Food Preference Influences on Meal Selections of High School Students at Central High School, Knoxville, Tennessee

For the purpose of this research it was hypothesized that teenagers use food preferences when making meal selections. The sample included all students attending six sections of the study hall at Central High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. Three hundred and ten pairs of usable questionnaires were obtained and both sexes from each of the three grades (10, 11, and 12) were represented.

A questionnaire containing both definitions and menu choices for three days was administered two weeks prior to the service of their meals. Students were asked to indicate their meal preference and to describe food items listed. The questionnaire was readministered after the service the meals and the students indicated the items which were actually selected.

Data obtained were analyzed using an analysis of variance. Influences of grade and sex on meal selections were analyzed separately. It was found that 64% of all students sampled retained their choice of plates and 56% retained their choice of desserts. Students in the 12th grade were found more likely to choose their preselection than students of the 10th and 11th grades. Females were more likely to change plate choices but less likely to change dessert choices. Additional research is needed to investigate the influence of sex and grade on the meal selection.