International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development ISSN: 3254-5428 Vol. 2 (3), pp. 071-078, April, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Factors influencing the feeding habits and daily consumption of meat among university students in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

Phillip S.A, Sydney B.A and Theiler T.M

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Accepted 03 January , 2015

Abstract

There is a dearth of information on factors influencing the feeding habits and daily consumption of meat among university students in the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) of South Africa. As a result, this study was conducted by administering questionnaires to a total of 150 respondents from the black dominated and the white dominated Universities in the ECP. The results revealed that students from black dominated University (35%) showed more inclinations towards self-catering. Most of the males (80%) between 18 and 38 years, consumed above the recommended daily meat intake. On the contrary, female students from the white dominated university indicated higher preference for fast food due to availability of more disposable income and personal ethics. Probit regression model (χ²:(9) 64.07(0.0000). Log likelihood: -52.860879 Pseudo R²:37.73) showed that age (0.0506), monthly allowances (0.0002), amount spent on food (-0.0004), campus location (0.6587) and consumption of close substitutes such as fish (-3.3067) and vegetables (-86.4090) were significant determinants of meat consumption among university students.

Key words: Eating habits, recommended meat intake, monthly allowance, campus location, university students.