Qualitative Analysis of Food and Nutrition Informations offered in Television Programs(year 2002-2003) : Newscastings, Health Programs and Dramas

Moon, Hyun Kyung; Jang, Young Ju

Abstract

The study aimed to perform the qualitative analysis of food and nutrition informations offered in TV program by monitoring newscastings, health-related programs giving food and nutrition information, dramas for family, education programs for children, and information programs for elderly in major TV broadcasting station(KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS). In this study, statistical analysis were done for numbers of information items related to health or food and nutrition informations. Duration of program the main, subject, sources, evaluation criteria of the contents. Results of qualitative monitoring for TV program are as follows. For health-related informations major propotions of subjects for the newscastings were about diseases. Those for health information programs were about foods. Those for children-education programs were about groceries. Those for seniors' information programs were about eating habits. The analysis of food and nutrition information sources for most of programs were interviews with specialist and normal person, and on-the-spot-investingations. For food and nutrition informations those were evaluated as inappropriate, the propotion of news was increased to 72.2% in 2003 from 49.3% in 2002. For health information programs, it was increased to 67.7% in 2003 from 54.0% in 2002. But, in drama the propotion of inappropriate scenes were decreased to 16.2% in 2003 from 63.2% in 2002. In children-education programs, it was 40.0%. In seniors' information programs, it was 17.9% in 2002. The propotion of cases that the quantity of foods is inappropriate in the food scene of serial drama, decreased to 15.8% in 2003 from 28.6% in 2002. The rate of drinking scenes increased to 11.5% from 10.7%. The rate of smoking scenes decreased to 0.2% from 1.6% due to the broadcasting self-regulation of smoking scenes in dramas. In the newscatings and information programs, reasons of being evaluated as inappropriate was that they didn't have any practical suggestions and proper intakes. There were also insufficient explanation for technical terminology, different comparison standard of nutritive value, and exaggeration for physiological effect of food. The drama contained a lot of unnecessary scenes of alcohol drinking, coffee drinking, midnight meal, and had more quantity of foods than the quantity needed for persons to the scene. As the result of this study, the rate of food and nutrition information were high, but the rate of information which was evaluate as appropriate was not sufficient. There are need to improve contents of information and to moniter the contents for consumer.