Children as consumers – snacking behaviour in primary school children

Abstract

Eighty‐four primary school children (the majority aged 7–8 years), from four schools, two in England and two in Scotland, were surveyed to identify snacking behaviour and the influences on perception and choice of snack foods. A questionnaire plus short interview with activity tasks was adopted, covering general snacking habits and a look at six specific groups of snacks comprising three of ‘unhealthy’ image and three with intermediate or fully ‘healthy’ image. The results showed that, for this age group, there was an overall preference for sweets, crisps and chocolate and less liking for fruit and cereal‐containing snacks. Attitudes to sensory properties showed that ‘taste’ was the main reason for snack choices, usually in spite of a ‘healthy’ image belief for the snacks. Choice was also dependent on parental influence and availability. Gender and relative socio‐economic level differences were minimal, but regional variations showed higher snacking frequency for the Scottish group, which also had fewer children preferring fruit. Meal patterns had little effect on snacking, but inclusion of a prepared meal at lunchtime may have reduced snacking frequency.

Healthy and tasty school snacks: suggestions from Brazilian children consumers

“…Indeed, sweet and savoury snacks of high energy density and low nutritional value were the foods most frequently consumed during snack breaks by the students interviewed in this investigation. Results are in agreement with previous studies conducted in Brazil and in other countries (Bower and Sandall, 2002; Mesquita et al ., 2006; Gabriel et al ., 2008). Over the last decade, nutritional transition has modified the eating habits of adults and children in many developing nations, including Brazil.…”

“…Vegetables were considered healthy but not tasty. This compares with other work in which it has been reported that consumption of fruits by children is more common than that of vegetables (Wind et al ., 2005), and that children in this age group are prone to recognizing fruit as healthy (Bower and Sandall, 2002).…”

“…Students from both schools agreed that adequate temperature and agreeable colour were important features of an ideal snack. In this regard, it has been established that sensory characteristics, such as temperature and colour, can influence food intake and choice (Bower and Sandall, 2002; Stroebele and De Castro, 2004). Nevertheless, it is not common for students to be motivated to express their opinion about the foods offered to them at snack time (Muniz and Carvalho, 2007).…”

Nutritional Value and Consumer Acceptance of New Cereal Bars Offered to Children

“…Although children have a reasonable understanding of healthy eating, they are less effective in putting this knowledge into practice in order to sustain a healthy eating pattern [Bower & Sandall, 2002]. To help children make better food choices, healthier snack options should be easily available [Holmer et al, 2012].…”

Hábitos alimentares e comportamento de consumo infantil: influência da renda familiar e do hábito de assistir à televisão

“…O hábito de consumir guloseimas é cada vez mais frequente entre as crianças brasileiras, e tem sido descrito em estudos com diferentes extratos populacionais 24 . A alta palatabilidade desses alimentos já foi apontada como um dos fatores determinantes na escolha das crianças 25 . Entretanto, de modo similar ao observado neste estudo, crianças de famílias com renda mais baixa têm consumido esses alimentos com maior frequência, por seu baixo custo e fácil acesso, principalmente nos pequenos mercados localizados nos bairros mais pobres, nos quais os produtos mais saudáveis costumam ser mais caros e menos disponíveis 26 .…”