ABSTRACT

 The study assessed the nutrition knowledge, dietary habits and prevalence ofhypertension among undergraduates in School of Nursing Amachara Abia State. The Specific objectives includes the Socio demographic characteristics, Socio economics characteristics, nutrition knowledge, dietary habits and prevalence of hypertension among undergraduates in School of Nursing Amachara. Descriptive and cross-sectional design was used for the study. The population of the study consisted ofseven hundred and seventy six (776) nursing students and sample size was calculated using the statistical formula was 288. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information. Dietary habits of the respondents were assessed using the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Electronic blood pressure monitor (Model BO2R) was used to measure the systolic and diastolic of Hypertension. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that 73% ofthe undergraduate had excellent nutrition knowledge. The highest monthly income of the respondents fell between N20,001 above with 62% and 36% fell within the range of N10,001 to N20,000. Majority (90%) of respondents normally skipped lunch because oftight lecture schedules. The consumption offruit among the students was revealed to be high. The findings showed the prevalence ofhypertension among the respondents. This study revealed that 90% of the undergraduates had normal BP. This implies that the undergraduates in the present study applied their knowledge gotten from school of Nursing to their health. High normal blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension existed among the respondents showing that the students could be at risk of developing hypertension in later life which may predispose them to other non-communicable diseases. Therefore, this study suggests that effort should be made to increase level ofsocioeconomic status as to improve nutritional status ofthe people'.