Survey on food preference among primary and secondary students in seven cities of China

Objective To investigate the food preference of primary and secondary students and its problems,and to provide scientific information developing effective nutrition education programs. Methods Random three-stage cluster sampling method was employed in the current study. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 9194 primary and secondary students who were chosen from seven cities in China. Results The percentage of food preference were 71.1%,66.6% and 58.1%,respectively,in primary school,Junior and senior high school. Meat,fruits,and sweets were the favorite kinds of food the primary and secondary students,while vegetables,fat meat,and irritating food led the dislikes. Taste,health/nutrition,and smell were the major influencing factors their food preference. 42.6% of the primary scholars and 45.3% of the junior high school students chose just have a little for the dislikes,while 55.4% of the senior high school students chosedo not eat it at all. Conclusion Most urban primary and secondary students had food like and dislike that would affect their dietary intakes. Effective nutrition education strategies should be developed in order to foster students’ healthy eating practices.