Student eating patterns at the University of Ghana†

Supported in part by the University of Guelph—University of Ghana Project.

Interviews were conducted with 140 male and 5 8 female resident students at the University of Ghana for the purposes of describing eating patterns, assessing diet adequacy, and determining opinions of the “Pay As You Eat” system of feeding students. The 24‐hour recall method was used to obtain dietary records for a weekday; records for a Sunday were based on recall beyond 24 hours. There were major differences between the eating patterns of males and females, and between Sunday and weekday patterns. With the exception of weekday breakfast, meals followed the traditional Ghanaian pattern of a cereal, starchy root or plantain dish with soup or stew. A majority of students consumed food from only four of the five food groups, the missing group being fruits. Students were generally favourable toward the “Pay As You Eat” system but criticized the food served and the amount of their allowance.

Key words:

• Eating patterns
• diet recalls
• food groups
• residence food service
• university students
• Ghana

Notes

Supported in part by the University of Guelph—University of Ghana Project.

Present address: Department of Continuing Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.