Assessing students’ food wasting behaviour in the dining halls of second cycle schools in the Kumasi Metropolis

Abstract

The associated economic, social and environmental impacts of food waste have become a focal point of interest in research. With the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy, it is anticipated that students’ enrolment at school will keep increasing and in order to adequately feed and nourish the student’s population, it is important to evaluate the factors associated with the food wastage behaviour of these students. To achieve this, it is imperative to investigate the behavioural causes of food waste among students in second cycle schools. The descriptive research design involved the survey of 578 students and 3 matrons sampled from some selected Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis. Questionnaire and an interview were conducted with respondents sampled through a multistage sampling method. Reliability test, convergence validity, and discriminant validity were assessed by running confirmatory factor analysis in Amos (v.23). The coefficients of the hypothesized paths were ascertained by running structural equation modelling (SEM). The study concludes that, perceived food quality, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norm, all had a direct positive effect on students’ attitude towards food waste. Perceived food quality was also found to have had a direct positive effect on perceived behavioural control and subjective norm. Finally, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm were found to partially mediate the relationship between perceived food quality and students’ attitude towards food waste.