Selected data on the dietary habits of Korean students in Jeonju/South Korea

Peer-reviewed | Manuscript received: October 18, 2012 | Revision accepted: August 22, 2013

Background

Adequate and healthy eating habits are of great importance for children and adolescents, as nutritional habits and behaviour and preferences for specific foods are already developed at this age and may last a lifetime [1].
The present study presents data on the nutritional habits of school pupils in Jeonju in South Korea.

Nutritional and breakfasting habits of Korean and German children and adolescents

Korean nutritional scientists assume that many Korean adolescents have unhealthy eating habits, as they miss meals, often eat fast food or snacks and take little exercise [2–4]. A study by KIM et al. on the nutritional behaviour of 10- to 13-year old children showed that 7.4 % of girls and 16.5 % of boys do not eat vegetables and 4.2 % of girls and 9.2 % of boys only consume the meat in a meal [5]. In addition, the results of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010 show that 69.9 % of girls and 71.3 % of boys aged 12 to 18 years regularly breakfasted on school days [6].

Summary

From April to May 2011, 334 pupils in the 7^th and 8^th classes in six middle schools in Jeonju (South Korea) were asked about their dietary habits, using a standardised questionnaire. The group of pupils consisted of 49.4 % girls and 50.6 % boys, with an average age of 15.3 ± 0.7 or 15.5 ± 0.5 years, respectively. 85.5 % of the girls and 82.2 % of the boys were of normal weight. 51.1 % of the girls and 66.3 % of the boys had breakfast every day. The pupils regularly ate lunch at school. However, only 67.3 % of the girls and 84.6 % of the boys had an evening meal. 84.2 % of the girls and 79.9 % of the boys ate at least one snack between meals every day. Their favourite snacks consisted of biscuits, fruit, bread, ramen, ddeokbokki and gimbab. There was a significant difference between the boys and the girls with respect to the frequency with which they ate specific foods and their preference for these foods – especially chocolate and sweets.

Keywords: nutritional habits, meal frequency, BMI, adolescents, Korea 

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