Dietary assessment in Nigerian women: a pilot study

A pilot study was conducted on the food consumption patterns of 67 female nursing and midwifery students attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. The age distribution of the Nigerian students ranged from 17 to 32 years, with a mean age of 22.6 years. The Nigerians reported relatively high frequencies of consumption of beef, fish, eggs, whole milk, and palm oil. The Nigerian diet was rich in both vitamin A (yams, palm oil, spinach, tomatoes) and vitamin C (tomatoes, oranges, tangerines, mangos). This select sample of Nigerian nursing and midwifery students reported a mean caloric intake of 2540 Kcal, distributed as follows: protein 12%, carbohydrate 51%, and fat 37%. The results of this pilot indicate that the Nigerian diet is high in fat, which may put the Nigerians at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, the diet may be protective in terms of cancer, because of the high intake of vitamins A and C.