Food Preference Behaviors of High School Students at Waengnoi Suksa School, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

Nowadays, students food consumption behaviors have dynamically toward socio-economic changed and advocated. The student malnutrition status was affected gradually such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, stroke, and cancer.

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to reveal food preference behaviors consumption and factors that affected food preference behaviors among 173 students of Waengnoi Suksa secondary (level 4-6, academic year 2019) School, Khon Kaen Province during 1^st Febuary-31^st March 2020. Simple random sampling was performed. Data were collected by using standardized questionnaire.

The results found that most of participants had preference behavior of grilled food, raw food, supplementary food and beverage, and international food at the unsuitable level (78.61%, 78.61%, 82.08%, 67.05%, and 76.88% respectively). In the domain of the factors which affect the food preference behaviors showed that 52.02% of students have lower knowledge of food consumption. (mode 1.65). 60.69% of the participants have a good attitude toward food consumption at the high level (mode 1.69). The overall of enabling factors and 66.74% of reinforcing factors regarding food consumption were at the moderate level (mode 1.69). Most of reinforcing factors were at moderate level (60.12%). The overall of food

consumption behaviors were at unsuitable level (mode 1.52)

The result of factor analysis which affected food preference behaviors; food consumption knowledge factors and enabling factors regarding food consumption revealed that the food consumption knowledge of high school students which were at the moderate and the lower level were more unsuitable food preference behaviors than the students who had food consumption knowledge at high level as 2.62 times.

The enabling factors regarding food consumption of high school students at high and moderate level had more unsuitable food preference behaviors than enabling factors at lower level as 2.32 times.

All factors of food preference behaviors of high school students were significantly correlated at 0.05.

Moreover, the awareness and understanding concerning about food

preference behaviors including environment management should be considered, especially, the suitable food in the school in order to change food preference behaviors of the students in the properly way and suitable for their heath.