Consumption and Perception of High Caloric, Low Nutrient Dense Foods by Middle School Students in Daegu

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the consumption and perception of high caloric-low nutrient dense foods in middle school students in the Daegu. Among 550 questionnaires distributed to students in Daegu, 528 (256 boys and 272 girls) were analyzed. A little higher than 80% of students ate snacks everyday, and 43.4%, 29.0%, and 8.1% ate snacks once, twice, and three times or more per day, respectively. Snacks and foods most frequently consumed were ice cream, fried noodles, drinks, cookies, and baked goods. Energy supply from snacks was 104.8~356.9 Kcal/intake while that from meal substitution foods was 520.7~980 Kcal/intake. Students' knowledge score of high caloric-low nutrient dense foods was 6.51+/-3.02 out of 10 points. Sixty percent of students did not read nutrition labels, but 67.9% of them thought that they need nutrition education by nutrition teachers. Students recognized the criteria of high caloric-low nutrient dense foods as well as proper food selection for essential educational items, It was concluded that effective education should be implemented in middle schools by nutrition teachers for students to develop good habits in selecting snacks and foods.