Dietary Practices and Associated Factors Among Adolescents in Ghana: Analysis of Global School-Based Health Survey Data

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a critical stage in the formation of lifelong dietary habits. However, current trends among Ghanaian adolescents indicate a shift towards less nutritious food choices, which can pose a threat to their physical and mental well-being. Unhealthy dietary habits during this developmental phase can lead to long-term health problems, including obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. Objective: This study aims to investigate the dietary practices of in-school adolescents in Ghana, focusing on sociodemographic disparities and factors influencing their dietary decisions. Methodology: Data for this cross-sectional analysis will be sourced from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) 2012 edition, involving 1,984 in-school adolescents in senior high schools. Dietary practices, the outcome variable, will be categorized into healthy and unhealthy dietary practices. Sociodemographic influences will be assessed through the Chi-square test, and logistic regression will explore the impact of individual traits on healthy eating prevalence. Results will be presented through adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with corresponding confidence intervals, and statistical significance will be set at a p-value < 0.05. Data analysis will be conducted using Stata version 17.0. Results: It was observed that generally, almost all (92.4%) of the adolescents practiced healthy dietary practices. About two-thirds (75.4%) and majority (87.5%) of the adolescents ate fruits and vegetables in the past thirty days preceding the survey respectively. In terms of lifestyle practices of adolescents associated with dietary practices, it was observed that drug use, being obese and using amphetamine was statistically significantly associated with dietary practices.