Research

The Effects of Television Fast-Food Advertisements on Eating Habits of De La Salle University-Manila Students

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for ADSERCH

by

Patrick Isiah Garcia
Annabelle Gutierrez
Joy Kathrina Lim
Trixie Loraine Ngo
Catherine Angela Ocampo
Juan Luis Tay

De La Salle University-Manila

December 19, 2009

Entering college or university is a major pivotal change in a student 's life. It is during this transition that the student may or may not continue to live at the student 's residence but instead, live in a dormitory or condominium. This change will create an effect on the student 's eating habits due to the student 's "independence". The study aimed to find out if gender, living situation and frequency of exposure to fast-food advertisements will affect the eating habits of students. The study used a quantitative and qualitative method on 400 De La Salle University students, who were categorized according to their gender and living situation. A scale and questionnaire were used to arrive to more reliable, valid and objective results. The results provided evidence that gender and living situation have an influence on the eating habits of students regardless of the frequency of exposure the students have to fast-food television advertisements. Males (M=4.57) have a higher tendency of consuming fast-food compared to females (M=3.83). Moreover, results also show that students who live in dormitories and condominiums (M=5.25) frequently consume fast-food more than those who live at home (M=3.15). Meanwhile, the relationship between frequency of exposure to fast-food TV advertisements and actual consumption of fast-food can be said to be somehow vague and indistinguishable. Overall, it can be concluded that fast-food television ads have an effect on the eating habits of De La Salle University-Manila students.

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