Abstract
This study was done to analyze the consumption patterns of health functional food (HFF) as well as to perform needs assessment for the development of web-contents on HFF according to age of adults. The subjects were 238 male and female adults, divided into 4 groups by their age. This study collected all information by self-administrated questionnaires. The awareness on HFF was high in the older adults. The younger adults showed more negative responses to reliability and safety on HFF. The main reason for the consumption of HFF was to supplement nutrients and to prevent diseases. The main types of HFF consumed by adults were nutritional supplementary food, red ginseng products, and glucosamine products. There was higher consumption of nutritional supplementary food in the younger adults and glucosamine products in the older adults. Internet users had low level of satisfaction, with tendency to complain poor contents, reliability, difficulties in searching as problems of the pre-existing HFF websites. As useful methods for provision of information on HFF, most adults wanted general information, articles written by experts and videos. They also wanted to know the safety and side effects of HFF. Requirement of contents composition were various in-depth information, clear indication of citation, fresh updated data while that of display composition was easily-findable, uncomplicated, allowing mutual exchange of communication through bulletin board. These results can be used as basic data that reflect the consumer's needs for developing HFF web-contents according to age of adults. (Korean J Community Nutr 17(1): 26~37, 2012)
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Table 1.
Total | 20s | 30s | 40s | 50s | χ2-value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 238) | (n = 77) | (n = 79) | (n = 46) | (n = 36) | |||
Age (years) | 36.7 ± 10.61) | 25.6 ± 2.5 | 34.0 ± 3.0 | 46.4 ± 2.6 | 54.0 ± 2.6 | ||
Gender | Men | 72 (30.3)2) | 27 (35.1) | 22 (27.8) | 13 (28.3) | 10 (27.8) | 1.2 |
Women | 166 (69.7) | 50 (64.9) | 57 (72.2) | 33 (71.7) | 26 (72.2) | ||
Marital status | Single | 74 (31.1) | 59 (76.6) | 11 (13.9) | 3 (56.5) | 1 (52.8) | 117.5∗∗∗ |
Married | 158 (66.4) | 17 (22.1) | 68 (86.1) | 40 (87.0) | 33 (91.7) | ||
Divorced/Widowed/Separated | 6 (52.5) | 1 (51.3) | 0 (50.0) | 3 (56.5) | 2 (55.6) | ||
Education level | Elementary school | 1 (0.4) | 1 (1.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 25.1∗ |
Middle school | 4 (1.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (6.5) | 1 (2.8) | ||
High school | 72 (30.3) | 20 (26.0) | 20 (26.0) | 20 (25.3) | 12 (33.3) | ||
University | 141 (59.2) | 53 (68.8) | 47 (59.5) | 47 (59.5) | 20 (55.6) | ||
Graduate school or abov | 20 (58.4) | 3 (53.9) | 12 (15.2) | 12 (15.2) | 3 (58.3) | ||
Monthly income | Less than 1 million won | 12 (5.0) | 8 (10.4) | 1 (1.3) | 2 (4.3) | 1 (2.8) | 32.6∗∗ |
1 – 2 million won | 46 (19.3) | 22 (28.6) | 12 (15.2) | 7 (15.2) | 5 (13.9) | ||
2 – 3 million won | 56 (23.5) | 12 (15.6) | 29 (36.7) | 10 (21.7) | 5 (13.9) | ||
3 – 4 million won | 554 (22.7) | 17 (22.1) | 17 (21.5) | 9 (19.6) | 11 (30.6) | ||
Above 4 million won | 64 (26.9) | 14 (18.2) | 19 (24.1) | 18 (39.1) | 13 (36.1) | ||
Other | 556 (52.5) | 54 (55.2) | 1 (51.3) | 0 (50.0) | 1 (52.8) |
Table 2.
Total | 20s | 30s | 40s | 50s | χ2-value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 238) | (n = 77) | (n = 79) | (n = 46) | (n = 36) | |||
Awareness of health functional food | Yes | 204 (85.7)1) | 62 (80.5) | 65 (82.3) | 42 (91.3) | 35 (97.2) | 7.5 |
No | 34 (14.3) | 15 (19.5) | 14 (17.7) | 4 (14.3) | 1 (52.8) | ||
Effectiveness | Effective like medical products | 13 (55.5) | 1 (51.3) | 5 (56.3) | 2 (54.3) | 5 (13.9) | 3.8∗ |
Effective, but less than medical products | 189 (79.4) | 59 (76.6) | 62 (78.5) | 38 (82.6) | 30 (83.3) | ||
Not effecective | 536 (15.1) | 17 (22.1) | 12 (15.2) | 6 (13.0) | 1 (2.8) | ||
Credibility | Not trust at all | 559 (53.8) | 3 (53.9) | 4 (55.1) | 2 (54.3) | 0 (50.0) | 19.1∗ |
Little trust | 113 (47.5) | 37 (48.1) | 37 (46.8) | 21 (45.7) | 18 (50.0) | ||
Trust because of government's approval | 67 (28.2) | 17 (22.1) | 16 (20.3) | 18 (39.1) | 16 (44.4) | ||
Not sure | 49 (20.6) | 20 (26.0) | 22 (27.8) | 5 (10.9) | 2 (5.6) | ||
Safety | Not safe at all | 552 (50.8) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (2.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 12.3 |
Little safe | 110 (46.2) | 39 (50.6) | 37 (46.8) | 21 (45.7) | 13 (36.1) | ||
Safe because of government's approval | 68 (28.6) | 19 (24.7) | 17 (21.5) | 16 (34.8) | 16 (44.4) | ||
Not sure | 58 (24.4) | 19 (24.7) | 23 (29.1) | 9 (19.6) | 7 (19.4) |
Table 3.
Total | 20s | 30s | 40s | 50s | χ2-value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 238) | (n = 77) | (n = 79) | (n = 46) | (n = 36) | |||
User | 163 (100.0)1) | 45 (100.0) | 49 (100.0) | 37 (100.0) | 32 (100.0) | ||
Reasons for use | Disease treatment | 4 (2.5) | 2 (4.4) | 1 (2.0) | 1 (2.7) | 0 (0.0) | 25.6 |
Disease prevention | 544 (527.0) | 6 (513.3) | 9 (518.4) | 16 (543.2) | 13 (540.6) | ||
Weight loss | 553 (551.8) | 1 (552.2) | 0 (550.0) | 1 (552.7) | 1 (553.1) | ||
Nutrient supplements | 584 (551.5) | 29 (564.4) | 26 (553.1) | 15 (540.5) | 14 (543.8) | ||
Reinforcing strength and stamina | 526 (516.0) | 7 (515.6) | 12 (524.5) | 3 (558.1) | 4 (512.5) | ||
Skin care | 551 (550.6) | 0 (550.0) | 1 (552.0) | 0 (550.0) | 0 (550.0) | ||
Other | 551 (550.6) | 0 (550.0) | 0 (550.0) | 1 (552.7) | 0 (550.0) | ||
Effects after use | Very effective | 511 (556.7) | 2 (554.4) | 4 (558.2) | 2 (555.4) | 3 (559.4) | 15.1 |
Effective | 574 (545.4) | 16 (535.6) | 18 (536.7) | 23 (562.2) | 17 (553.1) | ||
Little effective | 510 (556.1) | 6 (513.3) | 1 (552.0) | 1 (552.7) | 2 (556.3) | ||
Not effective at all | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | ||
Not sure | 68 (541.7) | 21 (546.7) | 26 (553.1) | 11 (529.7) | 10 (531.3) | ||
Non-user | 75 (100.0) | 32 (100.0) | 30 (100.0) | 9 (100.0) | 4 (100.0) | ||
Reasons for non-use | Incredibility on effectiveness | 515 (520.0) | 7 (521.9) | 5 (516.7) | 2 (522.2) | 1 (525.0) | 17.2 |
Side-effects | 551 (551.3) | 0 (550.0) | 1 (553.3) | 0 (550.0) | 0 (550.0) | ||
High cost | 514 (518.7) | 6 (518.8) | 4 (513.3) | 3 (533.3) | 1 (525.0) | ||
Healthy already | 525 (533.3) | 10 (531.3) | 13 (543.3) | 2 (522.2) | 0 (550.0) | ||
Lack of information | 9 (512.0) | 6 (518.8) | 3 (510.0) | 0 (550.0) | 0 (550.0) | ||
Lack of credibility by false advertising | 558 (510.7) | 2 (556.3) | 4 (513.3) | 1 (511.1) | 1 (525.0) | ||
Other | 553 (554.0) | 1 (553.1) | 0 (550.0) | 1 (511.1) | 1 (525.0) | ||
Future inclination for use | Yes | 197 (582.8) | 59 (576.6) | 61 (577.2) | 42 (591.3) | 35 (597.2) | 11.4∗ |
No | 541 (517.2) | 18 (523.4) | 18 (522.8) | 4 (558.7) | 1 (552.8) |
Table 4.
Table 5.
Table 6.
Total (n = 238) | 20sf (n = 77) | 30s (n = 79) | 40s (n = 46) | 50s χ2-value (n = 36) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frequency of internet use | Hardly ever | 2 (58.8)1) | 0 (50.0) | 0 (50.0) | 9 (19.6) | 12 (33.3) |
1 – 3 times a month | 17 (57.1) | 0 (50.0) | 2 (52.5) | 9 (19.6) | 6 (16.7) | |
1 – 3 times a week | 35 (14.7) | 7 (59.1) | 12 (15.2) | 8 (17.4) | 92.5∗∗∗ 8 (22.2) | |
4 – 6 times a week | 28 (11.8) | 9 (11.7) | 13 (16.5) | 3 (56.5) | 3 (58.3) | |
Everyday | 137 (57.6) | 61 (79.2) | 52 (65.8) | 17 (37.0) | 7 (19.4) | |
Never | 113 (47.5) | 33 (42.9) | 33 (41.8) | 25 (54.3) | 22 (61.1) | |
Frequency of information use on HFF through internet | Hardly ever | 66 (27.7) | 21 (27.3) | 27 (34.2) | 11 (23.9) | 7 (19.4) |
Occasionally when necessary | 51 (21.4) | 20 (26.0) | 17 (21.5) | 7 (15.2) | 11.7 7 (19.4) | |
At least once a month | 5 (52.1) | 1 (51.3) | 2 (52.5) | 2 (54.3) | 0 (50.0) | |
At least once a week | 3 (51.3) | 2 (52.6) | 0 (50.0) | 1 (52.2) | 0 (50.0) | |
Awareness about providing HFF information by KFDA | Know Don't know | 31 (13.0) 207 (87.0) | 12 (15.6) 65 (84.4) | 7 (58.9) 72 (91.1) | 5 (10.9) 41 (89.1) | 7 (19.4) 53.2 29 (80.6) |
Experience visited websites on HFF | Yes No | 49 (20.6) 189 (79.4) | 13 (16.9) 64 (83.1) | 18 (22.8) 61 (77.2) | 9 (19.6) 37 (80.4) | 9 (25.0) 51.3 27 (75.0) |