• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.142-157
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a nutrition quotient for adolescents (NQ-A) to assess overall dietary quality and food behavior of Korean adolescents. Methods: Development of the NQ-A was undertaken in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. Candidate items of the NQ-A checklist were selected based on literature reviews, results of the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, dietary guidelines for Korean adolescents, expert in-depth interviews, and national nutrition policies and recommendations. A total of 213 middle and high school students participated in a one-day dietary record survey and responded to 41 items in the food behavior checklist. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the responses to the checklist items along with nutritional status of the adolescents were calculated. Item reduction was performed, and 24 items were selected for the nation-wide survey. A total of 1,547 adolescents from 17 cities completed the checklist questionnaire. Exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to develop a final NQ-A model. Results: Nineteen items were finalized as the checklist items for the NQ-A. Checklist items were composed of five factors (balance, diversity, moderation, environment, and practice). The five-factor structure accounted for 47.2% of the total variance. Standardized path coefficients were used as weights of the items. The NQ-A and five-factor scores were calculated based on the obtained weights of the questionnaire items. Conclusion: Nutrition Quotient for adolescents (NQ-A) would be a useful instrument for evaluating dietary quality and food behavior of Korean adolescents. Further research on NQ-A is needed to reflect changes in adolescent's food behavior and environment.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.155-173
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• 2022

Purpose: This study was undertaken to update the Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E), which reflects dietary quality and behavior among Korean older adults. Methods: The first 29 items of the measurable food behavior checklist were obtained from a previous NQ-E checklist, recent literature reviews, and national nutrition policies and recommendations. One-hundred subjects (50 men and 50 women) aged ≥ 65 years living in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, including Gyeonggi Province, completed a pilot survey from March to April 2021. Based on the results of the pilot study, we conducted factor analysis and frequency analysis to determine whether the items of the survey were properly organized and whether the distribution of answers for each evaluation item was properly distributed. As a result, we reduced the number of items on the food behavior checklist and used 23 items for the national survey. Nationwide, 1,000 subjects (472 men and 528 women) aged > 65 years, completed the checklist survey, which was applied using a face-to-face survey method from May to August 2021. The construct validity of the NQ-E 2021 was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, LISREL. Results: Seventeen food behavior checklist items were selected for the final NQ-E 2021. Checklist items addressed three factors: balance (8 items), moderation (2 items), and practice (7 items). Standardized path coefficients were used as the weights of items to determine nutrition quotients. NQ-E and three-factor scores were calculated according to the weights of questionnaire items. Conclusion: The updated NQ-E 2021 produced by structural equation modelling provides a suitable tool for assessing the dietary quality and behavior of Korean older adults.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.497-504
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to compare body image and dietary behavior in middle and high school girls in the Gyeongbuk area in September, 2014. Data were collected from a total of 194 middle school and 170 high school girls through a self-reported questionnaire. A total of 364 completed questionnaires were collected and used for the final analysis. The mean body mass index (BMI) of respondents was normal at 21.29. Generally, high school girls had greater height, weight and BMI than middle school girls. Height (p<0.001) and weight (p<0.001) were significantly different, while BMI was not. The ratio of students who perceived their body size as 'Fat' was significantly (p<0.05) higher in high school (43.9%) than in middle school (31.6%). The ratio of dissatisfaction with their current body image was significantly (p<0.001) higher in high school girls (64.1%) than in middle school girls (44.0%). Among respondents who perceived their body size as 'Fat', many high school girls actually (53.3%) had normal or low body weight and this was significantly (p<0.001) higher than in middle school girls (39.3%). Experience with weight control was higher in high school girls (67.3%) than in middle school girls (60.6%), but there was no significant difference. Regarding the weight control methods, respondents selected 'combination diet and exercise' (22.2%), 'diet control' (20.9%), 'exercise' (18.7%), and 'reduce snacks and midnight snack' (17.4%). 15 items under obesity-related dietary behavior were measured with 5-point scales and lower scores indicated obesity diet behavior. The mean score for all respondents was 3.19/5.00, and high school girls (3.06) scored significantly (p<0.001) higher than middle school girls (3.33). Our study suggests that the development of effective nutrition and health education for diet control is crucial for adolescent girls. This study will enable educators to plan more effective strategies to improve the dietary knowledge of adolescent girls.