There are several factors that influence children's shopping habits, the most important being the family and school environment. In our study, we aimed to identify the most important factors influencing the food choices and purchases of students in the last three grades of primary school. We collected responses from 278 7th, 8th and 9th grade students from two primary schools in Pomurje and one in Gorenjska using a questionnaire. We used descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyse the data. According to the students' assessments, grocery shops (97%) and cafés (73%) were the most common grocery shops near the schools. In contrast, bakeries (59%), pastry shops (55%) and fast food outlets (35%) were less likely to be found near schools. The frequency of visiting grocery shops during school hours was generally a few times per month for all students, but boys visited these establishments more frequently than girls, about once per week compared to a few times per month for girls. It is worrying that 13.5% of children always buy energy drinks, which contain a lot of sugar and caffeine and are not suitable for children and young people. Our findings suggest that taste is the most important factor influencing students' food choices, followed by peer influence, packaging and media. Students usually receive money from their parents and occasionally from other sources, but rarely from friends. They usually receive money on birthdays and sometimes on holidays, but rarely for academic achievement, help around the house or obedience. Our study found that food advertising has little influence on students' food choices, with the influence of "prizes and competitions" being the least, while the influence of "cheap price" is undecided. Girls tend to buy healthier foods and there are no significant statistical differences in food choices between urban and rural children.
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