• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.565-571
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the regional differences in anthropometric measurement, dietary behavior and nutrient intake among the nation-wide college students participating in a nutritional education program via internet. The subjects were 1614 college students (male: 752, female: 862) and divided into 4 regional groups. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self administered questionnaire, and the data were collected via internet or by mail. The nutrient intake data collected from food record were analyzed by the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis Program. Data were analyzed by SPSS 10.0 program. Average age of male and female college students were 23.6 years and 21.0 years, respectively. Most of the male and female college students had poor eating habits, such as unbalanced meals and skipping meals. In particular, more than 60% of the male college students in Chungcheong and Gyeongsang areas had irregularity of meal time. Female students in Seoul and Incheon areas showed significantly higher consumption frequency of yellow and green leafy vegetables compared to Chungcheong and Gyeongsang areas. Female students in Seoul, Incheon and Chungcheong areas showed significantly higher consumption frequency of milk and milk products compared to Gyeongsang area. Calorie, vitamin A, calcium and iron intakes of the male students and calorie, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$, niacin and calcium intakes of female students were lower than the Korean RDA. Female students in Incheon area showed significantly higher vitamin C and iron intakes compared to the other areas. These results provide a nation-wide information on dietary behavior and nutrient intake among Korean college students.