Abstract

This study was conducted to compare families eating-out behavior in relation to family life cycle in order to provide basic information on nutritional education about eating-out. The data were collected by the survey method from 440 families who lived in apartment complexes in Kyong-ju and Seoul. The structured questionnaire included items about the frequency of eating out, the choice of eating-out menus, the decision maker of the eating-out process, the attitudes toward eating out and the general characteristics of the families. The major results are as follow: 1) In the cafe of telephone delivery service, and eat-in restaurants, the subjects showed statistical significance (p<0.01). With respect to telephone delivery service, families in Step II used it most frequently, but families in Step I rarely used it. With respect to eat-in restaurants, families in Step II used them most frequently but families in Step IV rarely used them. 2) In all the family life cycle steps, the most favorable menu was fried chicken for take-out type, Chajang noodles, fried chicken and pizza fur telephone delivery, pizza for internet delivery, raw fish and beef for eat-in restaurant, Docbokki, laver rolled rice and ramyun for convenience flood stores. 3) The wife was most influential in making decisions about the take-out type (p<0.001). In the case of telephone deliveries (p<0.001), the wife was the most influential in the families of Steps I and II, but the children were the most influential in the families of Steps III and IV. In the case of eat-in restaurants (p<0.001), the husband had the most effect on the decision-making process. In the case of convenience flood stores (p<0.001), the children were the most influential in the families in Steps III and IV. In most family life cycle steps, each of them chose their own meal. 4) from a factor analysis perspective, attitudes toward eating out have been grouped according to two factors, namely 'Advantage' and 'Nutrition'. No factor showed a significant difference among the family life cycle steps.

• Keywords: eating-out; family life cycle; decision-making process; attitudes