중년여성의 건강기능식품 섭취 실태

Abstract

Background : The consumption and interest in health food are increasing with the growing public concern in health. This study was aimed to survey the proportion of intake, effect and side effect of health food, to find out the problems, and to contribute more effective and safe use of health food. Method : Subjects were 159 middle-aged women living in Ulsan. Data were collected with self-administerd questionnaire from Sep 10th to 25th, 2003, and analyzed with descriptive statistics and X2 test using SPSS (ver 10.0) at 0.05 significance level. Results : Among the respondents, 32.7% had more than one health food. There were statistical difference in educational level, possession of religion, monthly household income between health food intaker and their counterparts. The most important reason to have health food was health promotion(53.8%) and the most frequently used items were vitamin and red ginseng extract(30.8%). The most common motive to buy health food was recommendation of family(30.8%). The proportion that it was thought to be effective after having health food was 73.2% and, 15.4% among people who had it experienced major and minor side effect. The most strong reason not to have health food was disbelief in the effect of it(52.3%) Conclusion : Although two third of subjects agreed the effectiveness of health food, problems of side effect remains to be solved. It is needed for consumers to consult the professionals before purchasing health food and to be informed of the possible side effects and appropriate coping strategies.