• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.100-105
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• 2021

Contactless service is rapidly emerging as a new growth strategy due to consumers who are reluctant to the face-to-face situation in the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and various technologies are being developed to support the fast-growing contactless service market. In particular, the restaurant industry is one of the most desperate industrial fields requiring technologies for contactless service, and the representative technical case should be a kiosk, which has the advantage of reducing labor costs for the restaurant owners and provides psychological relaxation and satisfaction to the customer. In this paper, we propose a solution to the restaurant's store operation through the unmanned kiosk using a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) technology of image recognition. Especially, for the products that do not have barcodes in bakeries, fresh foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.), and autonomous restaurants on highways, which cause increased labor costs and many hassles, our proposed system should be very useful. The proposed system recognizes products without barcodes on the ground of image-based AI algorithm technology and makes automatic payments. To test the proposed system feasibility, we established an AI vision system using a commercial camera and conducted an image recognition test by training object detection AI models using donut images. The proposed system has a self-learning system with mismatched information in operation. The self-learning AI technology allows us to upgrade the recognition performance continuously. We proposed a fully automated payment system with AI vision technology and showed system feasibility by the performance test. The system realizes contactless service for self-checkout in the restaurant business area and improves the cost-saving in managing human resources.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.248-265
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the dietary behaviors of preschool children using the nutrition quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P) and analyzed the difference in the scores of the children's dietary behaviors in regards to the parents' health consciousness. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 257 children aged 3-5 years and their parents residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The questionnaire is composed of demographic characteristics, the NQ-P questions, and health consciousness. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS program (ver. 25.0) and the statistical differences in variables were evaluated by χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, 1-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference on the intake frequency of processed meat by region and fast foods by age, region, and weight status (P < 0.05). There was also a significant difference in not moving around while eating by weight status and parents' effort to have healthy eating habits by sex (P < 0.05). The mean score of NQ-P of the total subjects was 59.47, which was within the medium-low grade. The mean score of balance was 61.62, and the boys were significantly higher than girls (P < 0.05). As the age of children increased, the mean score of the moderation was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The scores of NQ-P (P < 0.05), balance (P < 0.01), and environment (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in the high group of parents' health consciousness than the low group. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of the evaluation by NQ-P, the dietary behaviors of preschoolers residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do need to be improved. For improving their eating behavior and nutritional health status, parents and children need customized nutrition education programs based on sex, age, region and weight status of preschool children as well as the degree of parents' health consciousness.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.132-146
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Various sodium reduction policies have been implemented. However, there are limitations in the aspect of actual field applicability and efficiency. For effective sodium reduction, cooperation with the field is required and consumer preference must be considered. Thus, this study aimed to develop a low-sodium burger considering field applicability and consumer preference. MATERIALS/METHODS: Focus group interviews and in-depth interviews on the sodium reduction measures were conducted with nine professionals in related fields to discuss practical methods for sodium reduction from September 7 to 21, 2018. By reflecting the interview results, a burger using a low-sodium sauce was developed, and preference analysis for sodium in the burger sauces and finished products was performed. The consumer preference for low-sodium burgers was evaluated on 51 college students on November 12, 2018. RESULTS: The results of the professional interview showed that it is desirable to practice sodium reduction gradually, and by reflecting this, the burger sauce was prepared by adjusting the ratio of refined salt to 15%, 30%, and 50%. The sodium content of the burger using low-sodium sauce was 399 mg/100 g in the control group, 362 mg/100 g in the H1 group, and 351.5 mg/100 g in the H2 group, showing a 9.3-11.9% decrease in sodium in the H1 and H2 groups. The preference evaluation on the low-sodium burgers showed a higher preference for burgers with 9.3-11.9% sodium reduction, which did not affect the overall taste. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined the potential for sodium reduction in the franchise foodservice industry. An approximate 10% sodium reduction resulted in an increase in consumer preference without affecting the strength of the taste. Thus, if applied gradually, sodium reduction at practical levels could increase the consumer preference without changing the taste or quality and could be applied in the franchise foodservice industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.826-836
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• 2010

This study was conducted to compare the dietary habits, nutrient intake and health status of female college students at Sahmyook University according to their majors. Specifically, women majoring in literature and science (77), food and nutrition (103) and sport (73) were evaluated. College women in the sports department were more likely to have a part-time job and had greater expenses than women in the other departments. The average height of college women in the sports department (164.3${\pm}$4.6 cm) was 2.04 cm taller than that of women with other majors (162.3${\pm}$4.7 cm). College women in the department of literature and science were more likely to have an unbalanced diet, even though they commonly ate small amounts of fruit as snacks. They were more prone to take nutrient tablets and vitamins when compared to women in the other departments. College women in the department of sport were more likely to have unbalanced meals (31.5%) and to overeat. Students in the department of food and nutrition ate more fruit, vitamin C and E but less cholesterol containing foods (p<0.05), less fast food and fried food than students in the other departments. The subjects in the department of sport ate less bread, sweet potatoes, fast foods and fried foods but more calories, fat, vitamin A, vitamin B, niacin, Ca, P and cholesterol than students in the other departments (p<0.05). They were also more likely to exercise for more than two hours a day. The most common problems among college women were going without meals, eating an unbalanced diet, overeating, intake of ill-balanced nutrients and lack of exercise. It was found that college women in the department of sport had a better intake of nutrients and maintained healthier life styles.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.132-142
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and information needs about food additives from the parents of elementary school children, and to develop a smartphone application (App) providing information about food additives, and finally to assess its educational effects. A survey was conducted in April 2013 by using a self-administered questionnaire, and total 358 responses were collected from the parents living in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. While purchasing processed foods, parents considered safety (40.5%) as the most important factor, and first checking item except production and expiration dates was origin labelling (35.4%), and chose foods with less food additives (63.1%). Parents recognized food additives as the most dangerous (42.7%), and 75.1% responded the level of danger as 'very dangerous'. However, 82.4% of parents didn't have experiences to get educations about food additives. Based on their information needs including the safety, legal standards and the foods containing food additives. a smartphone App designated as 'Catch up Food Additives' consisting of the definition, safety, food labelling guideline, management, animation about food additives was developed. When the App was exposed to the parents (n = 27), their negative perceptions on food additives were improved significantly. These results showed that providing information and education about food additives using smartphone App was very fast and effective for the promotion of risk communication on food additives with the parents.

• 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 Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.477-486
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• 2016

We investigated the growth pattern of Red-tongued viper snakes (Gloydius ussuriensis), which were captured from the islet of the Jeju Island, Gapado between April, 2006 and November, 2009. The results indicated that there were some snakes that grew relatively fast, but most snakes either almost did not grow or grew around 10mm in snout-vent length during one year period. High growth rates was April and June. Since the growth rate of snakes is highly correlated with their foods, these results implied that the feeding activity of Red-tongued viper snakes is high during this period compared to other months. In female, difference in body condition between good-conditioned and bad-conditioned snakes became large as time elapsed from April to June. The body condition of the male Red-tongued viper snakes improved with the progression of time from April till June. Many of the Red-tongued viper snakes were captured between April and June, while they were rarely captured between July and September. Some of the Red-tongued viper snakes were captured during the autumn season. This tendency was because snakes were rarely active during hibernation and peak summer seasons. Thus, Red-tongued viper snakes are active between April and June and between September and November. They then go into hibernation as the temperature dropped in November. Furthermore, the limitation of the movement period of the Red-tongued viper snakes restricted their feeding activities while foods became scarce, which ultimately restricted their overall growth rate. The growth rate of the snakes decreased with age. The snout-vent length of the Red-tongued viper snakes and growth rate showed a negative correlation (r = -0.591), however, it was not statistically significant due to small sample size. The findings from this study could provide meaningful information in the further study of the life cycle of Red-tongued viper snakes.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2020

Purpose: This study identified the relationship between dietary habits and health-related behaviors depending on the Big Five personality factors (extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism). Methods: The NEO-II test was administered to 337 male and female college students in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, and their dietary habits and health-related behaviors were surveyed. Results: The male participants showed higher scores for extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness compared to that of their female counterparts, while the female participants showed higher scores for neuroticism. As for the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis, in the case of men, higher scores for extraversion were related to a lower intake of instant/fast foods and a higher intake of vegetables; higher agreeableness scores were related to a lower intake of fruit; and higher neuroticism scores were related to a heavy intake of high-cholesterol foods. It was found that higher openness scores were associated with a higher intake of burnt fish/meat and a lower intake of animal fat, while higher agreeableness scores were related to a lower intake of burnt fish/meat in women. Also, those subjects with higher openness and agreeableness scores were found to better consider the nutritional balance when having a meal. In the case of the male participants, higher openness scores were related to increased physical activity, while higher neuroticism scores were related to increased smoking and a lack of sleep. As for the women, those with higher extraversion scores smoked more, while those who recorded higher agreeableness scores were involved in more physical activities. Conclusion: Differences were observed in dietary habits and health-related behaviors between men and women depending on personality factors, and the analysis results of some dietary habits according to personality factors were inconsistent with those of the overseas studies. Therefore, to provide customized nutritional counseling when considering each individual's personality factors, more research results from domestic samples should be collected and accumulated.

• 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.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.547-559
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• 2021

Purpose: This study compares the snacking pattern, diet, lifestyle, and food preference of children by evaluating the most frequently eaten snacks. Methods: The survey enrolled 435 students from three elementary schools in Gyeonggi. Based on the most frequently eaten snacks, the subjects were divided into 3 groups: fruits and milk/dairy products for natural snacks (NS, n = 114); noodles, snack foods and fast foods for meal-like snacks (MS, n = 74); cookies, beverages and bread as sweet snacks (SS, n = 247). Results: Compared to the MS group, preferences of the NS group were significantly higher for jabgokbap (cooked rice with multi-grains, p < 0.05) and saengchae (seasoned raw vegetables, p < 0.01), and significantly lower for gogitwigim (deep-fried meat, p < 0.05). Taste preference of the NS group was considered to be more desirable; the taste preference of more subjects was 'sweet taste' in the SS group, 'spicy taste' in the MS group, 'salty taste' in the MS and SS groups, and 'sour taste' and 'bland taste' in the NS group than the other groups. Compared to the MS and SS groups, the NS group was determined to exercise more frequently; exercising for more than 30 minutes/day was determined to be 76.3% in the NS group and 58.1% and 57.9% in the other groups (p < 0.01). Moreover, a higher proportion of subjects in the MS group tended to answer 'not hungry' as the reason for leaving school meals, as compared to other groups (p = 0.055), thereby suggesting that inappropriate snacking habits interfere with regular meals. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that healthy snacking habits, which include natural snacks such as milk/dairy products and fruits, are important for children during the elementary school years, since these habits are associated with healthier diet, lifestyle, and food and taste preferences. These results provide basic information for developing nutritional education materials for elementary school children.