INFLUENCE OF TASTE AND MEDIA ON THE CHOICE OF FOOD AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the factors that influenced the choice of food among Kwara state
university undergraduate students. Two (2) research questions and hypotheses were formulated
and answered. A sample of 100 respondents was selected using simple random sampling
techniques. A questionnaire was used to collect data, it was validated by two expert and was
tested for reliability using test retest method. The reliability of the instrument showed a reliable
of 0.67 co-efficient alpha. Chi-square test was used to analyzed the two hypotheses using a co-
efficient of 0.05 alpha. Finding revealed that there is significant relationship between taste,
media and choice of food among Kwara state university undergraduate students were enchanted
by the advertisement on televisions, billboard movies, product packaging, flavour, aroma,
appearance, smell and texture, of foods without considering the nutritional contents of food. It
was recommended that students should be encourage to learn nutrition at early stage, parents
should provide healthy, adequate and nutritious food to their children, government should
inspect nutritional contents of all the processed food before being advertised to students to
consume.