Paucity of Nutrition Guidelines and Nutrient Quality of Meals Served to Kenyan Boarding High School Students

Kevin Serrem, Anna Dunay, Charlotte Serrem, Bridget Atubukha, Judit Oláh and Csaba Bálint Illés
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Kevin Serrem: Institute of Business Economics, Leadership and Management, SzentIstván University, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Anna Dunay: Institute of Business Economics, Leadership and Management, SzentIstván University, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Charlotte Serrem: Department of Consumer Sciences, School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, University of Eldoret, Eldoret 1125-30100, Kenya
Bridget Atubukha: Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Katholieke Universitiet Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Judit Oláh: Institute of Applied Informatics and Logistics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Csaba Bálint Illés: Institute of Business Economics, Leadership and Management, SzentIstván University, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Adequate nutrition is vital for the optimal growth, development, and general well-being of adolescents. A lack of nutritional guidelines for school meals poses a major challenge in the provision of nutritious meals to students in Kenyan boarding high schools. The aim of the study was to investigate the nutrient quality and portion sizes of meals served to students and the adequacy of the meals in meeting students’ health requirements. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 50 catering or kitchen managers of 50 high schools in Kenya. Data were obtained through researcher-assisted questionnaires. It was established that menus were simplistic in nature, lacked variety, and were repetitive. With regard to nutrients, menus offered to students were excessively highin dietary fiber, containing three or five times more than the recommended daily intake. In most cases, students were underfed on nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamin A, folic acid, potassium, calcium, proteins, and vitamins B1–12, resulting in low energy provision. It is concluded that a majority ofthe Kenyan high schools studied do not provide nutritionally adequate meals. The government of Kenya should have nutrition guidelines to ensure that schools provide diets with high foodand nutrient quality to students.

Keywords: adolescents; high schools; nutrition guidelines; meals; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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