The study was carried out from March to May in 1998 to compare the food habits and food preference of 391 men in Kyung Nam area who were between twenties and sixties. The summarized results are as follow: 1. The 30's were highest(173.8cm) and the 60's were lowest(168.3cm) in their average stature. The 30's were heaviest(68.2Kg) and the 20's were lightest(62.3Kg) in their average weight(P<0.001). Average BMI was highest in the 50's and lowest in the 20's. 2. Average food habit score of the subjects(4.08) was as low as belonging to the poor group and lowest was 20's. 3. The rate of not eating was highest in the breakfast and the subjects ate breakfast more as they were older(P<0.001). The serious problem of food habit was irregular eating time. The subjects ate in the more irregular time as they were younger. 4. 88.9% of the subjects preferred cooked rice and cereals as their main food, kimchi as their side dish and fruit as their eating between meals. 5. We found great differences in the kinds and number of drinkings subjects preferred as their ages(P<0.001). 20's preferred cider and cola. 30's, 40's and 50's preferred coffee and 60's preferred ginseng tea and citron tea. The rate of smoking was higher in 30's and 40's then in 20's and 50's. 6. 72.9% of the 20's and 16.7% of the 60's ate instant food more than 2-3 times a week. They ate Ramen most often because of its convenience. They ate out more as they were younger and preferred Korean food as their eating out menu. 7. The degree of preference in a sweet taste was highest in 20's and lowest in 40's (P<0.01) and the degree in the preference of a sour taste became lower as they were older(P<0.001). Only in the preference of a salty taste, we could find the difference of the BMI level. They showed high degree in the preference of a salty taste as the order of the over-weight group, normal group, under-weight group and fat group. They showed meaningful correlationship between the level of BMI and the degree of preference of a salty taste in 20's and 40's and between the food habit score and the level of BMI in 60's (P<0.05).

• 정효숙 | Cheong, Hyo-Sook