SHS STUDENTS’ FOOD PREFERENCES AND THEIR NUTRITIONAL STATUS

A Quantitative Research
presented to the Faculty of Senior High School
TONGANTONGAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Valencia City, Bukidnon

in partial fulfillment of the requirements in

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

TALATALA, RASH JOHN C.

ZITA, PEARL DANZEL SHANE
LARA, LOREGEN
AGUIRRE, MA. CRISTINE

Grade 12-PEARL

MARDE ALONZO T. LACUESTA

FEBRUARY 2023

Chapter I
 INTRODUCTION

Do you have an idea for a new food product and want to start a business to
make and sell it?

This guide intends to outline important considerations a Massachusetts food business

owner must

consider as they take a food product idea to market.

`This guide is food safety focused and intended for food products sold on store
shelves (retail and

wholesale products) not for food trucks, restaurants, food stands, and bakeries. Food
Service

businesses such as those listed above should consult the Massachusetts MDPH retail
food page.

The University of Massachusetts Extension office serves the commonwealth by

providing

• Short course trainings related to food science

• Food Science research support

• Access to the Pilot Plant for research and development

The Pilot Plant at the flagship campus in Amherst, Massachusetts holds a

number of specialized

industrial equipment pieces to conduct research that may assist businesses in their
product or

process development.

There are many elements to starting a food business. Among these elements are
a number of

regulations and governing agencies aiming to protect consumers and businesses alike.

Bite by bite, this website will help guide you and your enterprise to success. Before you
start

committing time, effort and money into this venture it is highly recommended that you
take a
moment to gage the road ahead. Think and thoroughly consider what you want to
happen and

how you will get there. Writing down your goals and define your expectations for your
business.

Background of the Study

 Food preferences are the evaluative attitudes that people express toward foods.

These preferences will be analyzed in terms of a number of demographic variables.

Differences in food preferences have been reported with differences in age, gender,

race, and other variables (Meiselman, 2003).

Upon the researchers’ crude ocular inspection, about ninety percent of the food

in School canteens contains calories that potentially influence student nutrition.

Furthermore, in the raw evaluation, the researchers discovered nutritional imbalance in

food preferences.

There is a need to measure the nutritional values of the food preference of

Senior High School students. Scaling food preferences should increase understanding

of preference differences across students who vary in body weight. This study will help

evaluate and address such a phenomenon.

Action for Healthy Kids (2019) said that students spend around 1,200 hours in

school, and many millions of them depend on school meals to get the nutrition they

need. Creating a healthy school food culture is a crucial step to help the students gain

greater control over what they consume.

Students’ health affects learning. Academic success is linked to healthy practices

and eating habits. Participation in the school breakfast program is linked to increased

memory, fewer absences, better grades, and scores on standardized tests. (CDC,

2022)
 According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, school is the

appropriate setting for interventions to improve student's nutrition because they provide

structured opportunities for continual intervention. Changes to the school food

environment can stimulate the purchase of healthier foods and improve student's diets.

BioMed Central (2018) stated that nutritional deficits in school-aged children may

be caused by insufficient nutritional consumption. School meals should boost nutrient

intakes by delivering one-third of the daily energy and nutrient requirements.

It would be interesting to observe the Senior High School student’s food

preferences and nutritional status to cope with the complications towards diseases and

determine the exact action that should be taken in terms of nourishment. This study

aims to explore and investigate the effect of the preference of food through eliminating

the risk they cause. This study will attempt to gather evidence on increasing food

acceptability among students and enhancing nutritional status performance.

Statement of the Problem

The study will aim to identify the relationship between the SHS students' food

preferences and their nutritional status at Tongantongan National High School for the

academic year 2022–2023 as a foundation for understanding their dietary practices in

response to their health status.

Specifically, it is sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of SHS students in Tongantongan National High

School?

a. Age

b. Sex

c. Strand

2. What is the level of awareness among SHS students towards their nutritional

status?

3. Does the awareness level of nutritional status have any relationship with a

student’s quality of food preference?

Significance of the Study

This research will be conducted with the aim of providing researched-based data

and contributing knowledge regarding the possible correlation between the Senior High

School students’ food preferences and their nutritional status. Moreover, the

beneficiaries in general can make informed decisions and would further raise

awareness about the food preferences and nutritional status of Senior High School

students.

Specifically, the study is significantly beneficial to the following;

To Students,

Students are prone to stress eating due to multiple factors. This study will

encourage students to practice healthy eating habits, follow an appropriate diet with

nutritious foods and maintain a healthy lifestyle. It plays a vital role for students in terms

of dietary intake and behaviors which will persist them to establish healthy food

preferences that is a promising approach to improving diet quality, a leading contributor

to their nutritional status.

To Parents,

Since nutritional status is integral in the school life of students, parents can

monitor and guide as to what food their children have been taking in. Finding of this

study can be shared to them. Moreover, Parents play an important role in shaping

children’ eating habits as they are the main food providers. They positively influence the

family environment where meals take place and types of foods they serve.
To the School,

It is well-observed that SHS students buy their snacks and lunch in the school

canteen. “You are what you eat”, and students' health status is also about food that

students take in. Schools and administrations can use the results of the study as a basis

for policy-making. Furthermore, it allows flexibility in schools to use strategies and

techniques that work with their daily schedules and resources as to what is appropriate

for the school.

To Teachers,

Since students spend most of the day at school, teachers have a particularly key

role in students acquiring correct nutritional habits, as well as food preferences that

affect their nutritional status. This study provides teachers with enough background

about the food preferences and nutritional status of their students which help them

spread awareness and influence regarding their choices.

To Health Professionals,

Healthcare professionals provide a nutritional assessment for the overall

nutritional status of students which reflects their food preferences. It is critical for health

professionals to engage and learn the objective of the study as it could inform nutritional

choices positively and promote the maintenance of a healthy nutritional status among

students. Results of the study can be the basis for any nutritional intervention activities

they might conduct here in the school.

To Researchers,

Future researchers would help to uncover some unexplored areas of the study

that many of the researchers were unable to explore. This study could be a basis for

future studies with new research gaps, improved services and treatments that produce

more accurate and systematic data.

Scope and Delimitation

This study is a correlational research design that mainly focuses on the Senior

High School students’ food preferences and their nutritional status. The study will

assess or determine the relationship between their food preferences and nutritional

status.

This study will be conducted at Tongan tongan National High and will involve the

participation of enrolled Senior High School students for the school year 2022-20223

only. There will be 50 respondents for the study who are all randomly selected from

different Senior High School Strands using the cluster sampling method. The collection

of data includes surveys, questionnaires, and checklists. The study will be conducted for

the duration of November to December 2022.

Furthermore, the study will include the beneficiaries and advantages of having

knowledge regarding the nutritional status and food preferences of Senior High School

students.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter of the paper presents the review of related literature, the conceptual

framework, the research hypotheses, and the definition of terms.

Related Literature

(Harris, 2019) explained that writing literature …. This is a written summary of journal

articles, books, and other documents that describes the past and current state of

information on the topic of your research study.

Conceptual Framework

This is a diagram that connects variables of the study with lines (correlations) or arrows

(cause-effect relationships).

Research Hypothesis(es)

A hypothesis is a prediction of the possible outcomes of a study (Fraenkel &

Wallen, 2009).

Hypotheses are statements in quantitative research in which the investigator makes a

prediction or a conjecture about the outcome of a relationship among attributes or

characteristics (Creswell, 2012)

Definition of Terms

Variables and sub-variables or values in conceptual framework are defined, except very

common variables like grade level, gender, school type where the values are indicated

in the framework itself.

 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter includes the research design, the sample, the instruments, the

intervention (if research is experimental), the data collection procedure, and the plan for

data analysis.

Research Design

Research designs are the specific procedures involved in the research process:

sampling, data collection, and data analysis.

The Sample

The first step leading to the process of collecting quantitative data is to identify the

people and places you plan to study. This involves determining which group of people

you will study, who, specifically, these people are, and how many of them you will need

to involve.

The Instrument(s)

This refers to the questionnaire or data gathering tool to be constructed,

validated and administered (Creswell, 2012).

Data Collection Procedure

 Quickly describe whose permission will be sought and arrangements to make to

administer instruments. Describe when instruments will be administered and who will

administer them. Add details on arrangements and administration of instruments, if

needed.

Plan for Data Analysis

This section indicates how the data will be analyzed and reported; it should specify the

qualitative and/or quantitative methods that will be used in analyzing the data gathered

for the research.

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 REFERENCE

Reference food of the same food group" means a food which can be substituted
in the diet for the food to which it is compared, and which belongs [B. 01.500,
FDR ]: to the same food group as the food to which it is compared ( e.g. , cheese
as a reference food for milk, or chicken as a reference food for

Is it safe to use nutritional supplements to help bone density? Why is food science
important in human nutrition? Why are amino acids important to the growth of muscles?
How do the dietary habits of females affect their overall nutrition?