A Qualitative Study of the Awareness and Influencing Factors of the Dietary Habits of the Male and Female Workers' at a Manufacturing Facility in Gwangju

광주지역 일부 산업체 남·녀 근로자의 식습관 인식 및 영향요인에 관한 질적 연구

Objectives: This paper aimed to provide an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing the dietary habits of male and female workers at a facility in Gwangju and their awareness of the same. Methods: A total of 32 workers were divided into eight groups based on work type, gender, and age, and focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted. The FGIs included cognitive, behavioral, and environmental questionnaires based on dietary habits and the social cognitive theory. The interviews were analyzed by subject and sub-subject using audio recordings and transcriptions. Results: Male workers in the concerned company favored meat while female workers preferred vegetables, yet by and large, the preferences were irregular. Male workers living alone frequently ate ready meals and female workers often skipped meals. An analysis of the factors influencing the study subjects' dietary habits from the cognitive, behavioral, and environmental perspectives showed that the main factors negatively affecting their dietary habits were shiftwork, living alone, and drinking. Workers were unaware of these factors and their poor eating habits. Instead, male workers complained of poor cooking skills, while female workers complained of loneliness. Workers thus appeared to need the support of nutrition education and a counseling assistant to cope with this situation. Conclusions: The study identified the fact that the absence of nutrition education left the workers unaware of their poor eating habits. The workers would need counseling and support to help them build healthy dietary habits. It would also be necessary to focus on raising the workers' cognitive awareness of dietary habits and enhancing their behavioral ability to cope with bad eating habits through nutrition education that reflects the reality of their situation.