| Summary: | 碩士 === 朝陽科技大學 === 幼兒保育系 === 105 === Abstract
Background:
In recent years, dining out has become an integral part of our lifestyle. Parent-Child Restaurants, which offer a child-friendly environment, have gained increasing popularity among parents. However, many of these restaurants emphasize the provision of food that is cheap and quick to prepare, which includes foods that contain high fat, excess sodium, and too much calories, such as chicken nuggets and French fries, and insufficient supply of vegetables and fruit; each restaurant has its own business model and marketing strategy. The objective of this study was to understand the characteristics, operations, marketing management, menu items, and environments of family restaurants.
Methods:
The current study conducted stratified random sampling among 43 Parent-Child Restaurants in Taichung, selecting 12 of them as research subjects. Questionnaires were distributed among the selected restaurants to better understand their menu design and operating conditions. The specialized children’s meals available at each restaurant were weighed and their components, nutrition, and calorie count analyzed.
Results:
This results of this research revealed that out of the parent-child family restaurants investigated, 12 has booster seats or highchairs for children, 11 had play areas, 9 had breastfeeding rooms, 9 had family bathrooms, and 7 hold events and classes for parents and children. The cost of food at these restaurants fall between NTD 50 to 400. Out of the restaurants surveyed, 7 restaurants had interior decorations catering to children. There were 7 restaurants who offered children eating utensils made from melamine resin. The results indicate that Parent-Child Restaurants provide deep-fried food, such as chicken nuggets or French fires, and carbohydrates, such as pasta or risotto, as main courses. Served alongside the main meals are creamy soups, beverages, and a variety of desserts. As a result, the intake of calories, fat, sodium, and vitamins A and C each meal exceeds the recommendations in national guidelines (known as Dietary Reference Intakes，DRIs) by 33%; there was a nutritional imbalance between the six major food groups: vegetable servings were below the recommended number of daily servings while oils from nuts and seeds exceeded the recommended daily amount.
Conclusion:
Parent-child restaurants provide a variety of family friendly facilities, play areas and services catering to parents and their children. The specialized children’s meals provided by Parent-Child Restaurants in Taichung contain a higher quantity of calories, fat and sodium than is recommended for children, and are not balanced in terms of the six food groups. It is suggested that Parent-Child Restaurants provide young diners with more vegetables and fruit, and less high-sodium, high-fat food. A balanced diet contributes to the overall life-long health and growth of children.
Keywords: parent-child restaurants, child nutrition, children’s meal
|
|---|
