effects of healthful children's foods and nutrition information on caregivers' empowerment and perceived corporate social responsibility and willingness to visit sit-down family restaurants

Open Access
- Author:
- Lee, Kiwon
- Graduate Program:
- Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 18, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Martha T Conklin, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Peter Lawrence Bordi Jr., Committee Member
David Allen Cranage, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Healthful children's menu
nutrition information
caregivers' dining behavior
consumer empowerment
perceived CSR - Abstract:
- Caregivers’ demands for healthful children’s foods and nutrition information at restaurants have been increasing as childhood obesity has become an issue of public concern. The global objective of this study is to examine caregivers’ perceptions of sit-down family restaurants that implement healthy eating initiatives. This dissertation applies the two concepts of consumer empowerment and perceived corporate social responsibility to uncover the underlying dimensions of caregivers’ perceptions. The present study proposes that caregivers will have high willingness to visit sit-down family restaurants that provide healthful children’s foods and nutrition information. The increased willingness results from increased feelings of empowerment and perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Furthermore, the impact of healthy eating initiatives on empowerment and perceived CSR depends on how concerned caregivers are about children’s eating. This study investigated the proposed hypotheses using a between-subjects experimental design by manipulating the existence of healthful children’s foods and nutrition information on real menus. The results suggest that caregivers have high willingness to select restaurants when restaurants provide healthful children’s menu items and nutrition information and that willingness is mediated by empowerment and perceived CSR. Specifically, the effects of healthful children’s foods are partially mediated, and those of nutrition information are completely mediated by consumer empowerment and perceived CSR. Furthermore, when restaurants provide healthful children’s foods, caregivers who are highly concerned about children’s eating tend to feel more empowered and perceive that restaurants are socially responsible more often than those who are less concerned. Caregivers’ concerns about children’s eating do not moderate the impact of nutrition information on perceptions. The present study’s inquiry into caregivers’ perceptions contributes to theoretical knowledge about the influence of healthy eating initiatives on consumers’ dining behaviors, especially those involving their children. Based on the findings of this study, restaurateurs might find the decision to provide healthful children’s menu items and nutrition information easier, since they will be more likely to attract caregivers and develop a socially responsible image.