An Assessment of Undergraduates’ Nutrition Awareness Level on the Scourge of Cancer as a Current Devastating Phenomenon in Nigeria (Published)
The prevalence of cancer continues to increase in Nigeria. The factors that appear to be most responsible are poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, this study examined the undergraduates’ nutrition awareness level on the scourge of cancer as a current devastating phenomenon in Nigeria. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A total of 600 undergraduates were selected through stratified and random sampling techniques from 3 universities in Ogun State, Nigeria. A self-developed questionnaire and pilot-tested was used to collect relevant data from the respondents. The data gathered from the study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that Nigerian undergraduates are not well informed on the importance of nutrition in the prevention of cancer. Also, socio-personal characteristics such as gender, discipline, and school type significantly did not influence on how informed the undergraduate students are on disease prevention and making adequate food choices. In view of the outcome of the findings in this study, it is recommended that public health education be intensified to promote people’s awareness of the consequences of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle; and making healthy food choices.
Keywords: Cancer, Nutrition, Undergraduates, awareness