe and 68% in Natitingou consumed at least three types of vegetables on school days. The most commonly consumed fruits were oranges in Boukombe and lemons in Natitingou. Factors influencing fruit consumption included sex (p = 0.005), age (p = 0.04), and mothers’ occupation (p = 0.03) on school days/and school or non-school days, while commune (p = 0.00017) and ethnic group affected vegetable consumption. Such low F&V consumption among surveyed students is a matter of public health concern, as it is likely to affect their health―in terms of micronutrient deficiency―and intellectual performance. These results should incentivize nutrition researchers, project managers, public health officials, and policymakers to (re)design and implement broader measures targeting secondary school students’ dietary practices to increase their F&V consumption.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceScientists
dcterms.available2025-05-13
dcterms.bibliographicCitationHoundolo, Melina Maureen; Houndolo, Sam; Jordan, Irmgard; Majaliwa, Elianna; Koukou, Elie; Ngianga-Bakwin, Kandala; et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption among adolescent secondary school students in Boukombe and Natitingou, North Benin.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22(5): 767. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050767
dcterms.extent16 p.
dcterms.issued2025
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherMDPI
dcterms.subjectadolescents
dcterms.subjectfruits
dcterms.subjectmicronutrient deficiencies
dcterms.subjectvegetables
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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