Prevalence and frequency of fast food consumption among university of Zambia students

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and frequency of fast food consumption among students at the University of Zambia. The study used quantitative research methodology and a descriptive survey design to collect data from a sample of 210 students. The data was collected via a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data through SPSS software (version 20). The results from the study showed a high prevalence of fast food consumption, with 87.6% of the students reporting regular intake, with more females (93.7%) than males (82.5%) reported consuming fast foods. The most preferred food item was fried chicken (24.4%), followed by pizza (16.3%) and French fries (14.6%). The study showed that the main reasons for consumption were availability (53.4%), convenience (48.8%) and affordability (47.1%). From these findings the study recommends a multifaceted approach which includes health promotion campaigns, nutrition education programmes and the provision of affordable health meals by the institution's food vendors.