A Study on the Promotion of Adolescent's Milk Consumption (I): Milk Preference and Intake Patterns of Urban Adolescents

In order to study milk preference and intake pattern of adolescents, the questionnaire survey was conducted with 929 middle and high school students residing in Chungnam cities through October and November 2004. Of the subjects, 56.3% liked milk or liked very much. They preferred chocolate and fruit-tasted milk to plain milk. Reasons for liking milk were for health and its taste, while the reasons of disliking were unpleasant smell and stomach upset. However those who disliked milk did like milk products such as ice-cream, yogurt or cheese. Of the students 35.1% drank milk 2 times or more a day, while 11.8% drank milk less than 2-3 times a month. As a whole they drank milk 8.6+/-6.7 times a week, of which 4.3+/-3.1 times for plain milk. Daily intake amount was estimated as 308+/-315mL. Middle-school students and boys drank more milk than high-school students and girls, respectively. Among the students 64.3% used to drink 1 cup of milk at a time, and 58.3% drank only milk without other foods. It was shown that 51.8% took milk school-serviced and their milk intake frequencies were higher than those of who were not given school milk service. Also milk intake frequencies was higher in students whose mother were housewives than in students whose mother had jobs. Milk preference, intake frequency, and one portion size showed significant and positive correlations each other. In conclusion, milk intake level of the subjects was insufficient and unpleasant smell and stomach upset were the main reasons which decreased milk preference and consumption. Students with low milk preference should be guided with how to drink milk deliciously, how to choose milk type and its products. It is also effective to go into school milk service and to provide milk at home anytime. As students like much fruit-tasted and chocolate milk, the milk processing industries should take their nutritional and health benefits into considerations importantly.

A Study on the Promotion of Adolescent's Milk Consumption (II): Relationships of Adolescent's Milk Intake Frequency with Food Attitude, Snacking Frequency, Physical Activity and School Vending Facilities

In order to investigate the ecological factors affecting milk intake frequency of adolescents, the questionnaire survey was conducted with 929 middle and high school students living in Chungnam urban area through October and November 2004. The subjects consumed milk 8.6+/-6.7 times per week, other beverages 4.4+/-4.1 times per week and drinking water 3.7+/-2.1 cups per day. Of the students 77.3% took balanced meals, 72.8% ate regularly and 36.2% ate adequate amount. About 61% had breakfast everyday and nearly a half students snacked once a day. Nutritional knowledge scores about milk was 7.2+/-1.7 and milk attitude scores was 28.1+/-6.5. The subjects spent daily 1.8+/-1.1, 1.9+/-1.1, and 1.0+/-0.5 hours for computer use, TV watching and exercise, respectively. Milk intake frequencies were positively correlated with excercise, snack frequency, meal balance and regularity, breakfast frequency, food attitude score and milk preference, while showed negative correlationships with TV watching and computer use. Intake frequency of fruit-tasted and chocolate milk showed inverse correlation with nutritional knowledge. Subjects without either school store or vending machine took milk more frequently than those with one or both did. Of the correlated variables, milk preference was the most important influencing factor to milk intake frequency according to the stepwise linear regression analysis, which presented other 5 important influencing factors as food attitude, school vending facilities, excercise, snacking frequency and watching TV. In conclusion, the improvement of milk preference is the most important and effective way to promote milk consumption in adolescents. The favorite ways of drinking milk, nutritional benefit of milk, healthy beverage and good snacking should be taught in nutrition education. Also physical activities should be recommended to students rather than watching TV, computer use and vending facilities selling soft drinks should be limited to be established inside school.