ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

This study was performed using mealtime atmosphere to characterize the food ecology of Korean children residing in groups acording to the areas where they lived, which included Seoul (n = 230), provincial cities (n = 273) and rural areas (n = 202). The subjects were asked to fill out questionnaires which were categorized to determine various factors related to food ecology, life styles, and health related symptoms. The average age of the study subjects was 11.5 years. The results showed that the average height (p < 0.01), weight (p < 0.01) and body mass index (BMIs)(p < ) of the rural group were significantly lower than those of the Seoul and provincial city groups. A significantly higher proportion (10.4%) of the rural group was from disfunctional families, including single parent families, than those of the Seoul (1.7%) or provincial city (4.4%) groups. However, a larger number of children from Seoul ate alone, did not enjoy their meals, and hardly talked to each other during breakfast time, compared to those from the provincial city or rural areas. Also, the proportion (33.0%) of good in balance of meal was the lowest (33.0%) in Seoul of the thre areas (p < 0.01). Most of the children answered that they liked having breakfast and dinner with the whole family. In conclusion, the food ecology of elementary children difered acording to the regions in which they resided. Although children from Seoul had higher BMIs, their nutritional intake was not satisfactory, and their undesirable food ecology could be a contributing factor. (Korean J Community Nutrition 8(5) : 642 ~ 651, 2003)

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