title: Nutritional contents of lunch packs of primary school children in nnewi, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lunch packs play a significant role in the nutritional status and academic performance of school children. Available data show a high prevalence of malnutrition among school-age children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to document the nutritional contents of lunch packs of primary school children in Nnewi, Anambra state, Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1018 primary 1-6 pupils selected by stratified systematic random sampling from six primary schools, two each of private, - mission, - and government (public) - owned schools in Nnewi metropolis with the aid of the semi-structured questionnaire. Lunch packs of the pupils were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of the pupils (77.8% [792/1018]) had lunch packs although about half of pupils in public schools had no lunch pack. Only 12.4% (98/792) and 19.2% (152/792) of pupils with lunch packs had balanced meals and fruits/vegetables in their lunch packs, respectively. The odds of not coming to school with packed lunch was about 13 and 12 times higher for mothers with no formal education or only primary education, respectively, compared with those with tertiary education. Type of school had a strong influence on possession and contents of lunch pack (χ(2) = 2.88, P < 0.001, phi coefficient = 0.72). Pupils in private (97.5% [198/203]) and mission (94.4% [388/411]) schools were more likely to have a lunch pack compared with public schools (51.0% [206/404]). However, pupils in private schools were most likely to have a balanced meal (32.5% [66/203] vs. 5.8% [24/411] in mission and 2.0% [8/404] in public schools) and fruits/vegetables (48.3% [98/203] vs. 10.2% [42/411] in mission and 3.0% [12/404] in public schools) in their lunch packs. Mothers' educational status and parents' occupation were significantly associated with lunch pack contents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Majority of the lunch packs of primary school pupils contain poor quality food especially in public schools. Mother's educational status and parent's occupation are important determinants of the nutritional contents of lunch packs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ef
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ugochukwu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Cu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Onubogu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Es
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Edokwe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Kn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okeke
keywords: Lunch; Nigeria; Nutrition; School children