This study would make adolescents recognize the importance of sugar reduction, conducting comparative analyses of sugar reduction perception and knowledge, sugary food preference and intake frequency, and eating habits and dietary attitude with 487 male and female high school students in Incheon to present baseline data for the formation of desirable eating habits of choosing foods with low sugar content and nutrition education. The result of the study is as follows.
As for the subjects’ sex, male students were 211 (43.3%), and female students were 276 (56.7%). First-year students were 35.5%, second-year students were 29.2%, and third-year students were 35.3%. Most of them, 217 (44.56%) had normal Body Mass Index (BMI). The height of male students was 174.20 cm, and that of female students was 161.63 cm, so there was a significant difference (p<0.001). The weight of male students was 67.99 kg, and that of female students was 54.05 kg, so there was a significant difference (p<0.001). BMI was significantly high at 22.49 kg/m2 in male students and 20.64 kg/m2 in female students (p<0.001). 462 (94.9%) and 460 (94.5%) were unaware of the promotion of a sugar reduction policy and the sugar reduction item in the basic guidelines for school meals, respectively, and 464 (95.28%) had not received any sugar reduction nutrition education, and there was a significant difference between the sexes (p<0.05). 441 (90.6%) were not interested in sugar reduction, and perception for sugar reduction was 3.43 points in female students, significantly higher than 3.16 in male students (p<0.001). Knowledge about sugar 6 point perfect was 3.65 points in female students, higher than 3.04 in male students, so there was a significant difference (p<0.001). As for the checking of the nutrition labeling of sugar content, most of them, 175 (35.9%) never checked that, and 226 (46.41%) responded that sugary food intake affects health, and there were 147 female students (30.2%) more than 79 male students (16.2%), so there was a significant difference (p<0.001). In choosing sugary foods, they considered the taste the most. The time when they wanted to eat sugary foods was when they got stressed in 194 (39.8%) in most of them. As for the ratio of responses, most of them, 142 (51.4%) responded that it was when they got stressed in female students and 58 (27.5%) responded that it was when they were bored in male students, so there was a significant difference between the sexes (p<0.001). As for the preference for fruits, female students got 4.27 points, and male students got 4.19, and for intake frequency, female students got 2.61 points, and male students got 2.56, so there was a significant difference. As for the preference for beverages, male students got 3.97 points, significantly higher than 3.70 in female students (p<0.001), and for intake frequency, male students got 2.26 points, significantly higher than 2.08 in female students (p<0.001). As for the preference for snacks, female students got 4.19 points, points, significantly higher than 4.02 in male students (p<0.01), and for intake frequency, male students got 2.22 points, and female students got 2.17, so there was no significant difference. As for the subjects’ dietary attitude, male students got 3.18 points, and female students got 3.13, and as for eating habits, male students 3.40 points, and female students got 3.25, so there was no significant difference. Preference for sweet taste was the highest of taste preferences, and for a spicy taste, female students got 3.62 points, higher than 3.39 in male students (p<0.05). As for intake, the ratio of average was high, but male students ate more than female students did (p<0.001), and for eating speed, the ratio of 10 to 20 minutes was high, but male students ate in a shorter mealtime than female students did (p<0.05). As a result of an analysis of the correlations of sugar reduction perception and sugar-related knowledge with sugary food preference and intake frequency, dietary attitude and dietary habits after the correction of the variables of sex, grade, and BMI, sugar reduction perception showed significant negative correlations with beverage intake frequency (r=-0.22, p<0.01) and snack intake frequency (r=-0.20, p<0.01), showed significant positive correlations with dietary attitude (r=0.22, p<0.001) and dietary habits (r=0.24, p<0.01). As a result of an analysis of the correlations of sugar reduction perception and sugar-related knowledge sugar reduction perception showed significant positive correlations with sugar-related knowledge (r=0.23, p<0.001).
To sum up the above findings, sugar reduction perception and knowledge had close correlations with sugary food intake, dietary attitude, and eating habits, so as a result, the higher high school students’ sugar reduction perception and knowledge, the lower sugary food intake and the higher dietary attitude and eating habits became. Thus, nutrition education is required for choosing foods with low sugar content during adolescence when the intake of strong-tasting favorite foods, mainly sweet taste. Especially, through selective education focused on beverages for male students and snacks for female students, the students should improve their eating habits themselves to a desirable direction through sugar reduction perception and sugar-related knowledge.