• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary and lifestyle factors related to bowel pattern of female high school and college students in Gyeonggi Province. The total of 202 self-administered questionnaires (high school students 77 ; college students 125) were analyzed. All respondents were devided into four groups based on their self-reported pattern of defecation: 18 subjects ($9.0\%$) comprised the normal group, 73 ($36.1\%$) the constipation group, 73 ($36.1\%$) the constipation/diarrhea group, and 38 ($18.8\%$) the diarrhea group. Regularity of exercise was significantly higher in the college students than high school students, and times spending on a chair were longer in the high school students than college students. Most students ($72.7\%$) reported that they had stress. Fourty point six percent of the subjects reported that they had 3 meals per day, which tended to be higher in the normal and diarrhea group than constipation and constipation/ diarrhea group. Most students (69.7) skipped breakfast which was lower in the normal group than the other groups. The most preferred dietary fiber food was korean cabbage kimchi. Fifty-eight point four percent of the subjects reported that they had irregular bowel movement. Bowel movement was more irregular in the high school students than college students, and in the constipation group than the other groups. Of the subjects, $77.7\%$ had defecation frequency between three per week and three per day. Those who spent within 10 minutes for defecation were $79.6\%$, and those had difficulty in evacuating were $76.0\%$. High school students and those with constipation and constipation/diarrhea had a significantly lower defecation frequency, longer time spent at the toilet, and greater difficulty in evacuating than college students and normal and diarrhea group. The percentage of those who had feelings of residue in the intestine after defecation was $92.5\%$, and it was greater in the constipation or diarrhea group than in the normal group. Most students ($93.5\%$) reported that they had abdominal pain or discomfort. These results suggest that decreasing times spending on a chair, decreasing stress, keeping 3 meal per day at regular hours, and increasing dietary fiber intake are associated with desirable bowel pattern.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.513-525
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• 1999

Objectives : High-normal blood pressure' is a factor influencing decision to initiate targeted intensive intervention strategy in westernized populations. JNC-VI offered the vigorous lifestyle modification for persons with 'high-normal blood pressure', who could be early detected. As a hypertension seems to be the result of multiple genetic factors operating in concert with associated environmental factors, it will be necessary to identify the high-normal blood pressure as a risk factor of hypertension for applying primary prevention strategy in Korean people. Methods : Although cohort study design might be adequate to recruit incidence cases, to keep time sequence of events, and to prevent information bias, nested case-control study was chosen for avoiding measurement errors because hypertension is a benign disease. Source population was the 'Seoul Cohort' participants and follow-up was done by using Korea Medical Insurance Corporation's database on the utilization of health services from 1 Jan93 to 30Jun97. Incidence cases were ascertained through the chart review, telephone contacts, and direct blood pressure measurements. Controls included the pairing of 4 individuals to each case on the basis of age. Results : As 75% of 247 incident cases had high-normal blood pressure, the crude odds ratio for hypertension was 2.04 (95% CI 1.47-2.83). Another statistically significant risk factors of hypertension were body mass index, dietary fiber, alcohol consumption, weekly activity and history of quitting smoking. The multivariate odds ratio of high-normal blood pressure adjusted for all risk factors was 1.84 (95% CI 1.31-2.56). Among high-normal blood pressure group, body mass index, weekly ethanol amounts, weekly physical activity, and dietary fiber except history of quitting smoking were still risk factors of hypertension. Conclusion : 'High-normal blood pressure' is a risk factor for hypertension in Korean middle-aged men, which represents that the vigorous lifestyle modification for persons with 'high-normal blood pressure' is need.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.199-210
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• 2023

This study was undertaken to analyze the growth, nutritional, and dietary risk factors of elementary school students belonging to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education and provide the basic data needed to develop an underweight and obesity prevention program. In 2021, BMI and Dietary Screening Test (DST) data of 4,046 children surveyed by the Nutrition Education Experience Center's "Diagnosis System" of the Busan Regional Office of Education were analyzed. The DST consists of 36 questions about lifestyle habits, meal quality, meal regularity, snack quality, and eating behavior. Of the children included, 6.8% were underweight, 65.4% were normal weight, 13.4% were overweight, and 14.4% were obese. Children in the obesity group had shorter sleep and meal times (P<0.001), lower vegetable and fruit consumption frequencies (P<0.001), higher fast food consumption frequencies (P<0.001), higher rates of skipping meals (P<0.01) and breakfast (P<0.001), and more frequently used smartphones and watched TV during meals (P<0.001). The underweight group had the highest scores for all eating development factors but more frequently had chewing and swallowing difficulties (P<0.001). The study confirms underweightedness and obesity are present different problems and indicates that nutrition teachers should conduct accurate studies on the eating habits and behaviors of obese and underweight students and provide individually tailored nutritional counseling.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2013

The most critical point in the assessment of adherence to dietary guidelines is the development of a practical definition for adherence, such as a dietary pattern score. The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean Diet Score (KDS) based on the Korean Food Balance Wheel and to examine the association of KDS with various lifestyle characteristics and biochemical factors. The dietary data of 5,320 subjects from the 4th Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey were used for the final analysis. The food guide was composed of six food group categories; 'grain dishes', 'fish and meat dishes', 'vegetable dishes', 'fruits', 'milk' and 'oils and sugars'. Based on the recommended serving numbers for each group, the scores measuring adherence to this food guide were calculated from the dietary information from the 24-hour dietary recall questionnaire, and then its correlation with various characteristics was assessed. KDS was significantly associated with several clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors as well as diagnosed disease history. The higher quintile group of KDS showed a significantly lower level in fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, current smoking and drinking as well as higher leisure time activity, house income and education. Furthermore, the KDS quintile group of women was inversely associated with hypertension, osteoporosis and diabetes. A higher KDS quintile was characterized with a higher intake of several critical nutrients, such as Ca, Fe and vitamins as well as a desirable nutrition balance such as the ratio of macronutrients. Our results demonstrate that KDS is a beneficial tool in assessing the adherence to a healthy diet based on the Korean dietary guidelines. We suggest that KDS could be a useful indicator for evaluating the dietary balance of the Korean population.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.672-682
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• 2011

This study was conducted to examine the differences in perceived body weight and image and various lifestyles based on the self-rated health of university students when gender was adjusted. Five hundred fifty-five participants were asked their perceived health condition, and 58, 289, 160 and 48 students answered themselves as "very healthy", "healthy", "normal", and "unhealthy", respectively. As compared to the other 3 groups, "unhealthy" group showed higher proportions in dissatisfaction of body weight and negative perception of body image (P < 0.01). As health related lifestyles, "very healthy" group reported longer sleeping time than "unhealthy" group (P < 0.05), and had a higher proportion of people with regular exercise. Among the dietary behaviors, the frequencies of followings significantly different among the groups: "Regularity of meal time" (P < 0.01), "Eat protein foods more than twice a day" (P < 0.001), "Eat vegetables" (P < 0.01), "Eat fruit and fruit juice" (P < 0.01), "Eat vegetable oil added foods" (P < 0.01), "Eat seaweed" (P < 0.01), "Eat breakfast" (P < 0.01), "Modulation in animal fat and high in cholesterol intake" (P < 0.01). Particularly, higher proportion of subjects answered "very healthy" had higher frequencies (6-7 times/week) of these dietary behaviors. Overall results suggest that healthy lifestyle including adequate sleeping time, regular exercise, and good dietary behaviors might be potential factors affecting positive perception of health. In addition, positive perception of body weight and image were related with positive perception of health.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.38-53
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Abdominal obesity is associated with metabolic disorders, and, in recent years, its prevalence in Korea has continuously increased. The change of lifestyle, particularly diet, is critical for the reduction of abdominal obesity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention focused on dietary self-efficacy and behaviors on the improvement of abdominal obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Abdominally obese adults with additional cardiovascular risk factors were recruited through 16 medical facilities in South Korea from the year 2013 to 2014. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: an intensive intervention group (IG) that received a multi-component intervention to reduce abdominal obesity, by mainly focusing on dietary attitude and dietary behavior change, and a minimal information intervention group (MG) that received a brief explanation of health status and a simple recommendation for a lifestyle change. The interventions were provided for 6 mon, and health examinations were conducted at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-mon follow-ups. A path analysis was conducted to identify the process governing the changes in abdominal obesity. RESULTS: The IG showed an improvement in self-efficacy for eating control and diet quality at 6-mon follow-up. Abdominal obesity improved in both groups. Waist circumference was observed to be decreased through the path of "improved self-efficacy for eating control in food availability-eating restriction-improved dietary quality" in IG. Most changes in follow-ups were not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The intensive program targeting the modification of dietary behavior influenced management of abdominal obesity, and the effect occurred through a step-by-step process of change in attitude and behavior. Generally, improvements were also seen in the MG, which supports the necessity of regular health check-ups and brief consultation. The results can be used for further development and implementation of more successful interventions.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.191-205
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• 2010

This study investigated the rates and reasons for breakfast skipping according to gender, age, and lifestyle related factors in Korean adults. The survey was conducted using questionnaires and the subjects included 1148 male and female adults aged 19-64. The rate of breakfast skipping (frequency of eating breakfast under 4 times/week) was 41.20% of the total subjects. The breakfast skipping rate of the male subjects was significantly higher than that of the female subjects (p < 0.001). As age and household income decreased, the breakfast skipping rate increased. Residents in small cities more frequently skipped breakfast than those in larger cities. The main reason for breakfast skipping was "lack of time for the preparation and consumption of food" and this reason was especially higher for office workers and younger adults among the participants. In addition, the proportion of habitual breakfast skippers increased with age. Among the answers regarding the person who prepares breakfast in their households, the highest proportion was for "family members" in the males and "myself" for the females. Of breakfast skippers, 77.63% answered that they consumed breakfast substitutes such as breads, dairy and fruits/vegetables. To summarize the results, the gender, age and lifestyle factors of adults were significantly related to the rates and reasons for breakfast skipping. Therefore, to reduce breakfast skipping in Korean adults, a differentiated nutritional education approach relative to gender, age, and lifestyle is needed along with the development of balanced breakfast substitutes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2007-2017
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• 2016

Background: Modifying lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise can reduce the risk of cancer. Psychological stress (PS) might be indirectly associated with cancer because it alters lifestyle factors. However, the relationship among these variables has not been fully investigated. Thus, we examined interactions between self-reported PS (SRPS) and habitual exercise on diet. Materials and Methods: In all, 5,587 men and 2,718 women were divided into "exerciser" and :non-exerciser" groips, based on whether they exercised reguarly, and classified into three SRPS levels: low, moderate and high. Diet was estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Using a general linear model, food and nutrient consumption was estimated for each SRPS level in the 2 exercise groups, and the interactions between SRPS levels and exercise were calculated. Results: In women, the intake of pork and beef, low fat milk and yogurt, natto (fermented soybean), carrots and squash, other root vegetables, mushrooms, seaweeds, and wine along with the nutrients vegetable protein, soluble, insoluble and total dietary fiber, daidzein, genistein, carotene, retinol equivalents, vitamin B2, pantothenic acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron demonstrated significant interaction with SRPS and habitual exercise (p for interaction <0.05). In men, raw and green leafy vegetable and fruit and vegetable juice significantly interacted with SRPS and habitual exercise (p for interaction <0.05). Conclusions: We suggest that certain foods and nutrients, which are thought to have a protective effect against cancer, interact with SRPS and habitual exercise, especially in women. This information is valuable for understanding and improving interventions for cancer prevention.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1039-1048
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• 2007

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of coronary heart disease risk factors in healthy men and women. Method: The subjects of this study were 346 people (173 men and women aged 20 years and over) who received health screenings. Data was collected from December 1, 2005 to February 28, 2006. The FANTASTIC Lifestyle Assessment Inventory except smoking and the Framingham risk score of subjects were investigated. Data was analyzed by descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS 10.0 program. Results: The mean score of the lifestyle of the women (64.24) was higher than that of the men (59.12). The mean score of the risk of coronary heart disease of the men (5.28%) was higher than that of the women (0.28%). The framingham risk for men was significantly related to lifestyle such as dietary habit, use of caffeine and drugs, anxiety and depression, job satisfaction, and closeness with family. The main predictors of framingham risk for men and women were 'use of caffeine and drugs', and 'menopause' which explained 16.5%, and 30.7% respectively. Conclusion: Since lifestyles can be changed with effort, coronary heart disease can be prevented while people are healthy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.42-52
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• 2022

This study aimed to investigate the association of lifestyle with the copy number of periodontal pathogens. This retrospective study collected electronic health records of 102 subjects with periodontitis, including reports of bacterial genetic tests and lifestyle questionnaires. The five pathogens were analyzed as follows: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia, and Fusobacterium nucleatum. The lifestyle questionnaire included age, sex, oral hygiene management, smoking, drinking, exercise, dietary, snacks, water intake, and sleeping time. An independent t-test or ANOVA was performed to compare the copy number of periodontal pathogens according to lifestyle (α=0.05). The copy numbers of P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum were significantly higher than those of other strains. The copy number of T. forsythia in patients who exercised was 54% lower than in those who did not (p=0.009). Other lifestyle factors did not affect the number of bacteria. Exercise habits among the lifestyles showed a association with the number of specific oral bacteria. This result suggests that a lifestyle questionnaire is essential in clinical situation and necessary to prevent and treat the periodontal disease effectively.