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FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION AMONG STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN OYO STATE
Layade A.A., Adeoye I.B., Researchers National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Nigeria Email: ¡umlav408@gmail.com, iyabs1@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Studies have shown that adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is vital to sound health. Eating vegetables and fruits appears to keep the brain young and prevent mental decline due to ageing. In Nigeria, many studies on fruit and vegetable consumption concentrated on adult population but empirical study on fruit and vegetable consumption pattern of students has rarely been considered. The study was therefore carried out to assess fruit and vegetable consumption among students of tertiary institutions in Oyo state, Nigeria. Two hundred well-structured questionnaires were administered to students through a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. The result revealed that the most preferred fruit by students was banana (34%) while the least preferred was cashew (1%). The most preferred vegetable was pumpkin leaves (32%) while the least preferred was celosia (20%). Only 37% of the students consumed the recommended fruit and vegetable intake. Regression analysis showed that student income, sex, parent's income and Availability of fruit were statistically significant and determined fruit consumption among student (p<0.01, p<0.05, p<0.10). The study recommended creation of awareness on the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption among students.
KEY WORDS
Fruit; Vegetable; Preference; Consumption; Awareness; Students; Availability.
Fruits and vegetables are an important component of healthy human diet. They are good sources of vitamins and minerals, vegetable proteins, protective micronutrients and dietary fibres which help to prevent constipation (WHO, 2003, Lock et al, 2004 and Balasubramanian, 2012). They are foods with low energy density, i.e. with few calories in relation to the volume of the food consumed, which favors maintenance of healthy body weight (USDA, 2009). Regular consumption of adequate amounts of fruit could prevent major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and some cancers (Pomerleau et al, 2004). Eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old (Morris et al, 2006). A diet including mainly spinach can boost memory power and help in cognition and better learning (Vishal, 2014).
In spite of the enormous benefits of fruits and vegetables, studies have shown that consumption of fruits and vegetables in Africa is low compared to the recommended daily intake (Hall et al, 2009). Estimates of fruit and vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa ranges from 70 to 312 g per person per day, far below the WHO/FAO minimum recommendation of 400g per person per day or 146kg per person per year (Ruel et al, 2004). Facts from WHO information sheet showed approximately 2.7 million of deaths and 1.8% of global disease burden worldwide are attributable to low fruit and vegetable consumption and insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables is estimated to cause around 14% of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, about 31% of heart disease and about 11% of stroke deaths (WHO, 2003).
Past studies on fruit and vegetable consumption in Nigeria (such as Ibrahim, 2011, Banwat et al, 2012, Williams et al, 2009 e.t.c) has been among the adult populace. Ibrahim, 2011, investigated fruit response efficacy and fruit consumption among a group of civil servants of Oyo state, Banwat et al, 2012, considered the knowledge and intake of fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in an urban community in North Central Nigeria and Williams et al, 2009, focused on vegetable consumption patterns among pregnant women. However, limited information seems to exist on fruit and vegetable consumption among students in Nigeria. Hence, this study was carried out to assess fruit and vegetable
consumption among Students of Tertiary Institutions in Oyo State. The specific objectives are to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the students; identify the most preferred fruits and vegetables by students; determine the factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption among students.
METHODOLOGY
Description of study area. Oyo state is one of the thirty-six states in Nigeria. It covers an area of about 28,454 square kilometers (10,986 sq mi) and has a population of 5,591,589
o 1 o 1
as at 2006 census (Wikipedia, 2012). Oyo state is in latitude 6 55 - 8 00 N and longitude
o o 1
2.5 E - 4 00 E in south-western Nigeria. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 100mm to 1500mm and average daily temperature ranges between 25o C and 35o C. The state is bounded in the north by Kwara, in the south by Ogun, in the east by Osun state and in the west partly by Ogun and partly by Republic of Benin.
Sampling technique. A multistage sampling technique was used in the choice of individual respondents. The first stage was the purposive selection of Oyo state. The state was selected because it has many tertiary institutions and the first university in the country is located in Ibadan, the capital city of the state. The second stage was the selection of two cities (Ibadan and Oyo). The third stage was the selection of four tertiary institutions of learning across the selected cities. University of Ibadan, Ibadan, The Polytechnics, Ibadan, Federal College of Education (special), Oyo, and Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, were finally selected for the study. The last stage was the random selection of fifty students in each of the selected institutions from the faculties of agriculture, human nutrition and science. A total of two hundred (200) pieces of questionnaire were therefore administered for the collection of the data used for the study.
Method of data collection. Primary data was used in this study. A pre-tested well-structured questionnaire was used to collect detailed information on student's fruit and vegetable consumption pattern using seven days memory recall. Data were collected on socio-economic characteristics (gender, age, religion, parents' income and student monthly allowance), fruit and vegetable of preference and factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption.
Method of data analysis. Descriptive statistics was used for determining the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents, preference for fruits and vegetables consumption while multiple regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting fruits and vegetables consumption.
Model specification. Linear regression model was used to determine the factors affecting fruit and vegetables consumption. The implicit form was given as:
C = f(X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X^) (1),
while the explicit form was given as:
C = Po + P1X1 + P2X2 + P3X3 + P4X4 + P5X5 + P6Xe + ^ (2),
where, C = Amount spent on fruits and vegetables (N); X1 = Sex; X2 = Religion; X3 = Parent income (N); X4 = Students' allowance (N); X5 = Dummy variable for taste (If taste determines student choice 1, otherwise 0); X6 = Dummy variable for availability of fruits and vegetables (If availability determines student choice 1, otherwise 0); ^ = Disturbance term; Po = Constant term; P1 - P6 = Coefficients of independent variables.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. The results of the analysis revealed that majority of the respondents were male (55%) and their average age was 21 years,
indicating that most of the respondents were young. The range of most of the students monthly allowance was between N1000 and N 5000 (41.50%), but, the average student allowance was N9015.98 per month. The average amount spent on food monthly was N6049.05, out of which N436.03 was spent on fruits and vegetables monthly (table 1). This indicates that the percentage of the total and food budget share spent on fruits and vegetables were 4.84% and 7.21% respectively, which is very low. This is in line with the findings of Ruel et al (2004) who reported that the share of total and food budget allocated to fruit and vegetables among individuals in sub-saharan African ranges from 3-13% and 4.516% respectively. The percentage of student's income that is spent on food and other commodities will in turn determine the amount spent on fruit and vegetable consumption (Adenegan and Adeoye, 2011).
Table 1 - Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents
Variables Frequency Percent Mean
Sex - - -
Male 110 55.00
Female 90 45.00
Age (year) 21.4 years
15-19 54 27.00
20-24 104 52.00
25-29 26 13.00
30-34 16 8.00
Student allowance ( N ) - - N9015.98
1000-5000 83 41.50
5001-10000 63 31.50
10001-15000 22 11.00
15001-20000 13 6.50
20001-25000 5 2.50
25001-30000 2 1.00
No response 12 6.00
Amount spent on food monthly ( N ) - - N6049.05
1-1000 5 2.50
1001-5000 87 43.50
5001-10000 62 31.00
Above 10000 25 12.50
No response 21 10.50
Amount spent on Fruits & vegetables monthly ( N ) - - N 436.03
<100 27 13.50
101-200 44 22.00
201 -300 33 16.50
301-400 28 14.00
401-500 20 10.00
>500 57 25.50
Source: Field survey 2012. N = Naira (Nigerian currency); N1=$US0.006 as at the time of carrying out this study.
Preference for fruits and vegetables by the students. Consumer preference influences decisions of consumers regarding what they choose to purchase or consume. The most preferred fruit by students was banana (34%), followed by water melon (27%) and the least preferred were pawpaw (2%) and cashew (1%). The most preferred leafy vegetable by students was pumpkin leaves (32%) while celosia was least preferred (20%) (Table 2). Health benefits (86.5%), taste (79%) and availability of fruits and vegetables (75.5%) were the reasons given by the students for their preference for fruits and vegetables (table 3). This is in line with the findings of Hart et al, 2005 who reported that availability, taste, and nutritional knowledge influence consumption of vegetable.
It was realized that only 37% of the respondents consumed the recommended fruit intake by World Health Organisation/Food and Agricultural Organisation (Fig. 1). WHO/FAO recommended a daily fruit and vegetable intakes of 400g (equivalent of five different types of fruits and vegetables per day). This indicated that majority (63%) of students in the study
area consumed less than recommended quantity, as this is a reflection of what is obtained in sub-saharan Africa. A similar finding was recorded by Ruel et al (2004) who reported as low as 40% fruit and vegetable consumption in developing countries. Mintah et al, 2012 also reported inadequate fruit consumption among students in Ghana.
Table 2 - Order of Preference of fruits and vegetable by the students (N=200)
Fruit Percent Rank Vegetable Percent Rank
Banana 34.00 1st Pumpkin leaves 32.00 1st
water melon 27.00 2na Jute mellow 25.50 2na
Citrus (sweet orange) 13.00 3rd African spinach 22.50 3rd
Pineapple 12.00 4th Celosia 22.50 4th
Mango 6.50 5th
Plantain 4.50 6th
Pawpaw 2.00 7th
Cashew 1.00 8th
Total 100.00 100.00
Table 3 - Reasons for preference of fruits and vegetable by the students (N=200)
Yes No No response
Health benefits 173(86.50) 4(2.00) 23(11.50)
Taste 158(79.00) 14(7.00) 28(14.00)
Availability 151(75.50) 21(10.50) 28(14.00)
Note: Figures in parenthesis are percentages.
Figurel - Status of fruit and vegetable consumption by the respondents
Factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption among students of tertiary institutions. A linear regression was used to determine the factors affecting fruits and vegetable consumption among students. The result showed that coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.180 which implied that the independent variables accounted for 18% of total variation in dependent variable. F-value was 4.605; this implies that the model was significant at 1% a-level and the independent variables have composite effect on the dependent variable (Table 4).
The linear model is given as:
C=93.750+225.146Xr-64.361X2+66.171X3**+0.016X4*+49.467X5-99.773Xa*** (3)
In the model, four factors were statistically significant while two were insignificant to determine fruit and vegetable consumption among students. Student allowance (income) was positively significant at 10%, this implies that increase in student's allowance by N1 will lead to increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by N0.16. This agrees with the findings of Adenegan and Adeoye, (2011). They also reported that increase in students' allowances increases the amount the students spend on fruits vegetables. Therefore, the amount of money that individual spends on any particular good or service is mainly determined by disposable income (Adebayo, 1999). Sex was positively significant at 5%, this implies that student's sex influences their fruits and vegetables consumption. Male consumed more than the female. Also parent income was also positively significant at 5%, implies that increase in parent's income will increase student's fruits and vegetable consumption. Availability of fruits and vegetables was statistically significant at 1% to determine fruits and vegetables consumption among respondents. Availability and access to most of fruits and vegetables depends on their seasons and this determines the quantity and variety of fruit and vegetables available to students. Many of these fruits and vegetables are not available all the year round, especially, in Africa where technologies to extend harvest period or facilitate storage are limited. This result was supported by previous findings on importance of availability and seasonality of fruits and vegetables to their consumption (Othman et al, 2012 and Mette et al 2006). Taste was not statistically significant and did not determine the amount spent on consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Table 4 - Estimates of factors affecting consumption of fruits and vegetables among students
Independent Variables B Stand. Error T-value P-value Remark
Constant 93.750 277.307 0.338 0.736
Sex X1 225.146 90.313 2.493** 0.014 Sig
Religion X2 -64.361 103.574 -0.621 0.535 NS
Parent income X3 66.171 29.444 2.247** 0.026 Sig
Student income X4 0.016 0.009 1.683* 0.095 Sig
Taste X5 49.467 42.467 1.165 0.246 NS
Availability X6 -99.733 35.965 2 773*** 0.006 Sig
*** ** * Significant at 1%, Significant at 5%, Significant at 10%, NS-Not significant
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study assessed fruit and vegetable consumption among students of tertiary institutions in Oyo state. It was indicated that students consumed less than the recommended quantity of fruit and vegetable by World Health Organisation/ Food and Agricultural Organisation. Fruit and vegetable have a budget share of 4.84% and 7.21% in total budget and food budget respectively. Banana (34%) ranked the highest while cashew (1%) was the least among the fruits consumed by students. Pumpkin leaves (32%) ranked the highest vegetable while celosia (22.50%) was the least vegetables consumed by students. The result of regression revealed that student's income, parent's income, sex and availability were significant determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among students. Based on the findings of this study, there is need to create and promote awareness on the importance of adequate fruits and vegetables consumption among students in tertiary institutions in order to improve their health and prevent diseases. Since availability affect fruit and vegetable consumption, fruits and vegetables should be made available to students.
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