• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.523-529
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Commensality, eating together with others, is a major representation of human sociality. In recent time, environments around commensality have changed significantly due to rapid social changes, and the decline of commensality is perceived as a serious concern in many modern societies. This study employs a cross-cultural analysis of university students in two East Asian countries, and examines cross-cultural variations of perceptions and actual practices of commensality and solo-eating. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The analysis was drawn from a free-list survey and a self-administrative questionnaires of university students in urban Korea and Japan. The free-listing survey was conducted with a small cohort to explore common images and meanings of commensality and solo-eating. The self-administrative questionnaire was developed based on the result of the free-list survey, and conducted with a larger cohort to examine reasons and problems of practices and associated behaviors and food intake. RESULTS: We found that Korean subjects tended to show stronger associations between solo-eating and negative emotions while the Japanese subjects expressed mixed emotions towards the practice of solo-eating. In the questionnaire, more Korean students reported they prefer commensality and tend to eat more quantities when they eat commensally. In contrast, more Japanese reported that they do not have preference on commensality and there is no notable difference in food quantities when they eat commensally and alone. Compared to the general Korean cohort finding, more proportion of overweight and obese groups of Korean subjects reported that they tend to eat more when they are alone than normal and underweight groups. This difference was not found in the overweight Japanese subjects. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed cross-cultural variations of perceptions and practices of commensality and solo-eating in a non-western setting.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.911-922
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• 2016

This study was conducted to assess the recognition and consumption of meal alone and processed food according to major of college students in Seoul Metropolitan area and Chungcheong province, Republic of Korea. To accomplish this, a survey was conducted to investigate 353 college students (171 food & nutrition majors and 182 non-majors) regarding their general characteristics, dietary behaviors, meal alone issues, and the purchase and consumption of processed food. Most major and non-major students skipped breakfast. The main reason for skipping was not having time. Majors and non-majors put great importance on their lunch and evening meal, respectively. Nutrition information routes for majors were 'college class' (62.5%) and 'TV radio' (17.5%). However, the routes for non-majors to obtain nutrition information were 'internet smart phones' (41.1%) and 'TV radio' (28.3%). These results suggest the need to provide correct information concerning nutrition to college students. Most major and non-major students tend to have 0 to 2 times of meal alone per week. The main reason for meal alone was schedule unsuitable for eating with family or friends. The most critical factors for majors and non-majors when they chose menu to have meal alone were personal taste and money, respectively. The primary consideration for choosing processed food was price and the main purchase route was convenience store. The main reason for consuming processed food was easy-to-cook. Of processed foods, the most favored ones were noodles and fish products. Meal alone frequency was positively correlated with age (p<0.05), grade (p<0.05) and monthly allowance (p<0.05). Preference and consumption frequency of processed food were negatively correlated with concern about nutrition (p<0.05) and meal frequency (p<0.05), respectively. Based on these results, greater efforts should be made to provide meaningful information regarding programs for nutrition education to improve their dietary habits. Research and development of processed food specifically for college students eating alone should be increased.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.626-633
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the eating habits of obese elementary school students residing in Iksan city, in June 2006 using 1167 participants(obese: 233, normal weight: 934). The results are summarized as follows. The average age was 12 years-old in both the obese and normal weight groups. The average BMI, ideal body weight and obesity index in the obese and normal weight groups were $24.8kg/m^2$, 39.8 kg, and 32.5% and $18.2kg/m^2$, 37.7 kg and -1.4%, respectively. Regarding the number of subject who acknowledged their physical build, the obese group was highest(88.9%) in stating obese or extremely obese, while the normal group was highest(71.5%) in stating they were normal weight. For the frequency of eating breakfast, the obese group the results were: "eating it everyday"(69.1%) and $"3{\sim}4\;times/week"$ (13.7%), while in the normal weight group, the highest response was "eating it everyday"(75%) and the lowest response was "never eat it"(4.1%). In terms of having breakfast with someone, there were slight differences for eating alone between the obese group(17.4%) and normal group(12.4%) and also between the obese group(19.6%) and normal group (39.6%) for eating with parents. There were considerable gaps in the association of eating habits with weight such as having irregular meals in the obese group(52.4%) and having regular meals in the normal group(61.1%). The frequency of having snacks was different by the rate of obesity, where 65.9% of the obese group, and 57.8% of the normal group had snacks more than once. There were significant differences in the practice of controlling intake with the obese group at 77.3% and the normal group at 36.3%. There were high numbers regarding eating more than average in stressful times for both the obese group(10.3%) and normal group(7.7%). The results of this study show the prevalence of obesity in Iksan, and proper nutrition education is currently needed. Moreover, the greater the level of obesity, the higher the frequency of skipping breakfast, eating alone, and eating irregular meals, and the more experience in attempting to control weight. To resolve the problems triggered by inappropriate food habits, proper food and eating methods to control weight should be included in nutrition education programs for elementary students.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.378-388
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• 2019

This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality of breakfast among Korean school-aged children and adolescents depending on eating together as a family, based on the 2013-2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey. One day 24-hour recall data of 1,831 children and adolescents aged from 6 to 17 years were collected. The nutritional quality of breakfast was analyzed and compared between Family Breakfast Group (FBG, n=1,410) and Eating-alone Breakfast Group (EBG, n=421). The results showed that age, family structure, number of family members, and frequency of breakfast were associated with eating breakfast as a family. The calorie intake from breakfast explained 19% and 16% of the daily intake for FBG and EBG, respectively. The percentages of children and adolescents consuming Vitamin A, Vitamin $B_1$, Vitamin $B_2$, Vitamin C, Niacin, and Iron less than 1/4 of the Estimated Average Requirements were significantly lower in FBG than in EBG. The average numbers of serving for "Grains" and "Vegetables" food groups and the average Dietary Diversity Score were significantly higher in FBG than in EBG. Overall, the results indicated that eating breakfast as a family is positively associated with nutritional quality of breakfast among Korean school-aged children and adolescents.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2005

In order to investigate the differences in nutrient intakes and eating habits between people living alone and people living together with family or others by age group, dietary survey data of the subjects aged 20 years or older from 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed. Living status of the subjects was defined as 'single' when the subjects' household member was one person. Age, gender, income, education were adjusted during the comparative analysis. The subjects living alone had diets with lower score of nutritional adequacy ratio and lower quality, and drank more alcoholic beverages when compared with the subjects living together. Females were more greatly affected in dietary intakes by living alone situation than males. Of the four age groups, a group with ages from 30 to 39 years showed less nutrient intake patterns in persons living alone than in persons living together, but the rest three groups with ages from 20 to 29, from 50 to 64, and 65 or older did not show any significant differences. Eating habits of the subjects living alone, such as skipping meals, kinds of snacks, dining-out, were worse as a whole than the other. In conclusion, single living particularly of females or of 30 to 39 years of age group had negative influences on dietary intakes and behavior. There may be statistical errors if socioeconomic and demographic factors such as age, gender, income, and education are not controlled in the population study investigating the effect of living alone on dietary intakes. Further studies will be needed to know the age-specific reasons for the worse nutrient intakes of single living persons.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.392-401
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the dietary changes among adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea. An online survey was conducted to examine dietary changes before (in 2019) and during (in 2021) the pandemic. The data from 337 adults living alone who responded to the survey were used for analysis. The proportion of the respondents reporting frequent food consumption at convenience stores (≥3 times/week) increased during the pandemic (p=0.024), and the proportion of those frequently eating ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food (≥3 times/week) was more than doubled (p<0.001). Additionally, the proportion of those frequently consuming delivered food (≥3 times/week) increased by 2.5 times (p<0.001). In conclusion, the dietary habits of adults living alone changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a negative impact on their health. Therefore, the development of customized nutrition management programs to improve the dietary habits of adults living alone during emergencies like a pandemic is deemed necessary. This study can serve as a foundation for understanding the dietary changes of adults living alone in prolonged crisis.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.395-403
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• 2000

This study was carried out with 200 students of Chungbuk National University to investigate their dietary behavior and calcium intake and to find out variables among general characteristics of subjects which influence dietary behavior and calcium intake. Questionaires and interviews were used for data collection. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Dietary behavior of college students were not desirable as a whole. The percentages of skipping breakfast and irregular meal among students were over one third, respectively. Especially students living alone skipped breakfast more frequently, took their meals more irregularly, and their eating frequencies of 6 food groups were lower compared to students eating at home. 2) Calcium intake was significantly different according to gender. Mean calcium intake of male students was 744.0 mg/day and that of female students was 480.8 mg/day. Average %RDA of calcium intake of female students was 68.5%. Resource food contributing to calcium intake in the first order was milk, next was yogurt, Small anchovies, kimchi made with Chinese cabbage, ice cream and soybean curd in that order. From the results of this study, we found that the students living alone and female students are exposed to high risk of poor dietary behavior and undernutrition of calcium. In conclusion, nutrition education programs for them are required as soon as possible.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.152-164
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the association between depression and eating behavior factors in Korean adults. Methods: Study subjects were selected (n = 5,103) from the participants of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2018 and divided into depression (men, 59; women, 162) and normal groups (men, 2,083; women, 2,799). Subjects with a Patient Health Questionnaire 9 score ≥ 10 (out of 27 points) were defined as having depression. Results: A higher prevalence of depression was observed in both men and women who were unemployed (p < 0.001, p = 0.008), had lower income (both p < 0.001), poorer subjective health (both p < 0.001), and poor food safety (both p < 0.001). The prevalence of depression was higher in women with lower education levels (p = 0.008), who were unmarried (p = 0.010), smokers (p < 0.001), and in a one-person household (p = 0.001). Obese men showed a higher prevalence of depression (p = 0.009). Men who were eating alone or skipping lunch had a high prevalence of depression (p = 0.009), while women who were eating breakfast (p = 0.012), lunch (p = 0.001), and dinner (p = 0.010) alone had a high prevalence of depression. The relationship analysis between men and women according to dietary habits using logistic regression showed that, in women, after variable adjustment, skipping lunch (odds ratio [OR], 2.677; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.090-6.574), meal frequency of 2 times per day (OR, 1.658; 95% CI, 1.084-2.536), and lunch frequency of 3-4 times per week (OR, 3.143; 95% CI, 1.725-5.728) were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of depression. Conclusion: Depression in women was not only affected by more sociodemographic variables but also associated with decreased frequency of lunch and dinner, especially with skipping lunch.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.316-329
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between dietary quality based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), and the prevalence of chronic conditions among middle-aged individuals (40-60 yrs of age) living alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: The participants were selected (1,517 men and 2,596 women) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2018 and classified into single-person households (SPH) and multi-person households (MPH). Nutrient intake, KHEI, and the prevalence of chronic conditions were compared according to household size. The odds ratios (ORs) of chronic conditions were analyzed according to the tertile levels of KHEI by gender within each household size category. RESULTS: Men in SPH had a significantly lower total KHEI score (P < 0.0001) and a lower prevalence of obesity (OR, 0.576) than those in MPH. For men, the adjusted ORs for obesity, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia in the first tertile (T1) of KHEI scores within SPH compared with the third tertile (T3) were 4.625, 3.790, and 4.333, respectively. Moreover, the adjusted OR for hypertriglyceridemia in the T1 group compared to the T3 group within the MPH was 1.556. For women, the adjusted ORs for obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in T1 compared to T3 within the SPH were 3.223 and 7.134, respectively, and 1.573 and 1.373 for obesity and hypertension, respectively, within MPH. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy eating index was associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults. Greater adherence to a healthy eating index could lower the risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults living alone.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.576-583
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to estimate the influence of the determinants for home meal replacement (HMR) purchase frequency before and after COVID-19. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to the 2018~2020 Consumer Behavior Survey for Food data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI). Gender, age, number of households, monthly income, use of eating out, delivery and takeout order service, HMR food safety concern, the frequency of cooking at home, grocery shopping, and eating alone were applied as the explanatory variables to explain HMR purchase frequency. The results are as below. Compared to the previous year, the growth rate of HMR purchase frequency in 2020 was relatively high, indicating that the COVID-19 outbreak acted as a catalyst. Unlike in 2018 and 2019, there was no statistical difference in the HMR purchase frequency between single- and multi-person households in 2020, with indicating multi-person households began to emerge as one of the major HMR consumption groups. Unlike 2018, the 2020 HMR purchase frequency showed a statistically positive relationship with those of grocery shopping and eating alone. There was a positive relationship between the frequency of eating out/food delivery orders and HMR purchases. The more often cooking at home occurred, the less HMR food was purchased.