DIETARY PATTERN AND PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AMONG NON-TEACHING STAFF IN FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC OF ILARO, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

The recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) is that individuals should follow good nutrition practices to maintain nutritional status and prevent the risk of developing other complications that may result from obesity. The study determines dietary pattern, prevalence of obesity and nutritional status of non-teaching staff in Federal Polytechnic Ilaro. A simple random sampling procedure and interview schedule with the use of questionnaire to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric status, dietary intake and self-image perception of respondents were adopted in this study, SPSS version 21 was used to analyze the data obtained using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed 53.3% of the respondents has BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 (Normal), 25.8% of the respondents has BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 (overweight), and 11.7% of the respondents are obese (30 and above), 40.0% of the respondents eat regularly, 49.2% skip lunch, 10.0% skip breakfast and 0.8% skip dinner. Additionally, 95.0% think that they don’t contribute to their weight and 5.0% of the respondents contribute to their weight, 54.2% of the respondents like their body weight and 45.8% want to lose their bodyweight. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle; together with a high prevalence of malnutrition (overweight and obesity) and bad nutritional status among individuals. Health education and other interventions are suggested to promote healthy eating habits and lifestyles, especially among high risk groups