Knowledge of healthy oil, consumption pattern and preferences for cooking oil among university students, Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: A common nutrition information on cooking oil containers in some west African countries is the no cholesterol. However, little is known about consumers’ knowledge of healthy oil and considerations made in the choice of cooking oil. Objective: The study assessed the knowledge of healthy oil, consumption pattern and preference for cooking oil amongst university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done, involving 430 undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Information on socio-demography, knowledge about healthy oil, considerations and type of cooking oil consumed was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analysed with SPSS version 17, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed at p < 0.05 level of significance. Results: Only 20.7% had good knowledge of what constitutes healthy oil, while 79.3% had poor knowledge. Cooking oils most frequently consumed by respondents had saturated fat 45g-50g/100g. The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) were within the ranges of 8g-29g/100g, and 3g-42g/100g, respectively. Price (88%) and perceived quality (88%) were the most reported considerations. Age and monthly allowance above N20,000 were significantly associated with good knowledge (X2 =13.991, p = 0.001), (X2= 14.935, p = 0.000), respectively. There was significant difference in knowledge scores of respondents who reported that income determined their preference for cooking oil. Also, these respondents had higher odds of not having good knowledge of healthy oil. Conclusion: More than half of the respondents had poor knowledge of healthy cooking oil. Consumer education is needed to improve knowledge and reduce risks associated with its consumption. Keywords: Healthy oil, consumer preferences, nutrition label informatio