Rimantas Stukas, Genė Šurkienė, Samanta Grubytė, Valerij Dobrovolskij
Abstract
Sources of information about nutrition are very important because our nutrition has a great impact on our health. Popular mass media has a great influence on people of young age group as well as their nutrition. It is important to evaluate the information about nutrition, presented in popular mass media. Evaluation of the influence of nutrition topic, published in the mass media, on student’s nutrition also needs to be performed. Work objective: Evaluate the influence of nutrition topic, published in the mass media, on student’s nutrition at Vilnius University. Survey methodology: Mass media information about nutrition topic was evaluated by using descriptive statistical methods. There were evaluated the articles about nutrition, published during last five years (since 2006 to 2010 inclusively) in four monthly magazines of the highest edition (,,Panelė”, ,,Edita”, ,,Laima” and ,,Cosmopolitan”) (total of 240 magazines). The data of magazines analysis were processed using the program Microsoft Office Excel. To assess the influence of mass media on student’s nutrition was performed an anonymous questionnaire survey. The questionnaire consisted of 18 closed and open-ended questions. Interviewed 300 second–third – year student’s studying at the Faculties of Science, Medicine, Mathematics and informatics at Vilnius University. The collected data analyses were carried out by using the program SPSS 17.0. Choice of a risk of error 0,05; the results are considered as statistically significant when p < 0,05. The Results: The descriptions of diets (38,4 percent) and food products (37,4 percent) are dominating in the mass media publications. However the food product descriptions only partly consistent with the recommendations of healthy eating. Mostly described topics are fruits and vegetables (44,7 percent) and sweets, fat and salt (21,3 percent). Only 4,6 percent of all articles published in the mass media are based on scientific information. According to the questionnaire data only 21,3 percent respondents consider their nutrition as good. The girls are evaluating their nutrition better (p<0,001). 53,0 percent of all respondents read the popular press articles about nutrition. The count of young women reading popular magazines is two times higher (62,3 percent and 33,3 percent respectively, p<0,001). Even 59,6 percent of all respondents follow the mass media information about the foods, 60,9 percent – healthy eating tips, 37,9 percent – the examples of other people nutrition habits. 31,7 percent of all students use descriptions of diets to form their nutrition. The young men stated two times more likely interested in articles about food supplements (p=0,003), and young women are three times more interested in articles about diets (p=0,034). Young men do not trust the mass media information more than young women. Conclusions: 1) The information about nutrition in mass media partly correspond with healthy eating recommendations. 2) Only 21,3 percent of the students consider their nutrition as healthy. The girls are evaluating their nutrition better. 3) Men are more unlikely to trust the information published in the mass media. 4) Students are using information about diets, food, healthy eating tips and examples of other people nutrition published in the mass media to form their nutrition. 5) Young men and women are interested in different topics of nutrition described and published in the mass media.
Article in Lithuanian
doi:10.5200/sm-hs.2012.098
Keyword(s): nutrition; students; information of mass media about nutrition
DOI: 10.5200/343
Full Text: PDF