Abstract:
Schools are considered a primary setting for implementing nutrition knowledge since they
comprise of large numbers of children who frequently come to school over a prolonged period of
time. As such, a school curriculum that focuses on the importance of nutrition can help learners to
adopt as well as maintain healthy food choices and life styles. The aim of this study was to assess
the role of primary school nutrition knowledge on learners’ food choices in Kasungu District. This
was a descriptive cross- sectional study using mixed method approach. Three hundred and forty
standard seven learners from twenty primary schools which were purposively selected, were
involved in the study. Self-administered questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to
gather information on nutrition knowledge, eating patterns of the learners and factors influencing
the learners’ food choices. The results revealed that the learners had good nutrition knowledge on
most of the questions (P<0.05). However, the learner’s food choices were poor because generally
they liked and consumed more energy-dense and non-nutritious foods like Kamba Puffs, Chips,
sweets and biscuits. Fruit consumption was low as only 41.5% of the learners consumed fruits
frequently. The results also revealed that most learners skipped lunch and breakfast.
In conclusion, this study has revealed that the learners had good nutrition knowledge. However,
the study has shown that the learners had poor food choices, for instance, in the selection of snacks
bought at school and brought from home. Therefore, having good nutrition knowledge does not
warrant making healthy food choices.
