Too Sweet/Too Fatty Food Consumption: Determinants among Secondary School Pupils in the City of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso)

Introduction: Nutrition, particularly when too sweet or too fatty, is a major determinant of chronic diseases. This study aims to determine the frequency and associate factors of the excessive consumption of sweet drinks and fried food among secondary school pupils. Methods: It is cross-sectional study which was conducted from March to April 2016 among 1st, 4th and 7th form pupils of public and private schools in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. Nutritional investigation methods consisted in a reminder of the last 24 hours associated with a questionnaire on food consumption frequency. Excessive consumption of sweet drinks was defined as a consumption of more than 3 sweet drinks (soda) or sugary juice per day (~33 cl × 3); and excessive consumption of fried food as a consumption of more than 1 intake of fried food per day. Results: In total, 1993 pupils were interviewed. The mean age was 17.5 ± 3.6 years and sex-ratio 0.7. Excessive consumption of sweet drinks and fried food was recorded in 12.7% (n = 253) and 28.2% (n = 561) of pupils, respectively. The factors associated with excessive consumption of sweet drinks were: sex/female, sedentarily, desire to gain weight, lean or normal corpulence of the mother and breakfast intake; those associated with excessive consumption of fried food were: sex/female, being in 1st or 4th form, physical exercise practice and breakfast intake. But the fact to attend a private secondary school, to have a mother of normal corpulence and a concordance between self-image and actual weight status, were protective against excessive consumption of fried foods. Conclusion: This study has displayed prominently the fact that eating too sweet and too fatty concerned respectively 1/10 and 3/10 of pupils in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. The main modifiable factors of these eating habits included the level of education, the composition of breakfast and the influence of mothers. An intervention program in the form of a Communication for Continuous Behavioral Change intended for pupils and their mothers could help to improve this situation.