Assessing the consumption of fruits and vegetables among lecturers of Makerere University

Abstract

Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is widely recognized as a key component of a healthy diet, contributing to the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Despite this, many populations, including academic institution often fall short of the recommended intake levels. The main aim of the study was to establish consumption levels of fruit and vegetables among the lecturers of Makerere University. A cross-sectional study was conducted and data was collected using a structured questionnaire, while frequency of consumption was determined using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The factors influencing fruits and vegetable (FV) consumption were mainly availability and high prices which affected access and to a certain extent gender and age. The sample size was one hundred (100) respondents who were analyzed using SPSS to obtain frequencies, means and correlations. The results of the 100 participants show that 61% consumed their meals with ¼ of fruits and vegetables. Marital status was found to be significantly different, with the married lecturers tending to consume more servings of fruits and vegetables (68%) on average compared to the single lecturers (32%). The mean number of servings consumed. Only 12% met the WHO recommendation of 5 servings a day with the average number of servings consumed in a day being 2.7 servings. In conclusion, there is a low consumption of fruits and vegetables by lecturers of Makerere University. Vegetables are more frequently consumed than fruits and the females consume more fruits and vegetables than males. Nutrition advocacy and education are key in improving the dietary patterns of the study population.