The Interest of Female High School Student's for Weight Control and Nutrient Intake Status in the Daegu Area

대구 지역 여고생의 체중 조절 관심도와 영양소 섭취 상태

In this study, the interest of female high school students's(N=500) for weight control, as well as nutrient intake status, were analyzed. The mean age, height, and weight of the subjects were, 19.3 years, 162.2 cm and 55.4 kg respectively. Mean BMI was $21.1 kg/m^2$. According to BMI, the percentage of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese were 18.5 %, 60.3%, 11.3%, and 11.3% respectively. By the BMI criteria, 60.3% of the subjects were normal weight while the rate of self-recognition was 41.5%. The degree of satisfaction regarding self-body image was only 17.1% and 60.9% showed an interest in weight control. The reason for weight reduction were appearance(65.1 %) and health(24.2%). The body areas where subjects wanted to lose weight included the thighs(32.9%) and whole body(29.3%). They believed the most effective weight control strategy was exercise(81.1 %) and the strategies they used were diet(59.1 %) and exercise(40.4%). Energy intake was 1,733.4 kcal which was 86.7% of the estimated energy requirements(EER). Calcium, vitamin $B_2$, and vitamin C intakes were less than EAR by 34.4%, 40.4%, and 59.6% respectively. The intake of dietary fiber was 5.1 g only 21.1 % of the adequate intake(AI). In summary, high school females interested in weight control have significantly less calcium intake than their peers. The correlations between interest in weight control and weight and BMI were significant(p<0.001). The results of this study suggest that to achieve optimal growth, improved diets that include calcium, vitamin $B_2$, and vitamin C are recommended. High school females interested in weight control should especially be targeted for education on calcium intake.