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Influence of Food Label Education on Healthy Food Choices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Healthy dietary choices are important for preventing nutrition-related health problems and promoting overall wellbeing among university students. Young adults may frequently consume packaged and processed foods, making the ability to understand and use food-label information an important component of informed food selection. Food label education provides students with information about nutrition labels, serving sizes, calorie or energy content, sugar, salt or sodium, fat, protein, fibre, ingredient lists, nutrition claims, expiry dates, and other information relevant to evaluating packaged foods. Healthy food choices refer to students' selection and consumption of foods based on nutritional quality, dietary balance, and appropriate consideration of health-related food information. In Nigeria, unhealthy food choices among university students may be associated with limited nutrition knowledge, poor understanding of food labels, affordability, convenience, taste preferences, peer influence, aggressive food marketing, and limited awareness of the nutritional content of packaged foods. Effective food label education may improve students' ability to interpret food-label information and make healthier food purchasing and consumption decisions. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of food label education on healthy food choices among university students in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model provides a framework for understanding students' food choices through perceived susceptibility to diet-related health problems, perceived severity, perceived benefits of healthier food choices, perceived barriers, and cues to action. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, environmental conditions, and behaviour in shaping dietary practices. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how food label education may improve students' knowledge and attitudes and influence healthy food choices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how food label education may influence healthy food choices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from undergraduate students in selected Nigerian universities using a structured self-administered questionnaire, food-label knowledge assessment, and healthy food-choice assessment tool. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select universities, faculties or departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Where feasible, selected student groups or university settings will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Students in the intervention group will receive structured food label education covering interpretation of nutrition labels, serving sizes, energy content, sugar, salt or sodium, fat, protein, fibre, ingredient lists, nutrition claims, expiry dates, and comparison of food products using label information. Healthy food choices will be assessed using indicators such as selection of foods with lower levels of added sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, preference for nutrient-dense foods, appropriate portion choices, consideration of ingredient and nutrition information, and the frequency of healthier food selection when purchasing packaged foods. Where feasible, students' reported food choices will be complemented by a simulated or observed food-selection exercise requiring participants to compare and select among commonly available packaged food products. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' sociodemographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge, previous exposure to food-label education, food-label interpretation skills, and healthy food-choice scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the influence of food label education on healthy food choices. Where appropriate, healthy food choices before and after the intervention will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that food label education has a significant positive influence on healthy food choices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured food label education are expected to demonstrate improved understanding of nutrition labels and greater ability to identify healthier food products. Education may encourage students to compare products based on sugar, salt, fat, fibre, energy content, ingredient lists, and serving sizes before making purchasing decisions. Practical food-label interpretation exercises are expected to strengthen students' confidence and ability to apply nutritional information to real-world food choices. However, education alone may not guarantee healthier food choices because students may continue to face barriers such as food prices, limited availability of healthier alternatives, convenience, taste preferences, peer influence, marketing strategies, and limited access to nutritious foods within or around university campuses. Consequently, food label education is expected to be most effective when supported by affordable healthy food options, accessible nutrition information, supportive university food environments, nutrition-focused campus programmes, and appropriate food-labeling policies. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on food-label education, nutrition literacy, healthy eating, university student health, nutrition education, dietary behaviour, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the influence of food label education on healthy food choices among university students. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, university health centres, nutrition and dietetics departments, public health practitioners, nutrition educators, food regulatory authorities, student health services, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving nutrition literacy among young adults. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating practical food-label education into university health and nutrition programmes, strengthening nutrition literacy, promoting healthier food environments on campuses, improving students' ability to compare packaged food products, increasing access to affordable nutritious foods, and encouraging informed and healthier food choices among university students in Nigeria.

Keywords: Food label education, healthy food choices, university students, Nigeria, nutrition education, nutrition literacy, food labels, dietary behaviour, healthy eating, food choice, health promotion, university health, public health.