Abstract

Proper nutrient intakes and physical fitness focus one's attention on health promotion. This study was conducted to investigate nutrient intakes and physical fitness by BMI in middle school students. Health-related questionnaire, dietary intakes, food frequency questionnaire and physical fitness were studied. There were no significant differences in health-related questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and physical fitness by BMI, but several nutrition intakes, preference of salty tastes and the proportion of iron deficiency of female students were significantly different by BMI. Although the female obese group (BMI 85 - 100 percentile) had decreased the proportion of iron deficiency and increased fish intake frequency than other groups, obese females did not show better physical fitmess than other groups. And the average Ca intake was below 75% of Korean RDA in both male and female students. Significantly positive correlation was found between calorie intake and push-up of normal (BMI 15 - 84 percentile) male students (r = 0.29), also significantly negative correlation was found between protein intake and 50m dash of normal female students (r = 0.22). And significantly positive correlation was found between beans and bent knee sit-up of normal male students (r = 0.25), and significantly positive correlations were found between beans, meat, eggs, green & yellow vegetable and sit and reach (r = 0.20, r = 0.28, r = 0.21, r = 0.19) and significantly negative correlation was found between beans and long distance race of normal female students. Therefore, this study suggests that proper nutrition and non-obese states should be achieved for health promotion in middle school students.

• Keywords: BMI; obese; nutrition; physical fitness; middle school student