Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Yiyecek İçecek Seçimini Etkileyen Faktörlerin Analizi: Balıkesir Üniversitesi Örneği

Abstract

Since university students are extremely sensitive to change, their food preferences and the factors affecting these preferences differ significantly. The aim of the study is to determine the perception of factors affecting the food choices of university students based on demographic variables. The data were obtained from 503 students studying at 10 different faculties/colleges at the central campus of Balıkesir University between January and February 2020. Participants were selected by simple random sampling technique among 30-70 students representing each faculty/college. Descriptive statistics, correlation and variance analysis were used in data analysis. The research findings show that the factors affecting students' food choices can be listed as physical conditions factors, psycho-social factors, factors related to food and drink, economic factors, psychological factors, demographic factors and cultural factors. Research results show that the perception of the factors affecting the food selection of the students differs based on gender and that female students are more sensitive than male students in choosing food. In addition, the education level of the mother also affects the perception of the students regarding food choices, and students whose mother's education level is low and high are more affected than those whose mother's education level is medium. Finally, university students' perception of food choice differs mostly based on faculty differences.