A Study on the Level of Perception of the Health Condition of Koreans and Americans in Virginia, USA and Their Preference for Salty Taste

This study was conducted as a comparative analysis, using the SPSS 17.0 program for a survey conducted from March to July 2013, on the level of perception and preference factors of Koreans and Americans residing in Virginia, USA(89 male and female adults of 20 years of age or above). For the information on the degree of obesity, a survey was used and the subjects provided with their heights and weights. The researcher used this data to calculated their BMI and distinguished the degrees of obesity. For the BMI, the obesity diagnosis of Korean Society for the Study of Obesity was used for Koreans, and the WHO's obesity diagnosis on adults were employed for Americans. First, regarding the Korean participants, the level of obesity appeared in the order of normal (79.6%), overweight (14.3%), and underweight (6.1%). Also, the level of perceptions of their health conditions appeared in the order of average (51.7%) and good (34.7%). No one perceived their health to be in poor condition. Meanwhile, for the American participants, the order was as follows: overweight at about 45%, normal weight at about 35%, obesity at about 12.5%, and underweight at about 7.5%. In terms of the level of perception of health during ordinary times, about 55% of the American participants answered that they are in good health. Therefore, the Americans were found to perceive their health to be in relatively better condition than the Koreans residing in the USA. Also, concerning the level of interest in health while eating food at ordinary times, the American participants were discovered to be more interested (about 62.5%) than the Korean participants. The research on their preference for salty taste was conducted as a survey, and the subjects were asked to choose an item according to their subjective feeling. Regarding the preference for salty taste, both Koreans and Americans residing in the USA responded as moderate. However, a higher proportion of Americans than Koreans responded to favor salty taste. Concerning the reason for their preference for salty taste, Koreans responded with various reasons whereas Americans mostly responded that it is because they eat salty food frequently. For any changes in dietary behavior related to eating salty food, both Korean and American respondents thought that the amount of their daily intake of salt is appropriate and that they consider taste as most important in selecting a snack. Based on the above data, the results of this research indicate a need for actual improvement in the diet with regard to salty food along with diverse policies for promoting life with a low salt diet in future.

미국 버지니아주 거주 한국인과 미국인의 건강상태 인식도 및 짠맛 기호도 비교