Organic food and university students: a pilot study

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide information relating to organic food consumption patterns specific to the Canadian population and youth demographic. The primary objective of this pilot study is to investigate the knowledge, consumption patterns and willingness to pay for organic food...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrition and food science 2018-03, Vol.48 (2), p.218-227
Main Authors: Hamilton, Kelsey, Hekmat, Sharareh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Behavior
College campuses
Consumers
Consumption patterns
Correlation coefficient
Correlation coefficients
Demographics
Education
Enrollments
Food
Food consumption
Food quality
Knowledge
Natural & organic foods
Nutrition
Nutrition research
Population studies
Preferences
Questionnaires
Regression analysis
Researchers
Students
Studies
University colleges
University students
Willingness to pay
Youth
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Summary:Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide information relating to organic food consumption patterns specific to the Canadian population and youth demographic. The primary objective of this pilot study is to investigate the knowledge, consumption patterns and willingness to pay for organic food among the first-year University students enrolled in courses at Brescia University College. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire has been developed by the researchers and distributed to several first-year classes at Brescia University College. The results have been analyzed using Wilcoxon scores (rank sums), Wilcoxon two-sample test, Spearman correlation coefficients and univariate and multivariate regression analyses. A theme analysis has been generated from open-ended questions. Findings No significant differences exist between nutrition and non-nutrition students. Attitudes toward organic food and knowledge score significantly impact the consumption patterns and willingness to pay for organic food (p = < 0.0001). Most students indicated that they were willing to pay a premium for organic food and had positive associations with it. Originality/value This is the first study relating to this topic and the Canadian population. Results from this study provide baseline data that may be used to conduct future research.
ISSN:0034-6659
1758-6917
DOI:10.1108/NFS-06-2017-0127