A Study on the Current Situation and Needs for the Internet Program of the Nutrition Computing

Hong, Soon Myung; Hwang, Hye Jin

Abstract

This study was reviewed databases and outcomes of national/international off-line and on-line(Internet) nutrition softwares to identify the present conditions of nutrition softwares, and investigated user's needs and determine which component should be included in nutrition software. The most frequently used databases for the national programs were the food composition table provided from the National Rural Living Science Institution in Rural Development Administration and the food composition table and the nutrient contents of foods provided from the Korean Nutrition Society. For international programs, the food composition table from the USDA was commonly used. The analysed outcomes included the degree of obesity, nutrient analysis and nutrient intake compared with RDA, food intake from each by food group, food habits and the frequency of food consumption. As to the result of needs assessment for the Internet nutrition softwares, it was suggested that the needs of the Internet nutrition softwares were high because most of the respondents replied that 3-point('it is needed') or 4-point('it is necessary') on 4-points likert scale. As to the databases, the needs of 'food composition analysis' and 'the suggestion of the Korean RDA' were high. For the basic information for foods, the respondents replied that 'the classification of foods', 'foods codes', 'the amount of ingredients' and 'nutrient analysis' should be included. The needs of 'nutrient analysis of meal', 'diet therapy' and 'meal plan by caloric requirements' were high. As for utilizing the Internet meal planning programs, the respondents replied that 'it should be easy to use' most and demand for 'data saving and the saved data should be usable later' and 'meal planning education tools' were high. In conclusion, the Internet nutrition software that satisfies various needs of users should be developed for policy making that promote public health, nutritional care and self-supporting of foods.