Association between Eating Out and Socio-Demographic Factors of University Students in Chongqing, China

Ping Hu, Tingting Wu, Fan Zhang, Yan Zhang, Lu Lu, Huan Zeng, Zu-min Shi, Manoj Sharma, Lei Xun and Yong Zhao
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Ping Hu: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Tingting Wu: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Fan Zhang: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Yan Zhang: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Lu Lu: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Huan Zeng: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Zu-min Shi: Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Manoj Sharma: Behavioral & Environmental Health, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA
Lei Xun: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Yong Zhao: School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: (1) Objective : We aimed to explore the current situation of eating out and the association with socio-demographic factors of university students in Chongqing, China. (2) Methods : We used self-administered questionnaires to collect information. There are 14 universities in Chongqing; four (Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing University, Chongqing Normal University, and Chongqing University of Science & Technology) were randomly selected. In each selected university, two disciplines were randomly selected. (3) Results : 4595 university students participated in the study. The frequency of eating out was relatively high. The frequency of eating out among females was higher than that among males during weekdays. The two main reasons for eating out were having an opportunity to meet friends (56.0%) and improving diet (39.6%). Bistros (61.7%) and hot-pot restaurants (41.1%) were the favorite places for eating out. Only 36.0% of the participants said they considered nutrition and food safety when selecting restaurants. The majority of the participants demonstrated a high demand for nutrition and food safety knowledge when eating out (77.7%). (4) Conclusions : The higher the monthly living expenses were, the higher the frequency of eating out was. An intervention strategy to reduce the frequency or change the behavior of eating out should be formulated by considering the students’ perspectives.

Keywords: eating out; frequency; socio-demographic; university students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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