Analysis of University Students’ Perceptions of the Relationship Between Dietary Habits and Health Satisfaction Using Q Methodology

This study aimed to examine dietary habits related to health satisfaction among young people in Korea using Q method analysis.To achieve this, 17 university students in their twenties were selected, and 16 dietary and health-related statements were prepared.The 17 participants were asked to evaluate the degree of agreement or disagreement with each of the 16 statements through Q sorting.The results were then analyzed using the QUANL program, leading to the following findings.The evaluation patterns of the 17 participants were divided into 3 types.Type 1 included 7 participants, who gave positive evaluations to statements 1 and 16 (in the order of positivity) and negative evaluations to statements 15, 8, and 11 (in the order of negativity).Type 2 included 5 participants, who positively evaluated statements 3, 12, and 6, while giving negative evaluations to statements 13 and 16.Type 3 also included 5 participants, who positively evaluated statements 3, 7, and 6, while negatively evaluating statements 12, 10, and 11.However, all 3 types consistently gave positive evaluations to statements 6 ("Effective food intake leads to a healthy, well-being-oriented lifestyle") and 14 ("Satisfaction with food depends on individual preferences"), while consistently giving negative evaluations to statements 11 ("Eating while listening to soft music"), 10 ("Adjustment of food intake according to gender differences"), 13 ("Eating home-cooked meals"), 8 ("Food mentioned by people"), and 5 ("Carefully choosing which food to avoid").Based on these consensus positive and negative statements, it was concluded that for health satisfaction, young Koreans prefer effective food with balanced nutrition and food that suits their individual tastes.However, they have a negative perception of factors such as dining atmosphere, gender-based dietary adjustments, home-cooked meals, food recommended by others, and selective food avoidance.