Abstract
This survey was conducted to investigate the dietary behavior and health status of Buddhist nuns. In this study, 100 Buddhist nuns in Seoul were selected. The dietary survey was focused on the diet in winter. The age distribution was as follows; 24% of the subjects were in their 20s, 45% in their 30s, 23% in their 40s, and 8% in their 50's and over, respectively. The percentage of the subjects living in temples close to the downtown area was 77% and the rest resided in areas remote to the downtown area. Over fifty percent of the subjects were satisfied with their diet at temple. And 59% of the subjects were eating a snack more than once a day. The snacks included fruits (60%), raditional tea (20%), coffee (9%), bread and cookies (4%), md rice cakes (3%), etc. Among food groups, the intake of green-vegetables and fruits were the highest and intake of milk and bean products were low which may cause calcium and protein deficiency. Most of the subjects believed that their health conditions were average or above average. About 50% of subjects didn't exercise at all. The frequencies of gastro-intestinal diseases and anemia were extremely high. About 50% of subjects took some form of medicine. To improve their health and nutritional status, it is required that they practice a good dietary behavior, maintain a balanced diet, and exercise regularly.
