The purpose of this study was to investigate the fad dieting status and needs of nutrition education on healthy dieting in male and female collegians according to the desired loss weight. The subjects were 611 students (287 males, 324 females) from universities in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces in Korea. The subjects were divided into the following four groups based on the difference between their current body weight and their desired body weight: no desired weight loss (WL0), desired weight loss less than 5 kg (WL5), desired weight loss 6 to 10 kg (WL10), and desired weight loss more than 11 kg (WL11). The fad dieting status was surveyed using a questionnaire about 11 selected trendy dieting methods. The higher desired weight loss group showed higher current weight and BMI in both males and females. Self weight overestimation was higher in the females than in the males, and in the WL10 group than in the other groups of males. As desired loss weight increased, weight loss trials and experienced trendy dieting types increased in both males and females. In the male subjects, the experience of the half meal diet and the chicken breast diet was significantly associated with the desired loss weight. In females, trials of more trendy diet types including the half meal diet, cereal diet, fasting, and Atkins diet were significantly associated with the higher desired loss weight. The need for nutrition education on healthy dieting was high among all the different desired weight loss groups, showing that a minimum of 60% of subjects in each group answered ‘necessary and strongly necessary’, with the highest in the WL11 group in both males and females. From these results, desired loss weight is associated with higher current weight status, unhealthy weight control practices, and needs for nutrition education in both male and female subjects. Therefore, in the future, nutrition education programs should give greater attention to providing healthy dieting methods for young collegians who desire more weight loss.

• 김미현(한국교통대학교 식품영양학과) | Mi-Hyun Kim (Dept. of Food and Nutrition, Korea National University of Transportation, Jeungpyeong 27909, Korea)
• 연지영(서원대학교 식품영양학과) | Jee-Young Yeon (Dept. of Food and Nutrition, Seowon University, Cheongju 28674, Korea) Corresponding author