Etude de l'offre et du comportement alimentaires des adolescents dans les collèges privés et publics au Bénin : Cas de trois collèges à Cotonou

The poor quality of diet in adolescents contributes to the occurrence of nutritional diseases in adulthood. The aim of this study was to describe the food offer and behavior of adolescents and to examine their relationship to the type of secondary school in the city of Cotonou in Benin. The study was transversal with a descriptive and analytical purpose. It was conducted in 140 adolescents aged 10 to 19, randomly selected from one public school and two private in Cotonou. The diversity of the food supply was better in private schools (6/7 versus 4/7). Breakfast was regularly taken by 42.1% of teenagers. On a daily basis, 8.6% of teens consumed fruit and vegetables at least five times, 34.3% consumed dairy products at least once, and 82.1% less than 3 times protein foods. The frequency of consumption of pastries or pastries was 44.3% and that of soft drinks 18.6% at least once a day. Of these, 27.9% already had experience with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The eating behavior of adolescents was not associated with the type of college. These results show that the food offer in secondary schools needs to be improved to make more nutritious foods and balanced meals available. Adolescents should benefit from nutrition education to promote better eating behaviors.