Eating ambience in school. A study of lunchtime situation of elementary school children

M. Scholl, Th. Kutsch, Bonn

Eating in school takes place in facilities with a certain ambience created by different environmental and food-related factors.The present study was to obtain data on eating ambience and to examine whether and how eating ambience influences children. In an exploratively designed study all 34 meal participants including 31 pupils, aged 5 to 10, and three adult caretakers were observed. In addition questionnaires of 24 pupils and the three female caretakers were analysed.

Environmental factors: In average eating location including all physical surroundings, table setting, duration of meal and hygienical conditions were assessed positively. Considered as highly important was the factor social interaction. 79,2 % of the pupils liked it “very much” or “much” to eat with their companions. Noise was identified as a main problem. All of the caretakers considered the noise as being often loud and disturbing and the majority of the pupils shared their opinion.

Food-related factors: Taste and smell of the food as well as food appearance were averagely assessed positive. For 62,5 % of the children the offered menue tasted “good” or “very good”. 16,7 % thought the taste of the sometimes “typically German” food was “rather bad” or “bad”. Half of these pupils, however, had a migrational background.

The results have shown, that the described environmental and food-related factors influence the pupils. The creation of a pleasant eating ambience should be considered as more important in lunch time organization in schools. A positively experienced eating ambience may contribute to the development of healthy eating habits in the period of childhood. Further studies are required.

Key words: eating ambience, elementary school, ambient factors, lunch

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs-Umschau 01/07 ab Seite 12.