Pupils' school meal diet behaviour in Finland: two clusters

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and describe the self‐reported diet behaviour of pupils in four Finnish schools.Design/methodology/approachOverall, eight theoretical views on school meals are briefly illustrated. Empirical data were collected in 2007 from four comprehensive schools, where the school kitchen types were either a preparing kitchen or a heating kitchen. A total of 168 6th‐9th graders returned the questionnaire. The data were analysed by using factor and cluster analyses, one‐way Anova and F‐tests.FindingsA total of six factors illustrating the dimensions of self‐reported school meal diet behaviour were found. They were titled as “learning”, “energy”, “economy”, “health”, “opposition to school meals”, and finally “impact of social‐ecological environment”. Based on the factor scores, the following two clusters emerged: “Pupils having a positive attitude towards school meals and learning” and “Impressionable pupils having a negative attitude towards school meals”.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that information on healthy eating habits and nutritional information – including the plate model – should be targeted, both to the pupils and the parents. Also, the pupils' favourite dishes could be served more often.Originality/valueThe study provides up‐to‐date, cross‐sectional structure on self‐reported diet behaviour of pupils based on eight theoretical views. The paper is useful for those who are interested in and concerned with pupils' diet behaviour.