Determinants of dietary patterns in school going adolescents in Urban Zambia (original) (raw)

BackgroundUnderstanding dietary patterns in a population is critical for decision making. This study aimed to identify the prevailing dietary patterns and their associated individual and school environment factors among school going adolescents in Lusaka, Zambia.MethodA cross-sectional study involving 404 Grade 10 pupils from 10 secondary schools in Lusaka district was conducted. A 108-item unquantified Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the learner's food intake practices. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to derive dietary patterns from the 108 food items. In addition, a mapping of food vendors and types of food sold was conducted in the same 10 schools using a semi-structured observation checklist. Bivariate and multivariate multilevel regression was used to analyse the individual and school level determinants of the adolescent dietary patterns.ResultsThe average age of learners was 16.1 years (SD 1.4 years); 234 (58%) were female while 170 (42%) ...