Study on the snack meal management for infants and toddlers and the demand for snack products according to the sustainable dietary style of mothers in Jeonbuk area

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the snack meal management for infants and toddlers and the demand for snack products according to mothers' sustainable dietary style in the Jeonbuk area. Methods: The participants were 359 mothers in the Jeonbuk area. The data was analyzed using factor analysis, cluster analysis, analysis of variance, and χ2-tests with SPSS v. 25.0. According to the sustainable dietary style, the situation of providing snacks at home, the purchasing behavior for snack products, and the satisfaction and, demand for snack products were investigated. Results: Using the K-clustering method, the sustainable dietary style of the subjects was categorized into 3 clusters. Cluster 1 was the family health-seeking group, cluster 2 was the sustainable dietary trend group, and cluster 3 was the sustainability-interested group. The frequency of snack intakes according to the cluster groups showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). Fruits were the snack item most frequently consumed by all the cluster groups. Approximately 92.8% of mothers had purchased snack products, and 95.2% of the subjects were satisfied with them (p < 0.05). The main reason for satisfaction with the snack products in all the cluster groups was the various kinds of products with considering the growth stage of children. Clusters 2 and 3 required the development of snack products using organic food materials, while cluster 1 required the snack products to be supplemented with various nutrients. J Nutr Health. 2020 Feb;53(1):39-53 https://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2020.53.1.39 eISSN 2288-3959