Social Factors that Influence Food Selection - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Social Factors that Influence Food Selection

Culture & Traditions

.

Lifestyle

– Employment, Education, Household Structures & Roles, Climate & Geographic Location, Travel & Other Interests.

Social Interaction

– Media, Peer Group, Family Hospitality.Slide2

Social Factors

The cultures or societies that people live in, along with the type of contact that individuals have with one another influence food choices. Slide3

Culture & Traditions

Traditions

- customs that are repeated at specific times by members of a group or society.Culture

- attitudes, customs and beliefs that distinguish one group of people from another.

Family traditions are often taught at a young age and so it is deemed acceptable.

Many family traditions revolve around food.

Examples;

Easter

– a time of giving and receiving painted hard-boiled eggs, or confectionary and chocolate eggs.

Chinese New Year

– celebration with displays of special foods such as rice cakes. Slide4

Question 1:

Describe

how traditions can determine a person’s food habits.

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Lifestyle

Employment

What you choose to eat may depend on the physical demands of your work.

Active Jobs require a work to consume more carbohydrate rich food for energy.

Some jobs may require employees to meet deadlines. In fact, 40% of office workers eat lunch while working at their desk and an increasing number of people snack while at work rather than taking a break for lunch.

Professional athletes would be very conscious of the food they eat.

People who are employed also have more money to spend on food, however, it may mean that there is less time to prepare it. Slide6

Question 2:

Give TWO examples of how employment may influence food selection.

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Education

When it comes to food selection, wiser choices come from having more information about the options.

People become more informed about nutrition and food choices through school programs, government programs, reading magazines, watching various TV shows, food store handouts and fast food brochures.

The better informed an individual is about nutrient content of foods, dietary requirements and food preparation = the greater likelihood of wiser food selections.Slide8

Question 3:

Identify TWO campaigns in Australia which have assisted in educating Australians about making positive food choices.

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Household Structures & Roles

The make-up of the family unit determines the variety, quality and quantity of food consumed in a meal.

Personal likes and dislikes are often the most important factor in food selection within a household.

Leading by example is a method of setting up healthy habits in the family.

Each family member’s commitment to work, sport or leisure also means that family members eat at different times.

Dual career families are most likely to consume pre-prepared, partially prepared or takeaway food as both parents may either have little time or energy to cook a meal from scratch after working all day. Slide10

Question 4:

Identify and Describe TWO reasons why families are important in the development of children’s food habits?

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Climate & Geographical Location

Climate affects not only the types of food grown in an area but also the food choices that people make.

Summer brings the desire for bright, fresh, light foods.

Winter is the season for thick soups, meat pies, pastas, hot desserts and warm drinks.

People living in country areas will often prefer to eat foods produced in their local area, buying from farms or trading with

neighbours

. On the other hand, city people regularly eat out and have greater access to restaurants.

People living in coastal districts tend to eat more fish than those who live inland. Slide12

Question 5:

Describe how geographic location influences what we choose to eat? Give TWO examples to explain your answer.

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Travel and Other Interests

When travelling, we experience a wide range of foods, some of which we like and seek out upon returning home.

Personal interests and the interests of close personal friends can also influence food choices. For example; an interest in environmental issues such as; organically grown fruits and vegetables will affect the food choices made in the supermarket and at restaurants. Slide14

Social Interaction

Food has long been a symbol of friendship and hospitality.

The Media as a Social Influence on Food Choice

Advertising of food is everywhere – each day we are exposed to thousands of advertising text, images and sounds from billboards, TV, the radio, internet.

Much of the food advertised through media is lower in nutritional value. However, these products are presented as if they are the very basis of a healthy and happy lifestyle.

The models who appear in food commercials are always the picture of health and have the body that our society

idealises

.Slide15

Question 6:

Watch the following advertisements and list how the media uses persuasive techniques to encourage consumers to buy foods.

KFC Cricket Ad

Cadbury Ad

Moove

Flavoured

Milk Slide16

Peer Group

An individual’s peers are people in roughly the same age with the same social status.

The influence of the peer group is strongest during adolescence. The need for acceptance makes teenagers eat what and when their friends rather than what is nutritionally sound.

Peer pressure can encourage fad dieting (diets that promise weight loss but are not long term) in order to be thin. Slide17

Question 7:

What are peer groups and how do they affect food selection?

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Hospitality at Home (Family Hospitality)

Family Hospitality – welcoming people into the family home for a visit and a drink or meal.

With the increasing number of takeaway food outlets and restaurants, it is often easier to have other do the cooking.