METHOD OF PROCEDURE 46 Preliminary Identification of Competencies 47 Competency Rating 47 Instrument Development 48 Pilot Testing 50 Sample 51 Data Collection Data Analysis Summary RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 57 Competencies Needed by Older Adolescents 58 Demographic Information 59 Age 59 Sex Marital status and number of children Study of food and nutrition in high school Characteristics of Knowledge Items Test results Reliability Difficulty index Discrimination index Distractor analysis Best items 67 Summary 68 Group Mean Scores of the Knowledge Test 68 Educational background 68 Sex 71 Nutritional background 71 Summary 73 Competencies Acquired by Respondents 73 The total group 76 iv Page I.S.U, group Â.C.C. group N.A.C. group Summary Need for Food and Nutrition Information 79 Dietary Practices of Respondents Favorite snacks Criticisms received about food habits Reasons for skipping meals Meal patterns Diets followed by respondents Use of dietary supplements Comparison of snacking with other data 91 Attitude toward food consumption 92 Factors affecting cooking at home versus eating out 93 Dietary practices and social occasions 95 Attitude toward new food and dietary practice 98 Sources for the Most Reliable Nutrition Information 99 Opinions About Certain Dietary Practices 101 Making a list of items needed before shopping 102 Considering needs when planning food purchases and meals 104 Reducing food costs through wise food management 105 Determining needs before shopping 106 Choosing a market 106 Daily consumption of milk 107 Summary 107 Comparison of Attitude Toward and Knowledge of a Concept 108 Application of knowledge of food costs in meal planning 110 The role of advertising in food selection 110 Consumer's responsibility in the market place 111 Distinguishing between wholesome and spoiled food 112 Reading food labels carefully and correctly 112 Selecting food according to its nutritional content 113 Summary 114 General Discussion of Findings and the Limitations of the Study 114

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