Effects of Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Attitude, Dietary Habits and Life Style on the Health of College Students in the Chungnam Area

Kim, In Sook; Yu, Hyeon Hee; Han, Hyeo Sook

Abstract

The purpose of this research of this research was to survey the health of 181 male and 130 female students at K University in Chunganm from June 1 to June 23, 2001. It analyzed the students' dietary behaviors, life styles and perceived body shapes and the correlation of these factors to the health condition of the students surveyed. The results of the survey are summarized as follows. The average nutrition knowledge score (out of a possible 20 points), dietary attitudes score (out of a possible 50 points) and dietary habits score (out of a possible 30 points) were 8.66, 33.14 and 19.02 for males, and 9.99, 32.64, and 19.05 for females, respectively. The percentages of those who smoked, drank, smoked and drank and exercised regularly were 55.2, 92.8, 54.1, 82.9% for males, and 6.9, 91.5, 6.9, 63.1 for females, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of males smoked, drank, and exercised as compared to females (p<0.001). The percentages of students who were underweight, normal or overweight by BMI were 5.0, 79.0 and 16.0 for males, and 20.0, 78.5 and 1.5 for females, respectively. Fifty percent of females indicated that they felt they were obese, versus only 31.1% of males. Half of the females thought they were fattish, while only 31.1% of males thought that. Seventy-six point nine percent of females and 61.9% of males, more females than males, were dissatisfied with their weights. The health scores (the higher the point, the better the health condition) of the females (44.17) were significantly lower than those of the males (47.17) (p<0.001). A stepwise multiple regression analysis with health scores as the dependent variable and other scores as independent variables, indicated that the health scores of males were highly correlated with satisfaction with his body weight, smoking and drinking, and perceived body shape, whereas the females' health scores were highly correlated with obesity level, satisfaction with her body weight, and smoking and drinking.