• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.425-431
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to examine the participation rate in food assistance programs and explore the factors that contribute to such participation among the Korean elderly population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study sample comprised 3,932 respondents aged 65 years or older who were selected from a secondary data set, the fourth Korean Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS). The factors, related to participation in programs were examined based on the predisposing, enabling and need factors of the help-seeking behavior model. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to select the best contributors among the factors related to program participation. RESULTS: The predisposing rate in food assistance programs was 8.5% (7.1% for men and 10.4% for women). When all variables were included in the model, living without spouse, no formal education, low income, having social security benefits and food insecurity in elderly men, and age, low income, having social security benefits and feeling poor in elderly women were significantly related to a higher tendency to program participation. CONCLUSIONS: The predisposing and need factors, such as living without spouse, low education level, food insecurity and feeling poor were important for program participation, as well as enabling factors, such as household income and social security benefits. A comprehensive approach considering these factors to identify the target population for food assistance programs is needed to increase the effectiveness and target population penetration of these programs.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.418-418
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• 2005

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.410-417
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• 2022

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs introduced the Agrifood Voucher in 2020. The Agrifood Voucher is the program that provides vouchers to purchase selected food items with dietary management education. This study aimed to explore value and meaning of dietary management based on the Agrifood Voucher. First, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program of the United States and the Agrifood Voucher of Korea were reviewed. Second, various terms used for describing the purpose of food assistance programs were comparatively reviewed and 'food and nutrition security', together with the corresponding Korean term, was proposed to be the most appropriate term for the purpose. Subsequently, the value and meaning of dietary management based on the Agrifood Voucher were presented as enhancing food and nutrition security of the vulnerable. Diverse education programs should be developed and implemented to improve the dietary management capacity of the Agrifood Voucher recipients in order to properly realize the meaning and value of dietary management based on the Agrifood Voucher in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2014

This study investigates the dietary risk factors in elderly individuals in rural Korea by focusing on the development of service programs that can improve their health. The sample included 1,000 free-living elderly individuals aged 65 and over in rural Korea. A three-stage stratified random sampling method based on 2010 Korean census data was employed. Data on the dietary status and the need for assistance in meal management were collected through face-to-face interviews. The dietary status was evaluated based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist, and the outcomes for three groups classified base on their family type were examined. According to NSI scores, more than 70% of the subjects faced some nutritional risk. The activities most requiring assistance in meal management included preparing meals (18.3%) and purchasing food items (11.7%). More than half of the subjects reported that having meals at community senior centers at least once a week. The results indicate that those subjects from single-individual households were most likely to face some nutritional risk and require, assistance in purchasing food items and preparing meals. In addition, these subjects were least likely to be satisfied with their health and dietary management. To improve the dietary status of elderly individuals in rural Korea, any service programs should facilitate their daily activities by focusing on improving their diet, particularly that of those from low-income, single-individual households.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.96-107
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• 2024

Objectives: While several food assistance programs in the United States tackle food insecurity, a relatively new program, "Food is Medicine," (FIM) initiated in some cities not only addresses food insecurity but also targets chronic diseases by customizing the food delivered to its recipients. This review describes federal programs providing food assistance and evaluates the various sub-programs categorized under the FIM initiative. Methods: A literature search was conducted from July 7, 2023 to November 9, 2023 using the search term, "Food is Medicine", to identify articles indexed within three major electronic databases, PubMed, Medline, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Eligibility criteria for inclusion were: focus on any aspect of the FIM initiative within the United States, and publication as a peer-reviewed journal article in the English language. A total of 180 articles were retrieved; publications outside the eligibility criteria and duplicates were excluded for a final list of 72 publications. Supporting publications related to food insecurity, governmental and organizational websites related to FIM and other programs discussed in this review were also included. Results: The FIM program includes medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, and produce prescriptions. Data suggest that it has lowered food insecurity, promoted better management of health, improved health outcomes, and has, therefore, lowered healthcare costs. Conclusions: Overall, this umbrella program is having a positive impact on communities that have been offered and participate in this program. Limitations and challenges that need to be overcome to ensure its success are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.837-847
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• 2001

The main purposes of this study were to survey and assess the current situation surrounding solid waste generation in school foodservices, to identify and evaluate the measures(reduction and recycling programs) taken by the foodservices for waste disposal, and to suggest appropriate reform measures to improve the current status, especially in terms of environmental preservation. Questionnaires on solid waste management practices were mailed to 206 school foodservice dietitians in the Kyungbuk region : a 64.0%(N = 130) response rate was obtained. While there are food waste and packaging waste generated from the foodservice operations, about a third(34.1%) of the foodservice operations were responsible for the disposal of both the food wastes and packaging wastes. About 90% of school foodservice managers were responsible for managing solid wastes. The primary recycling methods of leftovers generated from the school food service operations were livestock feed(76.0%). About 60.0% of school foodservice managers conducted the food waste reduction program. The performance by the foodservice managers in reducing the food waste was not satisfactory in several fields, such as developing environmentally friendly menus or abiding by the standard recipe, etc. In addition, the government assistance system was not properly working in the food service management. In conclusion, we should focus on increasing the performance in reducing the food waste by the foodservice managers, strengthening and facilitating the government assistance system for the food waste management and to develop education methods and education materials for food waste management.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.63-67
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• 2018

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the DPRK, is one of the poorest country in world facing chronic economic, energy and food security issues. Prolonged improper management of economic and natural resources has led to extreme poverty, malnutrition and critically vulnerability to nature's forces. Presistent deforestation and forest degradation in the DPRK has national and global consequences which has attracted attention from international community, whose offering financial and technical assistance for targeted interventions. Through REDD+ programs, the DPRK has the opportunity to establish its credentials as a responsible nation while improving the quality of life of its population. This study offers an enabling context under which suitable climate change action related to forestry can be identified and implemented in the DPRK.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.224-233
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• 2005

The objectives of this study were to (a) examine the users' characteristics of both government-dominant and non-governmental food bank programs, (b) understand the supporting quality of the food bank program, and (c) analyse the effectiveness of the programs from the users' perspectives. The random samples of 120 food bank operators were selected by proportionate stratified random sampling method and from each food bank, 3 users were selected for the survey. A total of 205 users were participated in this survey. The main results of this study were as follows; Average profile of food bank users were 58 year old, female, livelihood protectee ($56.6\%$). Food assistance frequency were mostly once a week ($34.1\%$), and everyday ($22.4\%$). The survey also showed that non-governmental food banks delivered the food directly to the $42.7\%$ of users, otherwise the users of government-dominant ones went to the food bank to receive the foods. Most of the donated foods were cooked food ($50.0\%$), and the users also wanted to receive that kinds of food. Saving food expenses ($55.6\%$) and overcoming hunger ($16.6\%$) were found as the effectiveness to the users.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.629-641
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• 2006

The objectives of this study were to: (a) examine the overall operating conditions of both government-dominant and non-governmental food bank programs, (b) understand the operational management attributes on the target based on IPA (importance performance analysis) (c) analyze the present status of donating management, and (d) suggest a direction based on the analysis of advantages and disadvantages of food banks in each part. The random samples of 120 food bank operators were selected by a proportionate stratified random sampling method. A total of 60 government-dominant food banks and 25 non-governmental food banks were analyzed. The main results of this study were as follows: Accord-ing to the Importance-Performance Analysis of operational management, 'assistance for operating funds' and 'deployment of experience staff' were placed at 'Focus Here'. There was a great shortage of experienced staff with food bank-specific knowledge. The average number of the government-dominant and non-governmental food bank program employees was 0.29 and 0.30 respectively, while the ratios of employees with other jobs were 0.96 and 0.83 respectively. Shortages of refrigeration facilities were an area that needs to be addressed. While 51.6% of donated food required cold storage, only 45% of government-dominant and 60% of non-governmental food bank programs had refrigeration facilities. Most of food bank operators (96.3%) were required to visit the donators' locations to pick up the donated foods. And the foods were distributed to the people in need, especially to the livelihood protectee.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 2008

Improved nutritional intake contributes to maintaining health and quality of life in elderly population and also reducing individual and social medical costs. Most of nutrition assistance programs for elderly, such as congregate or home-delivered meal programs, are not currently serviced in rural communities mainly due to low cost efficiency of program operation. However, the needs and necessity of such programs are presumed to be higher in rural area where the population density of elderly at nutritional risk is relatively high. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a community-based meal program for the rural elderly. In 2007, four rural communities located in Jeon-Nam province were selected and the pilot meal program was applied for three months. Following are key features of the meal program model developed in this study: 1) meal production and service are operated by elderly participants to overcome the voluntary personnel shortage 2) utilization of locally-produced foods is maximized to reduce the meal cost, 3) traditional cooking methods are applied to adjust the food preference of elderly, and 4) foods are serviced on site to minimize the food safety problem possibly caused by delivery process. The pilot programs resulted in high satisfaction with the programs of participating elderly. The community-based meal program model developed in this study is expected to be used as an effective nutrition and health intervention model for the rural elderly.