Investigation of Eating Frequency and Food Intake of Female College Students

Abstract

To investigate actual conditions and frequency of food intake, a questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate students at Sagami Women's University. Subjects were 367 students including 186 majoring an administrative dietician and 181 majoring life science studies. Major findings are as follows:
1. The subjects in dietician major (60.3%) had scheduled breakfast times higher rate (p<0.01). Moreover, 72.6% of dietician major students had scheduled lunchtime higher rate (p<0.05).
2. Ratio of no breakfast showed 25.4% in life science department major students (p<0.01). Likewise, life science department major students skipped lunch showed high 17.6%(p<0.05).
3.While breakfast was important for subjects in dietician major (22.6%), dinner was in life science department major students (72.4%)(p<0.05).
4.Ratio of frequency of snacking between meals was high in dietician major (59.9%)(p<0.05). On the other hand, 16.6% of life science major students had more snacks after dinner (p<0.05).
5. All subjects reported to have either rice or bread (approximately 50% for each) in the morning. While 66.2% of the subjects in dietician majors had lunch menu with rice than those in other majors (p<0.05), more than 90% of all subjects had dinner with rice.
6. All subjects not exist difference regarding with taste of meals, enjoyment of having meals, appetite and satisfaction of meals.As for interest degree of dietary environment, significant difference was recognized highly in dietician majors.
7. In frequency of diet terms, dietician majors show high light-green (p<0.001) and green-yellow vegetables, beans, soybean products, milk, daily products (p<0.01) and mushrooms (p<0.05). In addition, life science majors had candies and sweets (p<0.001).