Food for thought : a campaign to promote healthy eating patterns amongst Maltese children

Abstract

Purpose - This thesis is aimed at obtaining a deeper insight into the local scenario of childhood obesity. Consequently, how epidemiology is affected by children's purchasing behaviour, as well as their knowledge of food and attitudes towards consumption preferences. Focusing on exploring these main factors in two separate markets; the child population of those aged 7-10 years, and their respective guardians. Design/methodology/approach - The methods adopted for gathering data included both primary and secondary sources. The primary data collection method involving a cross-sectional study amongst children aged 7-10 years of age from 16 schools that varied by location and type, and their parents. Moreover, secondary data from various local and foreign journals were sourced, serving as an enriching foundation for the research. Findings - The main results obtained from this study show that children in general have a very sound knowledge of healthy food; however, they are still inclined to ask their parents for fast food meals. The younger age group (7-8 years) exhibited a keen demand for toys along with their meals, when eating out. Whereas, the older age group (9-10 years) showed an interest in unhealthy meals without a toy. Furthermore, gender, age and locality differences were emphasised. The results for the parent population showed that the majority of parents are extremely knowledgeable on encouraging their children to live healthier lifestyles; however, this knowledge isn't exhibited when presented with a challenge. Research limitations/implications - The findings presented in this study are of extreme originality, as this study is the first amongst local studies to target children and parent consumer behavior on food consumption from the marketing per Possibility of future studies includes researching the retail aspect of creating an appropriate food outlet, targeting both health concerns and appealing concepts that target consumers social behavioural and emotional aspect. Practical implications - The most prominent implication highlighted is that of the need of increasing parental information in order to reduce food misconceptions. Furthermore, attracting attention and children's demand for healthy food one must increase promotional efforts by giving toys or other related incentives. Originality/value - This dissertation highlights the current epidemic of obesity found in Malta by carrying out a quantitative cross-sectional study across different schools by location and gender. Unlike previous studies, it exemplifies the consumer behavior of both adults and children with regards to meals and physical activity. It also seeks to explore current knowledge, misconceptions and attitudes towards healthful eating in order to identify whether or not children need a materialistic incentive to consume healthy food.