• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.807-815
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the factors affecting the dietary adaptation of female immigrants in multi-cultural families in Busan. The survey was conducted from October 10 to November 30, 2010 using questionnaires, and the data was analyzed using the SPSS program. The subjects were mainly from China (58.8%), Vietnam (14.7%), Philippines (8.8%) and Japan (7.4%). The longer they had resided in Korea, the lower their preference they had for Korean foods. There were no significant differences in preference according to their nationality. The subjects reported that their consumption of cereals (36.7%), meats (40.0%), fish (50.8%), milk and dairy products (47.4%), vegetables (48.3%), fruits (44.8%), fat and oil (29.1%) and beverages (32.8%) were increased after immigration. They usually obtained information about Korean foods from family (26.5%) and television and internet (26.5%). Sixty four point seven percent of the females ate 'everyday' Korean foods and 30.9% ate their home country foods every day. A higher will for learning Korean foods, intake frequency and age resulted in a higher adaptation of Korean dietary life. Lower marital conflict resulted in higher adaptation. These results suggest that it would be effective to provide systematic nutrition education program for female immigrants and their families to adapt to Korean dietary life.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.264-276
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• 2023

Purpose: Food environmental factors related to food insecurity affect household food intake in several socio-ecological aspects. This study explores the relationship between food environment factors and food insecurity in households with married immigrant women. Methods: From November 2018 to February 2020, a survey was conducted enrolling 249 married immigrant women residing in the metropolitan areas of South Korea. In the final analysis, 229 subjects were divided into 2 groups classified as food security (n = 154) and food insecurity (n = 75), as assessed by the score of food security. Three aspects of food environments were measured: built·natural, political·economic, and socio-cultural Results: Food environments were significantly different between food security and food insecurity groups, as follows: the number of foods market and their distance from the home and food status for the last week at home in the built·natural domain; monthly cost of food purchase and experience for food assistance in the political·economic domain; total score of social support, parenting, and cooking skills in the socio-cultural domain. A stepwise multivariate linear regression model showed a negative association between the food insecurity score with social support from family and food inventory status in the last week. After adjusting for confounders, a positive association was obtained between the experience of a food support program. The final regression model explains about 30% of the relationship obtained in the three food environment domains and food insecurity (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Not only economic factors, which are common determinants of household food insecurity, but socio-cultural factors such as social support also affect household food insecurity. Therefore, plans for implementing a food assistance program to improve food insecurity for households with immigrant women should consider financial support as well as other comprehensive aspects, including socio-cultural domain such as social support from family and community.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the proportion and associated risk factors of hypertriglyceridemia in rural Vietnamese women. Research data were collected as part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). A cross-sectional study of 957 Vietnamese women in their 20 to 30s was conducted in rural areas of Bavi, Vietnam. Subjects were classified as hypertriglyceridemic (serum TG ${\geq}$ 150 mg/dL). Demographic, socio-economic details, anthro-pometric measurements, and blood profiles were recorded. The proportion of hypertriglyceridemic subjects was 22.0%, and the mean age of hypertriglyceridemics subjects was older than that of normo-triglyceridemic subjects (p < 0.05). In hypertriglyceridemic subjects, height, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol were significantly lower, compared to subjects with normo-triglyceridemia, while weight, body mass index, waist hip ratio, body fat %, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and atherogenic index were higher, compared to those with normo-triglyceridemia. Intake of cereal and cereal products, total plant food, and cereal/potato fiber in subjects with hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher, compared to normo-triglyceridemic subjects. Hypertriglyceridemic subjects had a significantly lower intake of animal calcium and retinol than normo-triglyceridemic subjects. Significant positive relationships were observed between the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and consumption of total plant food [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile, compared to the lowest: 1.764 (1.131-2.750); p for trend = 0.008] and crude fiber [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 1.651 (1.092-2.497); p for trend = 0.027]. In addition, a significant inverse relationship was observed between the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and cholesterol intake [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile, compared to the lowest: 0.601 (0.400-0.901); p for trend = 0.012]. These findings may provide basic data for use by policymakers and dieticians in future development of nutrition and health programs to encourage healthier eating habits, and to prevent hypertriglyceridemia advancing cardiovascular disease in rural Vietnamese women.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to find out how sleep characteristics by Sasang constitution (SC) appear in Vietnamese immigrant women in Korea, and how sleep aberration by SC affected the quality of life. The number of 217 Vietnamese immigrant women joined this study. We surveyed SC with Korea Sasang Constitutional Diagnostic Questionnaire (KS-15) and sleep characteristics with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) questionnaire. We evaluated quality of life(QoL) with Euro Quality of Life-5Dimension(EQ 5D) questionnaire. A Chi-square test and a one-way ANOVA test were conducted according to SC, and T test also used to compare PSQI groups. Significant p was .05. The number(rate) of Taeeumin(TE), Soeumin(SE), and Soyangin(SY) were 40(18.4%), 55(25.3%), and 122(56.2%) respectively. The distribution of obstructive factors of sleep were significantly different according to SC(Too Cold in Sleeping, x =13.378, p=.037, Too Hot in Sleeping x²=12.834, p=.046). The distribution of daytime drowsiness(x²=15.379, p=.018) and falling concentration power (x²=17.533, p=.008) was significantly different according to SC. The sleep status of the subjects showed a significant negative correlation with the EQ 5D Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) (r =-.399, p<.001), and the EQ 5D Index (r=-.211, p=.002). In the EQ VAS, TE showed a difference between the good and bad sleeping groups (t=3.955, p<.001). SE showed a difference between the two groups in the EQ 5D Index (t=2.332, p=.037). SY did not show a difference between the two groups. This study reveals that sleeping is closely related with QoL and distribution of obstructive factors of sleep may be different according to SC. Further study to confirm the constitutional difference in race at Vietnam is needed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.144-150
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• 2013

Objectives The number of marriage immigrant women has been increasing in the past several years in Korea and their adaptations to the new environment have been an important social issue. The aims of this study were to evaluate the psychosocial and mental health statuses of Vietnamese marriage immigrant women (VMIW). We intended to compare the mental health of VMIW with married Vietnamese women living in Vietnam and reveal the demographic or psychosocial factors affecting their mental health. Method Subjects comprised one-hundred-forty-three VMIW who enrolled in multiculture family support centers in Chungbuk Province and forty-eight women from Vinh Phuc province in Vietnam. Marital satisfaction, domestic violence and social support were evaluated as psychosocial factors, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used to evaluate mental health. Results VMIW had a larger age gap with their husbands but better psychosocial statuses. BDI (p = 0.20), BAI (p = 0.08), GHQ (p = 0.13) scores of VMIW were not significantly different compared to Vietnamese residents. Marriage duration of VMIW affects significantly their marital satisfaction, social support and depressive levels (p < 0.01). The level of domestic violence showed a significant difference according to the educational levels of their husbands, composition of family members and marriage process (p < 0.05). VMIW with older husbands and jobless VMIW had low levels of anxiety (p < 0.01). Conclusion The results suggest that VMIW have no difference in mental health compared to Vietnamese women living in Vietnam which is contrary to general expectations. However, various environmental factors, such as marriage duration, have an effect on the mental health of VMIW. As marriage duration is proven to be important factor on mental health of VMIW, more extended duration of care and interventions are needed to maintain good mental health. Networking system connecting mental health screenings by the multiculture family support center to the local mental healthcare center is needed to care those with poor screening outcomes.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.32
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• pp.335-361
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• 2013

This study examines the ethnoscape of TV dramas on three Korean nationwide television channels from 2005 to 2012 by breaking down how many non-Koreans appear and how they are represented. Among all TV dramas, 6.4% show non-Korean characters of which are generally supportive or small roles. These characters are categorized into four groups: adoration, sympathy, proximity, and other. The adoration group consists mostly of white males from USA or Europe that have professional careers such as medical doctors or lawyers and are positively represented with attractive appearance and nice character. On the other hand, the sympathy group is made up of Southeast, Central Asians and blacks. They are mainly represented as an underprivileged group: females and low-paid workers. In the proximity group are the Japanese and Chinese characters. The Japanese are often represented as rich people that are highly competent or are able to easily cooperate with Koreans. This result shows that Korean TV dramas provide racial and ethnic stereotypes. Though rarely, some dramas represent various lives of foreigners and racial others in Korea. This study contributes to the establishment of sound multiculturalism by analyzing representation of racial others in TV dramas and internalized stereotypes of foreigners in the diverse and multicultural Korean society.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2009

This study aimed to examine nutritional status and similarities of diets between Vietnamese female immigrants and Korean spouses and dietary changes of Vietnamese females after immigration. Subjects were 608 couples visiting 13 medical centers for the Cohort of Intermarried Women in Korea from November 2006 to November 2007. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were obtained and dietary intakes were assessed using one-day 24-hour recall. Sixty-eight percent of wives answered there have been changes in their diets and consumptions of meats, fish, dairy products, vegetables, and fruits increased after immigration. Energy intakes of wives and spouses were 1491.7 kcal and 1788.8 kcal, respectively, showing most couples (80.1%) consumed less than the Korean estimated energy requirements. More than half of the couples were below the Korean estimated average requirements of zinc, vitamin $B_2$, and folate. The correlation coefficients between couples ranged 0.15-0.38 for unadjusted, 0.22-0.35 for per 1000 kcal, and 0.21-0.40 for energy-adjusted, respectively. The proportions of couples in the same quartiles of each nutrient intake and in the same answers of each question of Mini Dietary Assessment were about 30% across nutrients and around 50% across questions. The length of residence is related to similarities of nutrient intakes between couples: similarities decreased after 3 years of residence in Korea. In conclusion, nutritional intakes of inter-married couples were inadequate although wives reported that their dietary intakes increased after immigration. Inadequate nutrient intakes of wives were partly explained by similar diets between couples because these wives without enough adjustment to Korean culture were more likely to follow what their spouses ate. Findings from this study may be helpful to improve the nutritional status of inter-married couples and make policies and programs for them. A follow-up study should identify factors affecting inadequate nutritional status of intermarried couples and similarities of their diets.