ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS TOWARDS NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION ON FOOD LABELS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the attitudes of students towards nutritional information on food labels in the University of Benin, Edo State. Four (4) research questions were raised to guide the study. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprised of forty-four thousand, One hundred and forty (44,140) correspondents. The sample of the study was made up of one hundred fifty (150) students from the University of Benin, Edo state which was chose through pick and ballot system. The research instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “The Attitudes of students towards nutritional information on food labels in the University of Benin”. The instrument for data collection was subjected to face validity by the researcher's supervisor and two other experts from the Department of Vocational and Technical Education, Faculty of Education, University of Benin, Benin City. To establish the reliability of the instrument, the internal consistency of the items were measured using the Cronbach alpha statistical tool. It yielded an alpha value of 0.89. The study used statistical analysis methods including mean, standard deviation, and two-sample independent t-tests to investigate the attitudes of students towards nutritional information on food labels. Findings indicated that students don’t have positive attitudes towards nutritional information on food labels. The reasons include familiarity with the product, absence of health problems and confusion with the information on food labels. Recommendations include creating awareness and educating students on the importance of reading and checking food labels .Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that students need to develop a positive attitude towards nutritional information on food labels in the University of Benin, Edo State.