Young consumer preferences of basic food products depending on age and gender

Abstract

A balanced diet is an integral part of healthy lifestyle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the preferences of consumption of selected food groups depending on age and gender. Pupils and students (n=389) of primary, secondary and tertiary education (the university) in the South Bohemia region were given a questionnaire focused on their preferences regarding consumption of basic foods. Our findings show relatively large differences in the popularity of various types of meat, depending on age and gender. The preferences of students at the university were comparable in regards to chicken and pork (77 and 80%), in the younger age group (pupils), the preference of chicken prevailed (91 and 72%). Girls gave more preference to meat with higher nutritional value – chicken (84%), turkey (28%) or fish (22%) than boys (80, 11, 23% resp.) Age played a large role also in the case of milk consumption as it became less popular with age (79, 73, 64% resp.). The most popular dairy product across all age groups was yogurt. Regarding the preferences of bakery products, the findings show that 45% of respondents preferred white bread, while 37% preferred whole meal bread. Boys (54%) preferred white bread more than girls, who mostly preferred whole meal bread (48%). The survey has shown that the interest in fish meat consumption is relatively low, whereas pork is more highly preferred. Milk, which is one of the most nutritionally valuable foods, tends to become less preferable with age. However, the high consumption of yogurt amongst all age groups is favourable. With regards to bakery products, the preference of white bread by young consumers prevails.

Keywords

• age
• food
• gender
• preferences
• pupils
• students