Abstract

Adequate nutrients intake and regular eating habit are so important for the students to develop physical and mental health, and they contribute significantly for the development of intellectual capacity. The intake of simple sugar contained in the processed foods is known to have been related not only with such physical problems as obesity and diabetes but also with hyperactivity during growing period. This study analysed the effects of carbohydrate processed snacks on the middle school students' emotional intelligence and intended to demonstrate the correlation and the influence of the foods. The subjects of this study were 476 the 1st grade middle school students sampled from two public middle schools of Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Questionnaire contained 47 questions including the kinds of sugar containing processed foods, the frequency of intake, the frequency of normal diet, and the emotional test. All data obtained in this study were processed by SAS 8.2 program. 77.9% of the students had snacks more than once a day and the favored foods were in the order of bread, cookies, fruit, milk and dairy products, flour foods, ramen and ice cream. Less of the sugar contained processed snacks consumed high emotional intelligence showed(p<0.001). And low intake of carbohydrate processed snacks linked with having more regular meals and the higher levels of emotional intelligence. There was no gender difference in consuming simple sugar containing processed foods, however, out of these foods, carbonated drinks, ramen and pizza affected significantly the emotional intelligence of the male students. It was found that sugar contained processed snacks affect the eating habits like meal skipping and the emotional intelligence. It is determined that the effects of carbohydrate processed snacks on emotional intelligence can not be denied.

Keywords

• carbohydrate processed snacks;
• emotional intelligence;
• middle school students