Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess consumption rate and level of
awareness of trans fats among households in Kitwe urban. Trans fats were one of the
current issues in Food Science and Nutrition perceived to cause cardiovascular health
problems in individuals. An assessment in Kitwe urban was undertaken because of the
cardiovascular health problems recorded at the time. A descriptive cross-sectional
survey was carried out on 96 households. The sample size was drawn from 12 wards
represented by 54 070 households using stratified random sampling. A questionnaire
was used to collect data from 96 households. The collected data was analysed using
descriptive statistics, Independent t test, one-way ANOVA and application of Tukey’s
HSD tests. Among the 96 households, the overall consumption of foods with trans
fats was at the mean of 2.80. The mean fell between the scale 2.51 to 5.00 which
represented a high consumption of foods with trans fats among respondents. A
minimal difference was noted among males with a mean of 2.86 compared to the
female counterparts with a mean of 2.74. However, the minimal differences indicated
high consumption for both genders. The awareness level of trans fat was at the mean
of 1.69 and their effects to health at the mean of 2.53. These means indicated low
levels of awareness of trans fats. Significant differences (p = 0.000) in awareness of
trans fats and their effects to health were noted among households. Respondents with
higher education were slightly more aware than the counterparts with lower
education. On the overall, the results showed high consumption of foods with trans
fats and low awareness levels of trans fats among respondents in Kitwe urban.
