Differences in Eating Behaviors and Perceptions of Likes and Dislikes Across Developmental Stages: Focusing on Children’s Attitudes Toward School Lunch

Abstract

  A questionnaire-based survey was conducted from July to October 2023 with 1,965 children in grades one to six in Chiba, Tokyo, and Ibaraki prefectures. Its aim was to examine the relationship between elementary school children's likes and dislikes and their attitudes toward school lunches across lower, middle and upper elementary grades, in order to determine an appropriate approach to school lunch guidance. The results revealed the following: (1) There was no major difference in the proportion of students with food preferences or dislikes across the three groups, but the proportion of students who finished their school lunches was significantly higher in the upper-grade students; (2) The desire to be able to eat “without being picky, if possible” was related to their enjoyment of school lunch and their experiences of learning to eat foods they previously couldn't eat; (3) It is important to provide guidance that increases students' enjoyment of school lunches and offers experiences that help them eat foods they previously refused. When doing so, it is necessary to devise an approach that suits the students' developmental stages.