A Study on the Characteristics of Health Functional Food Use, Perceived Health Status, Health Interest, and Health Promotion Attitude among College Students

Abstract

This study is a descriptive research study that aims to confirm the degree of use of health functional foods among college students and whether there are differences in perceived health status, health interest, and health promotion attitude according to the characteristics of health functional food use. A survey was conducted on college students attending three universities located in two regions, Daejeon Metropolitan City and Chungcheongnam-do, and data from 212 people were used for analysis. For data analysis, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis (Pearson's correlation coefficient) were performed. As a result of the study, the number of subjects who used health functional foods was high at 73.1%, with many of them doing so on their own rather than being recommended by doctors or others. There were differences in perceived health status depending on gender, subjective health status, level of interest in health functional food information, and purchase cost. There were differences in health interest and health promotion attitude depending on gender, subjective health status, use of health functional foods, motivation for use, educational experience, level of interest in information about health functional foods, and confirmation of purchase information. The correlations between perceived health status, health interest, and health promotion attitude were all positive correlations. Based on these results, the implication was drawn that to change health promotion attitudes, programs that can increase the subjects' perception of their health status and interest in health should be applied.