Food Purchasing Decision and Consumption Behaviors among the Secretariat of the Senate Staff in the “New Normal” of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak

Abstract

The research aims to study: 1) knowledge and understanding levels about the New Normal of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak; 2) food purchasing decisions or use of restaurant services in the New Normal; 3) food consumption behaviors in the New Normal; and 4) factors related to food consumption behaviors among the Secretariat of the Senate Staff in the New Normal of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak. This study is a cross-sectional analytical research. The population consisted of 1,212 personnel of the Secretariat of the Senate Staff. The study sample were 331 people. The tool used was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that 1) most of the sample had knowledge and understanding level about the New Normal of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak at a good level, used alcohol to wash hands and rub the handle of the basket/cart when going to buy food; 2) food purchasing decisions or using restaurant services for food safety according to the New Normal at a high level by choosing a restaurant that only accepts customers wearing masks; 3) appropriate food consumption behaviors in the New Normal at a high level, with most of them washed their hands before eating; 4) factors associated with food consumption behaviors were the basic data includes residence, cook, and risk level of the Coronavirus Disease 2019. Knowledge and food consumption behaviors were inversely correlated at a relatively low level, and food purchasing decision or using restaurant services with food consumption behaviors had a positive relationship at a relatively high level.