Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern in Lagos City, Nigeria, where many schools lack adequate nutrition education and resources. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including surveys among students, teachers, and parents to gather qualitative insights, alongside quantitative data on body mass index (BMI) measurements collected from a sample of participating children. Among the surveyed schoolchildren, there was a notable increase in awareness about healthy eating practices post-intervention, with over 80% reporting improved knowledge compared to baseline levels. However, BMI did not show significant reductions across all intervention groups. While nutrition education programmes were effective in increasing students' knowledge of healthy dietary habits, current interventions do not appear to have significantly impacted body weight metrics. Future interventions should focus on enhancing the nutritional content and sustainability of school meals, as well as integrating more comprehensive health promotion strategies beyond classroom activities.
Ezeọmagbanwa et al. (2011) studied this question.