What do high school students eat? A gender, residence, and body mass index perspective

• Author: Tierean O.M.
• Pages: 73-86

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 10 (59) No. 2 - 2017

What do high school students eat?

A gender, residence, and body mass index perspective

Ovidiu Mircea ȚIEREAN1

Abstract: The article presents the results of a quantitative marketing research conducted on

students from six high schools regarding their eating behaviour at school and at home

during the school year and holidays. The purpose of this research is to identify what kind of

products students consume on their way to school, during breaks and on their way back from

school, what kind of food they eat at home during weekdays and weekends, the

complementary behaviours while eating and their eating behaviour in their free time. Results

are presented cross tabulated with gender, residence status and body mass index.

Key-words: quantitative research, eating behaviour, gender and residence status

segmentation

1. Introduction

Research shows students learn better when they are well nourished. Healthy eating

has been linked to higher grades, better memory, more alertness, faster information

processing and improved health leading to better school performance (Zied, 2007).

Conversely, unhealthy eating habits can negatively affect learning (Adolphus, 2013).

So how healthy do Romanian students eat? The purpose of this research is to

identify what kind of products students consume on their way to school, during

breaks and on their way back from school, what kind of food they eat at home

during weekdays and weekends, the complementary behaviours while eating and

their eating behaviour in their free time.

2. Literature review

The latest research in public health care and nutrition makes the law that

governs healthy eating in school and high school units (law 123 from 2008) seem

obsolete in terms of its content and the latest marketing research is based on the

premise that the law is also outdated since its implementation. Thus, the work of J.

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, ovidiu.tierean@unitbv.ro