Background
: In recent years, the interest of people in health promotion and disease prevention is increased by virtue of economic growth. And the effort of promoting health, preventing and treating disease through food is added up too. In order to investigate the recognition about food which affects health and disease, we carried out this study.

Methods : We selected randomly the patients (group 1) who visited family medicine clinic of SNUH during period from August to September 1993 and one high school students family members(group 2) who are above 20 years old, for 4 paged questionnaire.

Results : Group 1 consists of 292 persons(male 36.0%, chronic patients 50%) and group 2 consists of 172 persons(male 35.5%, chronic patients 16.5%). Both groups answer that the food is the most important factor that affects health and disease. And they think that the best food for health is vegetable and the worst food is irritative one. They answer that the recommendation from the doctor is the most important factor that affects the diet therapy in chronic patients.

Conclusion : People regard food as the most important tool to promote health. The response on the importance of the food as the way of preventing and treating disease in positive in general. And it is proved that doctors play the most significant role of the diet therapy education for the chronic patients.