• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.397-407
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• 2017

This study was conducted to explore socio-demographic influences on eating behaviors among adolescents in Korea. Data were obtained from the Eleventh Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2015 KYRBS), a nationwide representative sample of 3,532,149 middle and high school students. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, t-test, and logistic regression based on complex sample design using SPSS 20.0 statistics. The results showed that intake frequency of soda, fast food, and instant noodles was higher in male than female students (P<0.001). Additionally, the frequency of eating breakfast, fruits, vegetables, and milk was higher among high school students than middle school students (P<0.001). Higher levels of economic status were associated with less skipping breakfast. Adolescents with mothers that had higher levels of education were more likely to be frequent consumers of fruits, vegetables, and milk, and to eat breakfast.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2018

Purpose: For 3 consecutive years from 2012-2014, we analyzed the causative factors for why the Jeju Island had the highest obesity prevalences of school children among the 15 provinces in Korea. Methods: From our analysis of 28,026 elementary school children with obesity or normal weight in the 15 provinces, we analyzed 12 factors related to eating habits, exercise habits, lifestyle, and mental health. The differences between the obese and normal weight children were researched. Finally, Jeju was compared with Seoul, which has the lowest obesity prevalence in school age children. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi square test of PASW Statistics ver. 18.0. Results: Compared to the normal weight group, the obese group had significantly higher rates of consuming soft drinks (p<0.001), fast food intake (p=0.019), skipping breakfast (p<0.001), insufficient sleep (p<0.001), bullying experiences (p=0.001) and runaway impulses (p=0.012). Compared to Seoul, Jeju Island had significantly higher rates of Ramen intake (3.4% vs. 5.4%, p=0.021) and meat intake (46.0% vs. 52.9%, p=0.003). On the other hand, Jeju Island was significantly lower than was Seoul in their fruit intake (83.4% vs. 67.1%, p<0.001), vegetable intake (71.4% vs. 64.2%, p=0.001), and intense physical activity (63.4% vs. 47.7%, p<0.001). Meanwhile, insufficient sleep (15.4% vs. 9.6%, p<0.001) and runaway impulses (5.6% vs. 3.3%, p=0.027) in children were significantly lower in Jeju Island than in Seoul. Conclusion: The results of the obesity factor analysis of elementary school students in Jeju Island can be used as useful educational material for lowering the obesity prevalence in Jeju community.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2012

This study was conducted to identify dietary factors that may affect the occurrence of gastric cancer in Koreans. Preoperative daily nutrition intake and diet quality of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer were evaluated. Collected data were comparatively analyzed by gender. The results were then used to prepare basic materials to aid in the creation of a desirable postoperative nutrition management program. The subjects of this study were 812 patients (562 men and 250 women) who were diagnosed with gastric cancer and admitted for surgery at Soonchunhyang University Hospital between January 2003 and December 2010. Nutrition intake and diet quality were evaluated by the 24-hr recall method, the nutrient adequacy ratio, mean adequacy ratio (MAR), nutrient density (ND), index of nutritional quality (INQ), dietary variety score (DVS), and dietary diversity score (DDS). The rate of skipping meals and eating fast, alcohol consumption, and smoking were significantly higher in males than those in females. The levels of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, niacin, and cholesterol consumption were significantly higher in males than those in females. Intake of fiber, zinc, vitamin A, retinol, carotene, folic acid were significantly higher in females than those in males. MAR in males was significantly higher (0.83) than that in females (0.79). INQ values were higher in females for zinc, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$, vitamin $B_6$, and folic acid than those in males. The average DVS was 17.63 for females and 13.19 for males. The average DDS was 3.68 and the male's average score was 3.44, whereas the female's average score was 3.92. In conclusion, males had more dietary habit problems and poor nutritional balance than those of females. Our findings suggest that proper nutritional management and adequate dietary education for the primary prevention of gastric cancer should be emphasized in men.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.1243-1252
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• 2017

There are limited programs for low sodium intake based on the nutrition education model for housewives who cook family meals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of model-based nutrition programs for low sodium intake among housewives residing in Seoul by incorporating social cognitive theory. A questionnaire survey before and after education was conducted on 140 housewives who participated in the 'Low Sodium Nutritional Education Program' delivered by a district public health center for 12 weeks from November 2015 to January 2016. The contents of the nutrition education program and program evaluation items were based on the action plans for 'Less Sodium Healthy Practice' suggested by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The results show that program participants showed a lower preference for sodium, higher selection of low sodium dishes from restaurants or cafeteria if available, and increased awareness of the need of restaurants to serve low sodium dishes compared to before. In terms of behavioral changes, there were significant improvements in checking nutrition labeling and selection of foods with low sodium, use of low sodium food products, use of natural seasonings to reduce salt intake, and consumption of fast foods and processed foods. On the other hand, requesting less salty meals when ordering and introducing restaurants or cafeterias with healthy and low sodium menus turned out to be difficult to put into practice. In conclusion, the nutrition education program for sodium intake reduction for housewives was effective in increasing knowledge, environment recognition, and behaviors related to low sodium intake but not behaviors related to physical environmental factors. Therefore, further nutrition education programs and practices for sodium intake reduction should be comprehensively implemented with improvement of physical environments for low sodium intake.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.350-360
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• 2017

Purpose: This study examined and compared the associations of the iron status and food intake with the blood lead, mercury, and cadmium concentrations among Korean adolescent girls, premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women. Methods: The data from the 2010~2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) was used. The subjects were classified into three groups: adolescent girls (n = 268), premenopausal women (n = 1,157), and postmenopausal women (n = 446). The iron status was assessed by hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum ferritin, and iron concentrations, as well as the total iron binding capacity (TIBC). The food intake was estimated by a food frequency questionnaire. Results: The blood heavy metal concentrations and poisoning rate in postmenopausal women were higher than in the other groups. The iron status in the adolescent girls and postmenopausal women was higher than that in the premenopausal women. In the adolescent girls, the iron status was inversely associated with the blood cadmium concentration. The dairy food intake was inversely related to the blood lead and cadmium concentrations. In premenopausal women, the iron status was inversely associated with the cadmium concentrations. The fish and shellfish food intakes were positively associated with the mercury concentrations. In postmenopausal women, the iron status was positively associated with the mercury and cadmium concentrations. Fast foods and fried foods were inversely associated with the lead concentration. Conclusion: The premenopausal women showed a lower iron status than the adolescent girls and postmenopausal women. The associations of the iron status with the blood heavy metal concentrations were different among the adolescent girls, premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women. In addition, the relationships of the food intakes with the blood heavy metal concentrations differed among adolescent girls, premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women. Further studies will be needed to confirm these findings.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.579-589
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the eating habit, body image, and weight control behavior by BMI in Korean female high school students. Data on the 16,574 subjects was obtained from the sixth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2010). Only 52.2% of the subjects had regular breakfast. The rate of skipping breakfast was higher in the underweight group than in the obese group, but the rate of skipping dinner was on the contrary to this. Underweight students had a higher intake frequency of fruits, fast food, instant noodle, and snacks than the obese groups. 3.5% of underweight students considered themselves to be overweight or obese. 53.4% of obese students considered themselves to be overweight. The experience of weight control increased according to BMI, but underweight students considered weight control as an effort to be slimmer. Meal restriction was used more frequently to control weight. The perceived stress level was higher in obese student, especially due to appearance. Therefore, an appropriate, integrated and personalized high school nutrition program should be established for proper body image perception and to develop the self-esteem of female high school students.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2020

In this study, a survey was conducted among university students (119 men and 134 women) in Chungbuk province using questionnaires to investigate the variables and eating patterns related to the use of food delivery apps. A survey was conducted from March 22, 2019 to April 3, 2019. Of the total respondents, 77.2% reported that they had ordered food at least once using food delivery apps on smartphones. Further, 63.3% of the total subjects had ordered food delivery through smartphone apps once or twice a month, and the most preferred cuisine for food delivery was fast food, followed by Bunsik (Korean street food/snack), western food, and Chinese food. The average satisfaction scorefor food delivery apps was 3.8 points, and the satisfaction score was the highest with the convenient ordering process (4.0), followed by good taste (3.9) and good portion (3.8). The subjects who used smartphone food delivery apps three times or more a month showed a significantly higher frequency of instant food intake (p=0.0132), dining out (p=0.0282), and late-night eating (p=0.0047) than the subjects who ordered food using delivery apps less than three times a month. In conclusion, these study results may be applied as baseline data for dietary education among university students.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.318-327
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• 2008

This study examined the cultural dietary habits as well as attitudes toward food, within other life pattern elements, of students living in Gwangju City and Chonnam Province, Korea. Questionnaires from 1,000 student respondents were analyzed. The survey consisted of questions regarding physical condition and health status, dietary consciousness, food preference, knowledge of food and nutrition, and dietary culture. The results showed that 1.6% of the students considered their own physical condition to be extremely poor, and 2.7% and 2.1% also considered their father's and mother's physical conditions as extremely poor, respectively. Among the respondents, 18.3% were smokers and consumed an average of 14.8 cigarettes per day. With regard to their dietary habits, the students answered that they preferred to eat meals with friends rather than with family members, fruit was chosen for eating over health food supplements, and there was very little participation or interest in various food and cultural festivals. The female students had a tendency to alleviate mental stresses by eating, while the male students performed more physical activity to deal with stress. The female students also preferred cereal, fruit, fast food, and sweetened foods more than the male students. Between the smokers and non-smokers, significantly more non-smokers chose fruit (p<0.01), ethnic foods (p<0.05), and sweetened foods (p<0.05) as compared to the smokers. Body mass index (BMI) had significant positive correlations with soft drink (p<0.01), health food supplement (p<0.01), and alcoholic beverage (p<0.001) consumption, while BMI was negatively correlated with cereal (p<0.01), fruit (p<0.001), and sweetened food (p<0.01) intake. The health status of students was positively correlated with their father's health status (p<0.01), mother's health status (p<0.001), and BMI (p<0.05), as well as cereal (p<0.001), high protein side dish (p<0.01), fruit (p<0.01), vegetable (p<0.01), and traditional food (p<0.001) intake. The average body weight for female students was approximately 5 kg less than the Korean Nutrition Society's standardized weight, therefore, it is strongly recommended that measures be taken to develop a systematic nutrition education program that would help those students who often unintentionally skip breakfast or go on extreme diets to improve body image.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.546-554
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of sugar reduction, nutrition education, and frequency of snacking in children according to the self-perceived dietary preferences for sweet taste by mothers in Busan. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 277 mothers were surveyed, and their perceptions of sugar reduction and the frequency of snacking in children were assessed using a questionnaire. The subjects were classified into either a sweet (n = 91) or an unsweet (n = 186) group according to their self-perceived preferences for a sweet taste. RESULTS: In the sweet group, the results for sweet products were sweetened ice (86.8%), confectionery (74.7%), processed milk (73.6%), carbonated beverages (71.4%), and fermented milk (53.9%). In the unsweet group, the results were sweetened ice (88.7%), carbonated beverages (78.5%), processed milk (75.8%), confectionery (69.4%), and fermented milk (50.5%). The necessity of sugar intake reduction was high in both groups (sweet = 89.0%, unsweet = 82.8%). Beverage purchases after identifying the nutrition labeling was significantly lower in the sweet group than in the unsweet group (P < 0.05). The reasons for the beverage purchases instead of water were "habitually" (50.5%) and "like sweet taste" (25.3%) in the sweet group (P < 0.01). Snacking in children was significantly higher in the sweet group based on the increased frequencies of carbonated drinks (P < 0.01), fast food (P < 0.001), candy and chocolate (P < 0.05), crackers (P < 0.01), ramen (P < 0.01), and fish paste/hotdogs (P < 0.01). The frequency of purchase education after identifying the nutrition labeling was significantly lower in the sweet group than in the unsweet group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a perception of sugar reduction and practical nutrition education aimed at reducing the sugar intake are necessary to improve dietary habits.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to provide basic information for developing nutrition education programs for preschool children and their families. The subjects were 291 parents whose children went to daycare centers in Uiwang. The questionnaire contained 15 items for children's dietary habits and six items for parents' nutritional attitudes. The results of frequency analysis of children's dietary habits were as follows: 63.9% of children ate meals regularly, however breakfast (46.4%) was usually skipped; 44.0% of children ate a snack more than twice per day; 56.7% did not have late night meals; 49.5% ate out once to twice per week; 89.7% had dinner with family more than three times per week; and 43.6% had picky eating habits. The percentage of children who did not eat vegetables and seaweed was the highest among other food groups. Intake frequencies were low in fatty foods, instant foods, and fast foods. Some correlations were observed between picky eating habits and other dietary habits by cross-tabulation analysis. Intake frequency of non-picky eating children was lower for late night eating and fatty foods but higher for vegetables and seaweed compared to picky eating children. Parents answered that their nutritional knowledge level was normal (72.2%), and nutritional information was collected using the Internet (36.0%). Nutritional value was the most considered point in meal preparation of parents (43.3%), and the most difficult factor in child's diet management was lack of time due to working (36.1%). Parents cited method of creating a menu (27.0%) and table manners (25.3%) as topics of nutrition education by professionals. Therefore, various nutrition education programs need to be developed to improve healthy dietary habits for children and their families.