Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 93 | Published: 11 Oct 2026
Abenaa Akyaa Okyere1,2,&, Jolene Mateko Azagba Nyako3, Bernard Darfour2, Daniel Osei Ofosu2, Komla Kyky Ganyo4, Esaie Kpadonou4, Frank Baiden1, Charles Tortoe3, Francis Bruno Zotor1,5
1Department of Family & Community Health, Fred Newton Binka School of Public Health, University of Health & Allied Sciences, Ghana, Ho, Ghana, 2Radiation Technology Centre, Biotechnology & Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Legon, Ghana, 3Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana, 4Conseil Ouest and Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles, 7, Avenue Bourguiba, Dakar, Senegal, 5Food Evolution Research Centre, School of Tourism & Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
&Corresponding author: Abenaa Akyaa Okyere, Department of Family & Community Health, Fred Newton Binka School of Public Health, University of Health & Allied Sciences Ghana, Ho, Ghana, Email: aokyerepg@sph.uhas.edu.gh
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 12 Oct 2026
Domain: Public Health Nutrition
Keywords: Edible insects, school meals, caregivers, Ghana
©Abenaa Akyaa Okyere et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Abenaa Akyaa Okyere et al., Acceptance of edible insects in school meals among caregivers’ and school-aged children in Kade, Eastern Region of Ghana; A baseline cross sectional survey. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):93. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0093
Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health concern in Ghana. Free school meals provision in Ghana has helped to reduce hunger and malnutrition among school-aged children. Evaluation of the free school meals composition have shown limited utilisation of edible insects. Edible insects are locally available, nutrient-dense food source proposed to address childhood malnutrition in Ghana. However, their consumption depends on caregivers’ attitudes which will translate into actual household consumption and possible incorporation in school meals.
A baseline survey of 401 caregiver-child (6-12 years old) pairs in 4 public basic schools captured 24-hour dietary recall, household food insecurity. Hb concentration as proxy for anaemia was measured using the Hemocue. Caregiver and school-aged child entomophagy-attitude was assessed. Descriptive statistics was used to characterise measured variables.
Mean dietary diversity was 4.13 of 10 food groups (33.8% achieved minimum dietary diversity). 56.8% of households showed some degree of food insecurity. 63.3% of school-aged children were anaemic. 65.8% of male subjects showed higher anaemia than females (60.8%). 89.1% of caregivers were comfortable with their child eating edible insect foods at school and 70.5% believed such food is safe. 74.2% of the children would eat edible insect foods if it looked like normal food. Only 25.6% of households reported any insect consumption over the last 30 days.
These findings suggest nutritional vulnerabilities in Kade. Caregivers’ acceptance of edible insects in school meals is high. However, a substantial gap remains between stated acceptance and actual daily consumption of edible insect foods. Given Kade’s history as an entomophagy-practising community, this gap is evidence of cultural loss. Integrating edible insects as a targeted school-based nutrition and public health intervention to improve health outcomes among school-aged children in Kade has strong potential. The interventions must communicate the safety, nutritional benefits and suitability for children.
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