Analysis of Senior’s Consumption of Food Away From Home

• Main Authors: Hung, Jennifer, 洪慧依
• Other Authors: Lee, Kuei-I Ph. D.
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/88207114898494943850

碩士 === 東海大學 === 餐旅管理學系 === 99 === In recent years, considerable concern has arisen over the issue of rapid growth of elderly population in Taiwan. According to the latest statistics, the Taiwan's elderly population in 2010 has reached a total of 10.8%. With this great potential to serve the elderly, foodservice tended to be concerned about attracting and capturing these market segments. The purpose of this study is to adapt the theory of push & pull in order to investigate what would motivate the elderly to consume food away from home. This study used qualitative approach to gain a better understanding of senior’s motivation on consumption of food away from home. Based on the results of a literature review and an expert panel, a valid questionnaire was developed. The participants in this study were aged above 55 who live in Taichung district and participating in community center or senior’s organizations. A pilot test was conducted in a restaurant that organized by Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation and in a small village near Shilin district, Taipei with a total of 50 completed surveys received. Data were collected at a senior service center, senior fairs, senior learning centers, and senior activity institution yielding a total of 265 samples. SPSS17.0 statistical software package and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS17.0) were used to analyze the data. First descriptive statistics were computed. Next, reliability and validity as measure of internal consistency was calculated. Finally, structural model was assessed using AMOS to determine the theoretical relationship among constructs. The findings reveal that the data fit the model moderately well: push and pull variables had a significant influence on intention and behavior. Among the two motivational factors, push had the greatest predictive of intention. The outcomes for the hypothesis test were supported, which means a significant path coefficient. These suggest that the extended theory of push and pull can be applied in foodservice and provide a theoretical basis for examining seniors’ consumption of food away from home. This study offers some recommendation like marketing strategies that can attract senior citizens and restaurateurs should focus on the key factors when seniors consume food away from home.