Regional Differences in Food Intake and Diversity among Korean College Students of a Nutrition Education Course through the Internet

Lee, Jeong Hee; Chang, Kyung Ja

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diversity of food intake among Korean college students of a nutrition education course through the internet. Subjects were 796 nation-wide college students (male 278, female 518). A dietary survey collected from 3 day-recalls were analyzed by the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis Program. Diet variety was assessed by DDS (dietary diversity score), MBS (meal balance score), and DVS (dietary variety score). The foods consumed in largest amounts were rice (54.42 g), citrus fruit (36.41 g) and milk (30.91 g). The foods consumed most frequently were rice (65.28%), garlic (63.65%) and salt (63.64%). The average food intake was 1325.3 g (male 1420.6 g, female 1274.1 g), with vegetable and animal food comprising 78.5% and 21.5% of total food intake, respectively. The consumption of the major five food groups comprised DDS, and 66.0% (male 56.1%, female 71.3%) of subjects had a DDS of 5 and 27.4% (male 33.5%, female 24.1%) of subjects had a DDS of 4. The groups most frequently missed were dairy products (56.5%) and fruits (41.6%). The average of MBS were 10.88 (11.61 in Seoul, 11.03 in Kyungsang, 10.88 in Chungcheong, 10.85 in Incheon, 10.57 in Kyunggi) in male and 11.08 (11.47 in Kyungsang, 11.20 in Seoul, 11.18 in Kyunggi, 10.82 in Chungcheong, 10.64 in Incheon) in female. Male students in Seoul (18.2) and female students in Kyungsang (18.6) had the greater number of consumed food items. Subjects who had higher DDS had significantly higher DVS (p < 0.001). Based on these results, the food intake of the subjects regarded as not adequate, especially with regards to the dairy and fruit groups. Considering their nutritional characteristics, dietary guidelines as well as education should be made to improve the food intake and include various foods in their diet.