Browsing by Author "Lee, Sangtak"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    The Relationship Between Perceived Health, Health Attitudes, and Healthy Offerings for Seniors at a Family Restaurant
    Lee, Sangtak (Virginia Tech, 2009-05-11)
    Personal health can influence all aspects of customer behavior and this influence is more manifest within the senior market segment. Health issues also greatly impact the restaurant industry. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how health status and health attitude influence family restaurant selection criteria. In order to measure selfrated health status and health attitude for seniors, the Health Perceptions Questionnaire(HPQ) and the Perceived Health competence Scale (PHCS) were used. Most senior participants reported that health-related family restaurant selection criteria and food price were important when they select a family restaurant. Also, while the HPQ and the PHCS were not correlated with food price in the family restaurant industry, the overall results of this study revealed that health status and health attitude for seniors were positively correlated with health-related family restaurant selection criteria. This reflects that offering healthy meals on menus is more important for senior customers with a high level of health condition or health attitude than other senior customers. The results also showed that healthy senior customers who have a positive health attitude are willing to pay more money for their healthy menu items. Therefore, in order to maximize their profits, managers and operators of family restaurants need to keep creating healthy items for their menus and promote those items to the segment of the senior market which has a high level of health condition or health attitude.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Understanding Customers\' Healthy Eating Behavior in Restaurants using the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behavior
    Lee, Sangtak (Virginia Tech, 2013-04-27)
    A large portion of the American public is overweight and many are classified as being obese.  Obesity and unhealthy eating behavior are partially related to the increase in our society""s consumption of foods away from home. Accordingly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested new menu labeling regulations to help educate customers on healthy items among menu selections. Few studies have tried to understand customers"" healthy eating behavior in restaurants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand and to predict customers' healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants, using the theory of planned behavior and the health belief model. The results showed that attitude toward healthy eating behavior and subjective norm positively influenced intention to engage in healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants while perceived behavioral control did not. For healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants, perceived threat, self-efficacy, response to provision of nutrition information (cue to action) were significant predictors. However, perceived benefits and barriers were not statistically significant. Also, the study found that subjective nutrition knowledge influenced customers' response to provision of nutrition information whereas objective nutrition knowledge did not. Customers' healthy eating behavior positively influenced their willingness to patronize a restaurant that offers healthy menu items, which means that those who try to eat healthy menu items in casual dining restaurants are willing to revisit restaurants where healthy menu choices are available and to recommend the restaurants to others. Finally, this study generated socio-demographic profiles related to healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants and willingness to patronize a restaurant that provides healthy menu choices. The results revealed that education levels and BMI (Body Mass Index) status influenced customers' healthy eating behavior. Also, customers' willingness to patronize a restaurant that provides healthy menu items differed based on gender, marital status, and education levels.