• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.278-287
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Diet plays an important role in growth and development of children. However, dietary intakes of children living in either rural or urban areas can be influenced by household income. This cross-sectional study examined energy, nutrient and food group intakes of 749 urban children (1-10 years old) by household income status. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Children's dietary intakes were obtained using food recall and record for two days. Diet adequacy was assessed based on recommended intakes of energy and nutrients and food group servings. RESULTS: For toddlers, all nutrients except dietary fiber (5.5 g) exceeded recommended intakes. Among older children (preschoolers and school children), calcium (548 mg, 435 mg) and dietary fiber (7.4 g, 9.4 g) did not meet recommendations while percentage of energy from total fat and saturated fats exceeded 30% and 10%, respectively. The mean sodium intakes of preschoolers (1,684 mg) and school children (2,000 mg) were relatively high. Toddlers in all income groups had similar energy and nutrient intakes and percentages meeting the recommended intakes. However, low income older children had lowest intakes of energy (P < 0.05) and most nutrients (P < 0.05) and highest proportions that did not meet recommended energy and nutrient intakes. For all food groups, except milk and dairy products, all age groups had mean intakes below the recommended servings. Compared to middle and high income groups, low income preschoolers had the lowest mean intake of fruits (0.07 serving), meat/poultry (0.78 serving) and milk/dairy products (1.14 serving) while low income toddlers and school children had the least mean intake of fruits (0.09 serving) and milk/dairy products (0.54 serving), respectively. CONCLUSION: Low socioeconomic status, as indicated by low household income, could limit access to adequate diets, particularly for older children. Parents and caregivers may need dietary guidance to ensure adequate quantity and quality of home food supply and foster healthy eating habits in children.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.237-246
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• 2016

Objectives: To investigate the effect of a worksite-based dietary intervention program for the management of metabolic syndrome (MS) among male employees. Methods: A dietary intervention program combining individual and environmental approach was implemented targeting white-collar employees at a worksite located in Seoul for 10 weeks. Out of 104 employees having agreed to participate in the program, those having three or more out of five components of MS and having two components, including a waist circumference component were classified into "the high risk group" (n=41) and received group nutrition education and individual nutrition counseling three times each. The rest of the study subjects were considered as "the low risk group" (n=63). The food environment at the worksite, where both the high and low risk groups were exposed, was changed to promote healthy eating. Physical data including MS components were collected and a questionnaire on dietary behaviors was administered before and after the intervention. The data from the high risk group (n=17) and the low risk group (n=20), excluding the subjects ineligible for or failed to complete the study (n=67), were analyzed. The difference before and after intervention was tested for significance by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, and HbA1c and the healthy dietary practice score improved significantly after intervention in the high risk group. The median number of MS components decreased significantly from 3.0 to 1.0 in the high risk group. In the low risk group, only HbA1c significantly decreased. Conclusions: The 10-week worksite-based dietary intervention program combining individual and environmental approach was found to be effective for managing MS of male employees.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.60-72
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in eating-out, dietary life styles, and healthy dietary competencies among middle-aged consumers according to obesity status and gender for implications of consumer education. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2016 Food Consumption Behavior Survey, and 3,022 subjects (mail 1,388; female 1,634) who were middle-aged adults were investigated. Analysis of variance with $Scheff\acute{e}$ test, t-test, $x^2$-test, and factor analysis were performed using SPSS v.24. Results: Males showed less interest in diet than females. For both males and females, higher BMI degrees were associated with higher levels of interest in diet. For frequency, monthly average consumption expenditure, one-time cost for eating out, and drinking frequency, males showed higher levels than females. Especially for the male group, higher obesity status was associated with higher levels of eating out and drinking. Dietary lifestyles of males and females turned out to be very similar. For the male group, normal weight group was more likely to show 'health and high quality pursuit dietary life-style' than the other groups. For females, the normal weight group were more likely to show 'health and high quality pursuit dietary life-style' and 'safety pursuit dietary life-style' than the other groups. The level of 'healthy dietary competence' for females was found to be higher than that for males. For the female group, there were significant differences according to obesity status, and practice was more important than knowledge in determining a healthy dietary life. Conclusion: For dietary life-related education for obese middle-aged consumers, it is important to emphasize less eating-out and drinking and less overeating while eating-out based on the results that eating-out, drinking, and overeating in the obesity group were significantly higher than in the normal group. It is important to focus on the value of dietary life and diverse foods, based on the results that the obesity group was less likely to be have healthy dietary lifestyles and consume less diverse foods than the normal group.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.555-563
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• 1999

This study was executed for 300 mothers bringing up a child below 3 years in the area of Kangnung to assess the current weaning practice of infants. 24.6% of mother surveyed were breast-fed, 57.8% were formula-fed and 17.5% were mixed-fed. The rate of breast feeding was lower and the rate of bottle feeding was higher in infants whose mothers had more income or higher educational period or full-time job. Most of the respondents knew the significance of supplementary food. 41.4% of the subjects started weaning of their infants at 3-4 months, and 84.1% of them set on weaning in less than 7 months after babies were born. And 39.4% of the subjects finished weaning of their infants in less than one year. The infants of this study preferred the fruits and fishes to meats, vegetables and beans that served to them as supplementary food. Mothers showed deep interest in recipe of weaning food(48.5%), adequate quantity of weaning food(36.3%), information on commercial food for infants(32.2%), and sequence in which semi-solid food are introduced(31.9%). From these results, it is suggested that education program in primary health center for improvement of weaning practice of infants should be implemented reflecting needs of mothers.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.58-70
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to investigate children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and the degree of keeping the Dietary Guidelines of children and their mothers and to further examine the relationships between children and mothers. Methods: The subjects were 281 children from 4th to 6th grade in an elementary school located in Gwangju and their mothers. Results: NQ of the children was $66.8{\pm}14.2$, which was in the third (medium) grade. Among the five factors, the scores for Moderation and Diversity were in the second (high) grade, but those for Regularity, Practice, and Balance were in the third grade. Children of non-working mothers had significantly higher scores for NQ and Balance than those of working mothers. Children of mothers with age over 40 had a significantly higher score on Diversity than those with mothers under age 40. Children of mothers with higher education showed higher score for Regularity than those with lower education. Children from high-income families had higher score for Moderation. The score for children keeping the Dietary Guidelines was $78.8{\pm}10.5$ and children of non-working mothers showed higher score than those of working mothers. The score for mothers practicing the Dietary Guidelines was $80.6{\pm}9.4$ and non-working mothers and mothers with age over 40 had higher score. Children's NQ showed significant correlation with the score for keeping the Dietary Guidelines for children (r = 0.789, p < 0.001) and also with that of mothers (r = 0.235, p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results show that NQ of elementary school children in Gwangju is in the medium grade, the degree of practicing the Dietary Guidelines for children is pretty fair, and these factors are influenced by their mother's socioeconomic characteristics such as employment, age, education, and family income.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Despite the importance of a low-iodine diet (LID) for thyroid cancer patients preparing for radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy, few studies have evaluated dietary intake during LID. This study evaluated the amount of dietary iodine intake and its major food sources during a typical diet and during LID periods for thyroid cancer patients preparing for RAI therapy, and examined how the type of nutrition education of LID affects iodine intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 92 differentiated thyroid cancer patients with total thyroidectomy were enrolled from Seoul National University Hospital. All subjects completed three days of dietary records during usual and low-iodine diets before $^{131}I$ administration. RESULTS: The median iodine intake was $290{\mu}g/day$ on the usual diet and $63.2{\mu}g/day$ on the LID. The major food groups during the usual diet were seaweed, salted vegetables, fish, milk, and dairy products and the consumption of these foods decreased significantly during LID. The mean energy intake on the LID was 1,325 kcal, which was 446 kcal lower than on the usual diet (1,771 kcal). By avoiding iodine, the intake of most other nutrients, including sodium, was significantly reduced during LID (P < 0.005). Regarding nutritional education, intensive education was more effective than a simple education at reducing iodine intake. CONCLUSION: Iodine intake for thyroid cancer patients was significantly reduced during LID and was within the recommended amount. However, the intake of most other nutrients and calories was also reduced. Future studies are needed to develop a practical dietary protocol for a LID in Korean patients.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.516-523
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine relationships between dietary habits and intakes of antioxidants and B vitamins and the risk of ischemic stroke, and to compare dietary factors according to the presence of cerebral artery atherosclerosis and stroke subtypes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 147 patients and 144 control subjects were recruited consecutively in the metropolitan area of Seoul, Korea. Sixty participants each in the case and control groups were included in analyses after 1:1 frequency matching. In addition, 117 acute ischemic stroke patients were classified into subtypes according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) guidelines. Dietary intake was measured using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire composed of 111 food items and plasma lipid and homocysteine levels were analyzed. RESULTS: When compared with control subjects, stroke patients had unfavorable dietary behaviors and lower intakes of fruits ($73.1{\pm}83.2g$ vs. $230.9{\pm}202.1g$, P < 0.001), vegetables ($221.1{\pm}209.0g$ vs. $561.7{\pm}306.6g$, P < 0.001), and antioxidants, including vitamins C, E, $B_6$, ${\beta}$-carotene, and folate. The intakes of fruits, vegetables, vitamin C, and folate were inversely associated with the risk of ischemic stroke after adjusting for confounding factors. Intakes of vegetables, vitamins C, $B_6$, $B_{12}$, and folate per 1,000 kcal were lower in ischemic stroke with cerebral atherosclerosis than in those without. Overall vitamin $B_{12}$ intake per 1,000 kcal differed according to the TOAST classification (P = 0.004), but no differences among groups existed based on the post-hoc test. CONCLUSIONS: When compared with control subjects, ischemic stroke patients, particularly those with cerebral atherosclerosis, had unfavorable dietary intake, which may have contributed to the development of ischemic stroke. These results indicate that proper dietary recommendations are important for the prevention of ischemic stroke.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.224-232
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to identify the dietary patterns associated with the risk of hypertensions among Korean adults using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2008-2010). This study analyzes data from 11,883 subjects who participated in the health and nutrition survey, aging from 20 to 64 years. We performed factor analysis based on the weekly mean intake frequencies of 36 food groups to identify major dietary patterns. We identified three major dietary patterns in both sexes, namely "traditional", "western" and "dairy and carbohydrate" patterns. Participants in the highest quartile of western pattern scores had significantly higher blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels than those in the lowest quartile. Although not statistically significant, a trend (P for trend = 0.0732) toward a positive association between the western dietary pattern and hypertension risk was observed after adjustments for age, sex, education, income, body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, and energy intake. The dairy and carbohydrate pattern was inversely related with BMI and blood pressures and positively associated with serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. After adjusting the age, sex, education, income, BMI, smoking, physical activity and energy intake, the dairy and carbohydrate pattern showed inverse associations with hypertension prevalence (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.55-0.75; P for trend < 0.0001). Intakes of fiber, sodium, and antioxidant vitamins were significantly higher in the top quartile for the traditional pattern than in the lowest quartile for the traditional pattern (P for trend < 0.0001). Intakes of fiber (P for trend < 0.0001), calcium (P for trend < 0.0001), retinol (P for trend = 0.0164), vitamin $B_1$ (P for trend = 0.001), vitamin $B_2$ (P for trend < 0.0001), niacin (P for trend = 0.0025), and vitamin C (P for trend < 0.0001) were significantly increased across quartiles for the dairy and carbohydrate pattern whereas sodium (P for trend < 0.0001) intake was decreased for this pattern. In conclusion, the dairy and carbohydrate pattern may be associated with a reduced risk of hypertension whereas the western pattern may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension among Korean adults.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the question whether the composition of supposedly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' dietary regimes has a calorie-independent short-term effect on biomarkers of metabolic stress and vascular risk in healthy individuals. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Healthy male volunteers (age $29.5{\pm}5.9years$, n = 39) were given a standardized baseline diet for two weeks before randomization into three groups of different dietary regimes: fast food, Mediterranean and German cooking style. Importantly, the amount of calories consumed per day was identical in all three groups. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and metabolic stress after two weeks of the baseline diet and after two weeks of the assigned dietary regime. RESULTS: No dietary intervention affected the metabolic or cardiovascular risk profile when compared in-between groups or compared to baseline. Subjects applied to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant increase of uric acid compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. Plasma concentrations of urea were significantly higher in both the fast food group and the Mediterranean group, when compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. No significant differences were detected for the levels of vitamins, trace elements or metabolic stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and methylglyoxal, a potent glycating agent). Established parameters of vascular risk (e.g. LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine) were not significantly changed in-between groups or compared to baseline during the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: The calorie-controlled dietary intervention caused neither protective nor harmful short-term effects regarding established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk. When avoiding the noxious effects of overfeeding, healthy individuals can possess the metabolic capacity to compensate for a potentially disadvantageous composition of a certain diet.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.365-373
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To assess the longitudinal associations of the antioxidant capacity of zinc and body mass index (BMI) with serum uric acid (SUA) in South Korean children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using follow-up data from the Ewha Birth and Growth Cohort, we included subjects who were seen at 3 and 7 years of age (n = 183; 90 boys, 93 girls). Daily zinc intake and BMI were assessed at 3 and 7 years of age. SUA measured at 7 years was used as the outcome variable. Using a general linear model, the effects of dietary zinc intake and BMI on SUA were assessed. We also assessed the combined effect of early dietary zinc intake and BMI on SUA in children. RESULTS: The dietary zinc intake at 3 years of age was negatively correlated (ρ = -0.18, P = 0.04), whereas the BMI at 7 years of age was positively correlated (r = 0.18, P = 0.01), with the SUA level at 7 years of age. The dietary zinc intake level at 3 years of age and the BMI level at 7 years of age were, together, significantly related to SUA in children at 7 years of age. SUA was lower in group 1 (normal-weight, high-zinc group) than in the other two groups (group 2: normal-weight, low-zinc and overweight, high-zinc group; and group 3: overweight, low-zinc group). Our results demonstrate the combined effect of zinc intake and BMI on SUA. The combined association remained significant in both the crude and adjusted models (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: SUA was related to combined BMI and dietary zinc intake, and increased zinc intake and normal body weight had a beneficial effect on reducing SUA in children.