[Considering the effects purchase food balance guide utilizing cable television has on the user].

Objectives: The aim of this study was to empirically investigate the needfulness of the Purchased Foodstuffs Balance Guide as designed for its users and also consider its influence on better dietary habits.

Methods: The participants included 89 students who attended City A's Senior Citizens' College, and the reality of their ICT and dietary habits were surveyed. Next, 27 cable television subscribers were asked to be monitors for testing the Guide. The study took place during a period of September 2013 to March 2014.

Results: The results indicated that, for the senior citizens, ICT use was centred on communication with their families and that their awareness or desire was a low in terms of the functions of information transmission, entertainment and receipt of services. Next, after using the Purchased Foodstuffs Balance Guide, its needfulness and its influence on better food habits were examined. As a result, the most frequent response by the participants was that they 'understood [their own] purchasing tendencies' (36.0%), followed by the three items: 'The Guide is useful for managing my nutrition', 'The Guide enabled me to know what foodstuffs are required to supplement my diet' and 'I became more careful about purchasing foodstuffs in a balanced way.'

Conclusions: The study showed that 70% of the participants felt that the Purchased Foodstuffs Balance Guide was useful and make decisions when purchasing food using the Guide. This indicates the possibility that the Guide exerts a positive influence on users' awareness of nutritional balance, foodstuff purchasing choices and dietary habits.