Comparison of the nutrition quotient by types of eating behavior among male and female university students in Gwangju / 한국영양학회지

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#This study was conducted to investigate the eating behavior (EB) and nutritional status of university students in Gwangju, and to compare their nutrition quotients (NQs) and problems according to their EB types. @*Methods@#The subjects were 219 (127 female and 92 male) undergraduate students from Gwangju. The Student’s t-test was used to compare the EB levels according to gender, and Pearson’s χ2 test was used to compare the distribution of EB types by gender. A gender-adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to examine the difference in NQs by EB types. @*Results@#First, there were significant differences in the EB scores and the distribution of EB types according to gender. Female students showed higher levels of emotional (Emo) and external (Ext) EBs than the male students, and Emo, Ext, and combined (Com) EB types were more evident among female rather than male students. Second, there was a difference in NQs according to the EB types. The Emo EB type subjects had a lower NQ than those of the restrained (Res) EB type and showed significant differences in diversity and dietary behavior. Specifically, the Emo EB type subjects displayed significantly lower efforts to maintain a healthy diet and subjective health status than the Com EB type and their levels of checking nutrition labels, hand washing, and water intake were significantly lower than that of the Res EB type. The Ext EB type showed significantly lower moderation of Ramyeon and sweetened drink intake than the Res and Com EB types. @*Conclusion@#The level of EBs and the distribution of EB types varied according to gender, and the NQs were different according to EB types. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the establishment of customized strategies for improvement by identifying major nutritional problems by gender and the EB types of university students.