The purpose of this study was to investigate improvement of food habits and eating behavior in children with obesity and precocious puberty by nutritional education monitoring. The results are as follows. Average height and weight of subjects exceeded Korean height and weight standards for children as outlined by The Korea Pediatric Society. Using nutrition education monitoring, meals became more regular, overeating significantly decreased, and eating speed decreased. Further, frequencies of eating-out and night-eating significantly decreased. The most preferred menu item when eating-out was Korean food, and the most preferred menu item for night-eating was fruits, fast food, & processed food. Meat & fish and vegetable intakes all significantly increased. Fruit and milk intakes also significantly increased while bread, snack, and ice cream intakes decreased. Further, fast food & instant food intakes decreased. However, water intake was not significantly affected. The favorite food of children was meat & fish, followed by fast food & processed food. This study may provide information on dietary behavior of children with obesity and precocious puberty and suggests that nutrition education or counseling can improve food habits and eating behavior.
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