Abstract
This study was conducted to provide basic information on the nutritional status and dietary behaviors of the deaf teenagers. The subjects of this study were 87 deaf-mute high school students in Pusan and Kyung-nam area and, in comparison,90 general high school students in Ham-an area. The survey was investigated by using a self-administered questionnaire. The results were as follows: Deaf-mute group was consisted of 63.2% male and 36.8% female, and mean of height and weight of male were 171.2 cm and 61.9kg, female were 158.0cm and 51.7kg. Obesity index and body mass index (BMI) were normal range in both deaf-mute and normal groups. The average nutrition knowledge score of the deaf-mute group was 6.8 $\pm$ 1.5 out of possible 10 points, that was significantly lower than 7.3 $\pm$ 0.8 of the normal group (p<0.01). The mean of self-control and conscious control scores in the eating behaviors of the deaf-mute group were 2.6 $\pm$ 1.2 and 2.4 $\pm$ 1.3 out of possible 5 points from each item, which was significantly higher than 2.1 $\pm$ 1.3 and 1.8 $\pm$ 1.4 of the normal group (p< 0,01). Nutrients consumed below 90% of Korean RDA were energy (79.9%), Ca (71.5%) for deaf-mute male students and Ca (88.5%) for deaf-mute female students. Energy (71.4%), protein (87.8%), Ca (74.8%), vitamin B$_1$ (83.4%) intake of normal male students and energy (72.8%), Ca (71.2%), Fe (78.7%) intake of normal female students were below 90% of Korean RDA. Energy, protein, fat, vitamin B$_1$, niacin intake of deaf-mute male students were significantly higher than normal male students and all nutrients intake of deaf-mute female students were significantly higher than normal female students. By the correlation of nutrients intakes with nutrition knowledge, there was positive correlation with the intakes of Ca, Fe, vitamin A, vitamin B$_2$, and vitamin C in the deaf-mute group, while there was negative correlation with the nutrients intakes (except for protein and fat) in the normal group. The amount of meal, breakfast, regularity of meal time, frequency of snacks showed a positive relation to nutrient intakes in deaf-mute group and amount of meal, breakfast, regularity of meal time, frequency of overeating showed a positive relation to nutrient intakes in normal group. The nutrition knowledge had no correlation with food habits or eating behaviors in both groups.(Korean J Nutrition 35(9) : 982~995, 2002)
