Huda Abbas Mohammed Fadl 2015. Nutrition knowledge, attitude and dietary practices of adolescents and mothers of different socioeconomic backgrounds in Khartoum locality.

AbuBaker, Hwiada

Huda Abbas Mohammed Fadl 2015. Nutrition knowledge, attitude and dietary practices of adolescents and mothers of different socioeconomic backgrounds in Khartoum locality. Supervised by Hwiada Mahmoud AbuBaker

Adolescents' nutrition knowledge, attitude and dietary practices are complex. These complex processes are influenced by a variety of interrelated genetic, psychological, social and economic factors. The researcher applies a cross-sectional study conducted at Khartoum locality and aims to identify nutrition related knowledge, dietary habits and conceptions of mothers and adolescents of different socioeconomic status about healthy food. She also tries to locate the source of knowledge mothers and adolescents relate to as main reference to their nutrition knowledge of healthy food to the different resources.

The data are collected from 300 secondary students coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds in six schools through questionnaires and semi structured interviews with nine mothers from different social classes.

Good nutrition knowledge is displayed among the studied specially females. A significant correlation (P < 0.05) between socioeconomic status and food choices made by the students is found in favor of adolescents from a higher socioeconomic class in relations to early breakfast consumption, the number of meals eaten per day, intake of soft drinks and the intake of some food groups namely red meat, white meat, milk and dairy products. High percentages (42.4 %), (40.4%) of adolescents' food preference are influenced by the taste of food and availability respectively. The researcher recommends some educational programs to be introduced into the mainstream of the education system that the adolescents may get to have better access to knowledge on healthy nutrition.