The Dietary Behavior and Food Preference of Elementary and High School Students in Youngnam Areas

영남지역 초등학생과 고등학생의 식습관 및 음식기호도에 관한 연구

To analyze the dietary behavior and food preference of Korean youth, we surveyed 140 elementary school 6th grade students and 154 high school first grade students in Youngnam Provinces. The average height and weight for the elementary school students were 153cm and 45.3kg for boys and 153.4cm and 44.6kg for girls. The body types depending on the body mass index(BMI) were 45.7% for under-weight, 47.1% for standard, 3.6% for overweight and 3.6% for obesity. The average height and weight for the high school students were 172.5cm and 64.5kg for boys and 160.1cm and 51.7kg for girls. The body types depending on the BMI were 11.0% for under-weight, 70.8% for standard, 13.0% for overweight and 5.2% for obesity. In their food preference, they preferred one-dish food to main dishes and rice with cereals was more popular among high school students. There were higher standard scores in fruit, snack, fried, and Kimchi dishes and high school students showed a high preference especially for snack and fried foods. The Kimchi dishes were more popular among elementary school students and they showed high scores in those dishes regardless of how they were cooked. There was the lowest preference for Korean vegetable salad and the highest for food cooked with meat In conclusion, a difference was found in the food preference of elementary school and high school students and the nutrient intake of elementary school students was lower than that of high school students. Therefore, elementary schools should provide proper nutritional education for students.