Comparisons of Consumption Attitude toward Vegetables and Fragrance Vegetables Preference among Primary School to University Students in Gyeongbuk Area

경북지역 초.중.고.대학생의 채소류 섭취태도와 향신채소 기호도 비교

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide the preliminary data for dietary education to increase students' vegetables intake. Methods: The attitude of vegetables consumption (5-Likert scale), preference score (7-Likert scale) and eating frequency (5-Likert scale) of 9 fragrance vegetables were investigated by survey questionnaire. A total of 370 students enrolled in primary, middle, high schools, and university participated in the study and data were analyzed by the SPSS WIN (ver 12.0). Results: About 40% of those surveyed answered that they do not eat some kinds of foods and 16% of students do not eat vegetables, the most unfavorable foods. The students in all groups (primary $2^{nd}$ and $2^{th}$, middle and high school, university students) answered that they liked vegetables with the highest score in university students, and they did not often eat fragrance vegetables. Lower age student group, especially primary school $2^{nd}$ showed more positive attitudes of eating challenge toward no experience, bad taste, and dislike but nutritious vegetable foods. The most important factor of vegetable preference was taste, the biggest reason of both like and dislike. Only 4 students designated nutrition as for vegetable dislike reason, means that all students knew about the nutritional importance of vegetables. It was shown that the color and flavor of the vegetables act as dislikable reason rather than likable reason. The significant correlations between preference score and intake frequency of fragrance vegetables were confirmed, and the younger the students the greater the correlation coefficient. Conclusions: Thus providing more chance to experience vegetables, such as fragrance vegetables and education about the importance of balanced diet will be an effective way of increasing vegetables intake, and the younger the students the greater the education effect.