Nutritional status, food habits and energy profile of young adult Cameroonian university students.

In Cameroon, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are associated to emerging chronic diseases and are serious public health as reported on last nutritional surveys. The aim of this study was to evaluate the food and macronutrient intakes of 58 students comprising 39 male and 19 female, aged 21 to 31 years, in Douala, Cameroon. Average daily intakes of energy were then calculated from the protein, lipid and carbohydrate content of the food as reported on food composition tables. For males, the averages were 26 years, 22.43 Kg/m2and 2681 ± 1138 Kcal, for age, BMI and energy intakes respectively. For females, they were 25 years, 23.04 Kg/m2 and 2266 ± 874 Kcal for age, BMI and energy intakes respectively. No case of underweight was observed. Education on food intakes of this group of Cameroonians is therefore needed along with further large scale studies. Key words: Foods, macronutrient, energy, intakes, young-adults, Cameroon.