Food Consumption in College Female Students and Their Physical Status

Abstract

The total amount of food intakes dividing into seventeen different food elements was surveyed for the group of junior college female students aging among 19 and 20 for the first period between 1984 and 1986, and the second period between 1989 and 1991 subsequently . An additional detection of physical status for these subjects has been performed in 1989. Furthermore, from the correlation matrix of the National Nutritional Survey in 1985, the calculation of factor scores from the factor analysis with principal component techniques, the following results are obtained. 1) Approximately 15% decrease of levels of mean total daily foods consumption from those in the first period is observed. Simultaneously, the number of students whose total daily consumption in less than 1000 grams is increased from 30% to 50/60% after five year period. 2) All the mean total daily consumption of foods except wheat is decreased after five year period. The number of students who have fewer than 50 gram intake of colored vegetables is increased respectively from 22-34% to 48-61% in the first and from 19-22% to 32-36% in the latter. 3) Through the result of correlation factor scores, more westernized dietary habit with less side dishes is confirmed in the latter period. 4) It is likely found the total amount of intakes was less than 1000 grams in the majority of student groups with the negatively deviated first factor score . Furthermore, fruits, colored vegetables and meats are less taken in those groups. 5) The leaning tendency is observed in the group with negatively deviated first factor scores associated with an iron-deficiency anemia occasionally.