Exploratory study on effect of eco-friendly program in high school foodservice on adolescents' dietary behavior and satisfaction with foodservice / 한국영양학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an eco-friendly foodservice program at a high school on dietary behaviors of students, awareness of importance of eco-friendly activities, and foodservice satisfaction. METHODS: The survey was conducted with students at two schools in Gyeonggi, Korea. A total of 576 of 650 students were used for this study. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, independent t-test, and factor analysis to test the two group's differences. RESULTS: The practices of ‘eat balanced meals’ or ‘finish all food on the plate’ scored high (p < 0.001) in students that participated in the eco-friendly foodservice program than those who did not. Regarding awareness of the importance of eco-friendly activities, all attributes scored higher in students that participated in the eco-friendly foodservice program. All attributes for satisfaction except two scored higher (p < 0.05) in students that participated in the eco-friendly foodservice program. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of the correlation showed that high subjective income status was positively associated with foodservice satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Students that participated in the eco-friendly foodservice program are highly aware of the importance of eco-friendly activities. They demonstrate more positive dietary behaviors and higher awareness of the importance of eco-friendly programs with greater foodservice satisfaction.