Dietary habits of young people in young adulthood (part 5) -Preliminary study to consider the food education techniques-

We conducted the questionnaire surveys based on the Japanese Food Balance Guide Spinning Top for 97 women students lived in Ehime Prefecture for concerning eating habits. The surveys were conducted twice and it would be possible to evaluate any effect of food education in young adulthood. Main results are as follows, 1) As a result of an investigation that use the Japanese Food Balance Guide Spinning Top, all meal categories except “meat and fish dishes” showed highly proportions of “deficient intake”, especially “fruit” (97.9%), “vegetables”(83.5%) and “dairy products” (82.5%) were relatively higher frequencies of deficient condition than other categories. Comparison with 1st and 2nd surveys indicated that the proportions of “moderate intake” status in “vegetables”, “grain dishes”, and “fruit” were tending to increase and those of “deficient” status were decrease, however, it had never shown statistical significance. Although in residence status, the group of single life indicated that a proportion of moderate status of “vegetables” and “dairy products” were shown increase trends, there was no statistical significance. 2) As a result of intake serving numbers investigation in each dish types showed that there was no person who took moderately all dish type categories in three days assesses in both 1st and 2nd periods. The proportions of taking moderate volumes over three food categories were 6.2% in 1st investigation, 5.2% in 2nd ones. The proportions of one or two categories that were taken moderately by students were 54.7% in 1st, and 58.7% in 2nd surveys. The percentages of no category that had reached moderate volume were 39.2% in 1st and 36.1% in 2nd. Comparing with 1st and 2nd surveys the proportions of moderate volume intake indicated slightly increasing in 2nd survey, but there were no significance. 3) We observed 22.7% of interrogates who have never taken any food in each questionary investigation. Also, about 20% interrogates indicated no food intake in each living type. 4) The proportions of less than one time taking snacks in three-day assessments were 79.4% in 1st, 63.9% in 2nd investigations. The frequencies of two times taking snacks in the assesses were 12.4% in 1st, and 19.6% in 2nd. People who take snacks over three times existed 8.2% in 1st, and 16.5% in 2nd survey. 5) As several effects of food education usage of Japanese Food Balance Guide Spinning Top, increasing to take “fruit”, “vegetables” and “dairy products” were observed more frequently in 2nd investigation rather than 1st one. In contrast “grain dishes” and “fish and meat dishes” were observed relatively high frequencies as “not change” category in 2nd ones. In living types, group of live together with parents indicated increasing to take “dairy products” and “fruit” after 1st survey. These results suggested that use of Japanese Food Balance Guide Spinning Top in young adulthood was effective for food education and it is better to learn optimal food habit, and refine a present dietary problem. Also, it is suggested that it causes to understand problems of own dietary life style and get more information for improvement food habit