Habit and Availability as Determinants of School-canteen Food Choices among Adolescents in Nansana Municipality, Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: The study predicted the determinants of school canteen food choices among school-going adolescents in Nansana Municipality in Uganda. Methods: An observational cross-sectional design was employed. The data were primarily collected from 4900 adolescents, aged 10-19 years, in senior one through senior three classes attending different secondary schools in Nansana Municipality. Sample size was computed using the Taro Yamane formula, which yielded a sample of 1178. The multiple regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between the choices of adolescents and the nutrition practices. The model was tested for the assumptions of linearity and normality. Results: The regression model based on skewed data for only adolescents was a good fit but with a low explanatory power. The results indicated that while the taste of food at the canteen and the availability of consumption were significant, the single most significant determinant of unhealthy food choices at school canteens by the adolescents was the routine dietary practices. Conclusions: The study shows that school-going adolescent students easily gravitate towards foods they are used to eating, reflecting a stronger effect of habitual eating patterns.  Policy Implications: There is a need for a shift in intervention from simply individual taste and environment to more habitual patterns and improving the availability of healthier options, while also ensuring those options are palatable.