<b>Dietary habits and dietary diversity among in-school adolescent girls in Osogbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria</b>

This study assessed the dietary habits, dietary diversity, and associated socio-demographic factors among in-school adolescent girls in Osogbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 420 in-school adolescent girls aged 10–19 years using a multistage and stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and dietary diversity. Dietary diversity was measured using the Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS) based on a 24-hour dietary recall across eleven food groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data, while Chi-square tests assessed associations between variables at a significance level of p < 0.05. More than half of the respondents (57.4%) had poor dietary habits, while 42.6% demonstrated good dietary habits. Although a majority (63.6%) of the respondents had high dietary diversity, a considerable proportion still exhibited poor dietary practices. Significant associations were found between dietary habits and mothers’ occupation (p = 0.03), fathers’ educational level (p = 0.012), and mothers’ educational level (p = 0.003). Dietary habits were also significantly associated with dietary diversity (p < 0.001), indicating that adolescents with better dietary habits were more likely to achieve higher dietary diversity. The study reveals that despite relatively high dietary diversity, poor dietary habits remain prevalent among in-school adolescent girls in Osogbo. Socio-demographic factors, particularly parental education and mothers’ occupation, significantly influence adolescents’ dietary behaviors.