A Study on Dietary Intake and Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Use by Korean College Students Attending Web Class

  • Cheong, Sun-Hee (Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Inha University) ;
  • Kim, Jin-Sook (Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Inha University) ;
  • Lee, Mi-Young (Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Inha University) ;
  • Lee, Jeong-Hee (Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Inha University) ;
  • Chang, Kyung-Ja (Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Inha University)
  • Published : 2001.11.01

Abstract

The Purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary intake of nutrients and the use of vitamin and mineral supplements by Korean college students attending Web class and the socioeconomic, dietary and health-related factors involved. The subjects were 137 male and 115 female students amending a health and nutrition-related Web class at a cycler university. This cross-sectional survey was conducted by self-administered questionnaire and the data were analyzed by SAS and SPSS PC package programs. Nutrient intake data collected using three-day recall method were analyzed by the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis Program. Average intake by male students of most nutrients except energy, vitamin B$_2$ and calcium and intake by female students of those except energy, vitamin $B_2$, calcium and iron was higher than Korean RDA. Nutrient intake of male students was significantly influenced by the mother s job, skipping meals, exercise, vitamin and mineral supplement use, flood supplement use and self-evaluated anemia. Skipping meals and flood supplement use significantly influenced the nutrient intake of female students. A total of 47.4% of male students and 53.9% of female students were vitamin and mineral supplement users. In female students, socioeconomic characteristics such as the father s education level and household income were significantly different between vitamin and mineral supplement users and non-users. In both male and female students, there were significant differences in cross analysis between vitamin and mineral supplement use and flood supplement use. As for the self-reported health status of male and female students, vitamin and mineral supplement users perceived their health status to be worse compared to non-users. Therefore, nutrition education via the Internet is necessary in order to encourage college students to practice optimal nutrition strategies, including maintaining well-balanced diets by choosing various floods wisely.

Keywords