Restaurateur's Willingness to Participate in the Healthy Restaurant Program in Seoul

ABSTRACT

This study examined the restaurateur's willingness to participate in the healthy restaurant program. Using a structured self-administered questionnaire, data on subjects' personal, business and management characteristics, willingness to participate in the healthy restaurant program and the perception of healthy restaurant program were collected from 145 restaurateurs in Seoul. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression were used in the analysis. Half of respondents (50.3%) were willing to participate in the healthy restaurant program. Years of business (OR = 2.584, 95% CI = 1.049-6.369), consideration of food quality (OR = 0.321, 95% CI = 0.147-0.702), and awareness of importance of nutrition or health information (OR = 2.416, 95% CI = 1.082-5.391) were significant indicators for restaurateur's willingness to participate in the healthy restaurant program. Hence, strategic activities to inform the benefit of healthy restaurant program for both restaurateurs and consumers are necessary.