Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the eating habits and preference of snacks for students in Chungnam province. Questionnaires were collected from 333 students, which were divided into male and female, food nutrition majors and non-majors, and weight groups according to BMI. The results obtained were as follows; 1. 62.8% of students responded that they were healthy. A significant difference on the health question was found between male and female students (p<.05). Male students responded more positively to the question related to health than the females, saying they felt healthy (71.1%). There was no significance between the different majors, but a significant difference was found in weight groups compared to normal groups (p<.05). 2. 72.1% of respondents enjoyed omnivorous meals. The significant differences were not found in gender groups and major groups. However, there was a significant difference between the weights of the students (p<.01). 3. Most of the students liked sweet foods (42.3%). The significant difference was found in gender groups for food tastes. The male students preferred spicy foods (37.0%), but the females preferred sweet foods (49.5%). Taste for the major and weight groups was not significantly different. 4. 50.5% of respondents answered that they frequently ate snacks. The significance was found in gender groups (p<.01). The females had a higher intake of snacks than the males. The significant difference for taste was not shown in the major group, but was found in the weight groups (p<.05). 5. Students preferred snacks and candy (16.8%). The males liked dairy products (19.3%), while the females preferred snacks and candy (23.7%). Students majoring in food nutrition have a tendency to prefer snacks (32.1%). Appropriate calorie intake and desirable eating habits should be recommended for healthy control and maintenance of students through eating nutritionally balanced foods.