Ready to Eat Purchasing Behavior from Convenience Store and Nutritional Status Of Senior High School Students in Khon Kaen Municipality

Abstract

This study is a survey research was aimed to study the ready to eat purchasing behavior from convenience store, and investigate nutritional status of senior high school students in Khon Kaen municipality with quantitative format research. The multi-stage sampling was performed from the groups of senior high school students in the extra-large school in Khon Kaen such as Khonkaenwitthayayon, Kanlayanawat, Kaennakornwitthayalai and Kamkaennakorn School. This study included 726 students. Data collecting were performed by questionnaire method, and analyzed by statistic description, Chi-square test to determine the relationship of parameter groups. In part of nutritional status, the INMU THAI GROWTH was used to assess nutritional status of the students.

The study was found that the frequency of ready-made food consumption behavior was rated into moderate level. The result was also shown that Easy Go ready-made food was consumed in the rated of 37.33%. The social factors influencing most participants to choose the ready-made food was that their friends bought it from the convenient store and share it with them (68.18%). The information factors influencing them on choosing ready-made food from the convenient store were kind of foods, type, prices, and promotions which mostly came from television (75.62). In terms of psychological factor, it was found the participants’ knowledge were rated into good level. The item they mostly answered correctly was the item stating that every type of ready-made food must have food serial number (82.51%). In terms of participants’ attitudes, it was found that their attitude was rated into high level. The item with highest score was that the customer should notice the nutrition label averagely 4.35. In terms of marketing-mix factors, the most influencing ones were the test, appropriate price, heating service, and promotion activities, respectively. In terms of participants’ nutritional conditions, it was found they had a properly nutritional condition (69.83%). The factors relating with the frequency of ready-made food purchased from the convenient store were personal factor, social factor, psychological knowledge factor, psychological information and attitude factor, and marketing-mix factor with statistical significance of .05.