Abstract:
The study was on Food and nutrition among students in universities in Uganda. It was conducted in urban public and private universities in Uganda. Students, of 21st century, were the unit of analysis. Informants were studied for some good period of time. Occurrences - culture, characteristics and dietary behaviors were noted. The study was of Qualitative in nature and used a Positivism philosophy backed with Health Belief Model (HBM) by Rosen stock, supported by the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) which was proposed in 1975 by Martin Fishbein. Students perform a dietary behavior having reasoned about the positive and negative consequences. Terms like Susceptibility, Perceived benefits, Perceived barriers, Self-efficacy and Clue to barriers were borrowed from HBM. Preventive, Illness and Sick-role behaviors that were pathways to the dietary behavior were borrowed from HBM. These pathways were used in studying related literature, designing research instruments, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting it. The study found out that: The study found out that: Students have created their own dietary ways and health cultures. When in groups, in their privacy, students eat anything they come across not minding the negative health consequences. Students are perceiving poor nutrition as part of normal life. Most of them are not aware that food and nutrition is medication itself. The ideology of "What if heaven is not there! - So, let us enjoy it here!" has created a new world of tasting available edible "thing". Students' health is poor. To them, they are maintaining "portable" size.The study recommended that: The government and the concerned bodies should invest in food and nutrition awareness among students in universities. The concerned people like parents, guardians, institutions and churches should come in to offer balanced diet. Charitable organizations, inside and outside the country, should give a hand in providing different kinds of food that can bring out good health to university students. Where possible, there should be a committee to always check food joints in and around universities to see if they provide foods that brings out balanced diet to students.
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