African-American and European-American Females Differ in Value Perceptions When Selecting Away-from-Home Meals

Abstract

Text: National consumption data indicate that Americans spend 46% of their total food budget on foods consumed away-from-home. However, there is limited publicly available research concerning consumer behaviors relating to value perceptions when eating awayfrom-home meals. This descriptive study compares African-American and European-American females’ value perception in food selection pertaining to cost, portion size, and meal satisfaction when dining out. A stratified sample was drawn from a southern US metropolitan area (N 544; 248 African American, 296 European-American). Analysis showed no difference between African-American and European-American females for how often they dined out. These two groups significantly differed across years of education (p .001), age (p .05), and answering 13 of 18 rated statements on value perceptions (p .01). African-American females’ value perceptions are influenced by lower food costs and larger portion sizes compared to European-American females. For meal satisfaction, African-American females were more likely to agree with statements that indicate a preference for fried foods rather than grilled foods and feeling more satisfied with a meal from a restaurant than a home-cooked meal. As interventions are develop to address the obesity epidemic, value perceptions in food selection for away-from-home meals needs to be included. Research on racial differences related to healthy eating selfefficacy and barriers to healthy eating would provide a more comprehensive exploration of reasons related to value perceptions in food selection when eating away-from-home meals.