Abstract

This study was to investigate the relationship between time spent on lunch and degree of obesity, eating habits in culinary college male students. This survey was conducted using questionnaires for 106 male students in a Hongseung-located culinary college. Over 16 minutes of time spent on lunch group had significantly lower body weights, obesity degrees and body mass index (BMI) and tended to have lower body fat % than the other groups. It suggests that shorter time spent on lunch is related with lower body weight, obesity degree and BMI. Those who ate the meal prepared by mother had longer time spent on lunch. The shorter times spent on lunch group recognized their body shape was lean, the longer time spent on lunch group recognized the overweight or obesity significantly. The shorter time spent on lunch group tended to eat the cooked rice in the gug and recognized that they were not healthy. Those who had diseases in the past tended to have shorter time spent on lunch. The more they chewed cooked rice and then longer time spent on lunch they had, they recognized their eating speed was not significantly speedy. The shorter time spent on lunch they had, the fewer fruits and salty foods they ate significantly. This study suggests that more chewing time, slower eating speed and longer time spent on eatmg lunch is very related with lowering weight, BMI, body fat % and obesity degrees, so male college students should be educated to have correct eating habits.

• Keywords: time spent on lunch; eating habit; body fat %; BMI; culinary college male students