College Students Characteristics and Utilization of the Nutrition Labels on Food Package

The purposes of this study were to examine understanding, attitudes, and behaviors of college students regarding the nutrition labels of food package and the relations among these factors and demographic background such as educational experience with label, major, home place and parents' status. The study was surveyed 471 undergraduate students enrolled in general education classes at local university. Generally, college students could understand nutrition label. Nutrition related class in college didn't influence Nutrition label understanding, use and purchasing behavior. Students whose mothers with higher than college education level and professional work showed strong dependability on nutrition label. Label use, understanding and purchasing behaviors significantly associated with gender of subjects. All the subjects looked at the amount of sodium most frequently among all the nutrients listed on the food package(88.8%). Of all the food labels, the manufacturing date(25.1%) was considered the most important and the refund and exchange(12.9%) was considered the least important information. This paper suggested that nutrition education program for college students needs to be developed in series from elementary school curriculum and to enhance the use of nutrition labels.