Researchers at the Biochemistry and Biotechnology Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology have called for intensive education on nutrition facts labels to promote healthy living among the populace.

The call has been necessitated by the outcome of a study by the Department, which concluded that most students don’t understand nutrition facts labels on manufactured products.

Apart from providing the nutrient composition of a product, nutrition facts label serves as a basis for other features such as front-of-package labeling (FOPL) - to indicate to consumers, which products contain excessive amounts of sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium.

The study contained in the Ghana Science Association abstract book, therefore sought to evaluate a nutritional education intervention and measure its impact on the understanding of information in the nutrition facts label.

The study recruited 144 students between the ages of 20 and 25 years from three training colleges in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality in the Western region of Ghana.

“Participants were studying Nursing, Education and Nutrition,” the paper elaborated.

Student’s knowledge was assessed on terminologies and judging on the nutritional quality of products based on information from the sample fact labels.

Their knowledge was found to be below the ideal level.

“The baseline assessment of their understanding of information on the nutrition facts showed a mean score of 4.35+2.481 which is below average,” lead researcher Regina Turkson explained.

The study, an interventional type, however, found a significant improvement after the participants were taught how to read the label.

“The post intervention mean score of 9.72+1.334 was above the average,” they recorded.