The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among snacking behaviors and depression in middle school students. A survey was conducted on 777 middle school students (491 boys and 286 girls). Using a self-reporting method, the participants took 20 minutes to complete the questionnaires. Our data revealed that the height and weight of boys were 172.66 cm and 63.48 kg, respectively, whereas those of girls were 159.86 cm and 51.62 kg, respectively. Sleep durations of boys and girls were 6.44 and 6.41 hours, respectively. Boys ate more rice cake than girls, whereas girls ate more biscuits than boys. The average B.D.I (Beck Depression inventory) scores for boys and girls were 9.73 and 11.49, respectively. Degree of depression was significantly higher in girls compared to boys. We also observed significant correlations between depression and snacking (rice cake, biscuits, chocolate, and fried potato). This study may provide basic information on snacking behaviors and depression in middle school students, and the findings suggest that proper control of emotions is required to maintain desirable eating behaviors in middle school students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary habits and snack consumption behaviors of middle school students with different obesity indexes in the Chungnam area. The survey was carried out using self-questionnaires and included 385 students(119 underweight, 193 normal weight, 66 overweight). The rate of skipping meals was higher for underweight students than overweight students; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The mean time of meal was 10 to 20 minutes and the criteria for choosing to eat a meal were ‘hunger’ and ‘taste’ in all groups. More than half of the subjects ate snacks 1 time a day, which were purchased outside. The typical snack time was ‘between lunch and dinner’. The criteria of for consuming a meal were ‘taste’ and ‘price’ in all groups. In the underweight group, the snack food scores were ice cream(4.4), fruit(4.3), fried chicken(4.1), sports beverage(4.0), fruit juice(4.0), pizza(4.0) and, tteokbokki(3.9). In the normal weight group, the snack food scores were ice cream(4.3), fried chicken(4.2), pizza(4.0), sports beverage(3.9), fruit juice(3.9) and, tteokbokki(3.9) in the overweight group, the snack food scores were ice cream(4.3), fruit(4.3), fried chicken(4.2), yogurt(4.0), sports beverage(4.0), fruit juice(4.0) and, ramen(4.0). In conclusion, the snaking behaviors of the subjects were not significantly different based on their obesity index. However, this study may provide basic information on the snacking behaviors of middle school students, and the findings suggest that nutrition education or counseling can improve snack intake habits and positive behaviors toward healthy adolescents diets.

The purpose of this study was to investigate eating behaviors related to snack and self-purchasing snack (SPS) among elementary school children. Self-administered questionnairs were completed by 352, 5th and 6th grade elementary school students living in 3 different regions which included apartment region in Bundangn, Sungnam (apartment group, n=116), residences in Seodaemun-Gu and Mapo-Gu, Seoul (kang-buk group, n=103) and residence in industrial region in Sungnam (industry group, n=133). The results were as follows: A significantly higher proportion (64.7%) of the apartment group had breakfast every morning than those of kang-buk (48.6%) or industry (52.1%) group (p<0.01). As for the frequency rate of snack and self-purchasing snack (SPS), 53.9% of the subjects answered taking snack more than once per day, 22.8%, once for few days and 23.3%, almost not. However, 15.5% of the subject had SPS once or more per day, 30.7%, 1-2 times per week and 22.4%, almost not. Those of apartment group showed significantly lower SPS frequencies (p<0.01), since higher proportions answered having SPS 1-2times per week (40.9%) and almost not (31.3%) compared to other groups. The reasons for having SPS turned out to be 'hunger' 54.7%, 'being habitual', 15.9%, 'bing bored', 15.7% and 'with peers' 13.7%. When subjects selected SPS foods, they considered taste (31.5%), price (23.0%), mood at the time (14.1%), sanitorial aspect (10.2%) and quantity (10.1%) rather than nutritional aspect (7.2%). Subjects' pocket money was estimated as 3736 won per week and SPS expense per time as 706 won. But subjects who spent more than 2000 won for SPS expense were significantly higher (33.0%) in apartment group than those of other groups (p<0.01). The favorite snack items that subjects having at home were fruit, ice cream, milk and yoghurt, cookies, ramen and bread in order. And favorite SPS items turned out to be ice cream, cookies, duckbokki, frozen bars, gum, chocholate and candy in order. The frequency rate of SPS were evaluated to be significantly related by several variables: those living in apartment area (p<0.01), those taking breakfast regularly (p<0.01), those of normal weight status by Rohrer index (p<0.05) and those receiving less pocket money (p<0.01) showed lower SPS frequency rate.

This study was conducted to investigate eating behaviors of preschool children for development their snack. Eating habit, preference and nutritional state were investigated using a questionnaire answered by teachers of day-care centers, 548 preschool children(aged 4 to 6 years old) and their mothers. It was found that 93.6% of subjects thought children need to eat snacks not only at day-care center but also at home. For children, snacks clearly played an important role in dietary nutritional intake The frequency and rate of consuming Milk as snack were high(1.51 times per a day, 459.8μl), 53.2% of calcium intake from Milk. The most favorite snack foods of children were fresh fruits, milk, yoghurt, juice. The correlation between frequency of eating food as snack and children's preference for food was low; because choosing food as children's snack was not by themselves but by their mothers and teachers, and variety of food(a taste, kinds) as snack was very weak. Subjects showed rather dissatisfactory view about commercial snack, and wanted new development of nutritionally balanced and natural-tasted snack for preschool children; they preferred dducks, biscuits and snacks as the form of newly-developed snack for preschool children.