• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2019

Purpose: This study evaluated amounts of physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns in older adults using an accelerometer and physical activity diary. Methods: Forty-nine older adults (male 26, female 23) participated in this study. They wore a triaxial accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT) for one week and wrote a physical activity diary concurrently for three days. Amounts of physical activity, sedentary behavior patterns, and percentage of meeting the World health organization (WHO) physical activity guidelines were analyzed using an accelerometer. In addition, the contents recorded in the physical activity diary were reclassified to 18 levels and the average daily times spent on each level and physical activity level (PAL) were calculated. Results: The subjects were sitting more than half of the day except for bedtime and shower time (59.2%). The numbers of prolonged ${\geq}30$, 40 minutes sedentary bouts were significantly higher in males ($3.10{\pm}1.34$, $1.78{\pm}1.09$, respectively) than in females ($2.34{\pm}1.22$, $1.32{\pm}1.07$, respectively) and the number of breaks per sedentary hour was significantly less in males ($5.74{\pm}0.89$) than in females ($6.44{\pm}0.71$). Among the activities corresponding to sedentary behavior surveyed by the physical activity diary, only the amount of time spent 'resting, speaking and watching TV' showed a significant correlation with the sedentary behavior pattern measured by the accelerometer. The persistence of sedentary behavior was interrupted primarily when low intensity activity was performed. Only 22.4% of the subjects met WHO physical activity guidelines. Conclusion: Based on these results, the physical activity guidelines for older adults should be developed that reflects the appropriate strength, including low activity level and maintenance time of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.426-439
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and practice on well-being life and well-being related behaviors, and the various factors affecting well-being related behaviors such as purchasing food materials, food habits, eating out and daily routine activities. A survey was conducted by questionnaire and on a 5-point Likert scale. The subjects of this study were composed of 221 students and their 102 parents who were over 40 years residing in the Ulsan area. The results of this study are summarized as follows: Almost half of the subjects (47.4%) responded that they have good health conditions; to keep a good health condition, 41.2% of the subjects were exercising regularly and 20.4% of them kept diet control. In regard to the meaning of well-being, 66.6% of the subjects thought it is the lifestyle for physical and mental richness (children: 70.6%, parents: 57.8%). 30.3% of the subjects answered that the most important part of well-being was food related. The importance order was mental richness, food related things, physical health for children, and for the parents, it was food related things, physical health, mental richness. Most of population (45.8%) answered that they have a willingness for the pursuit of a well-being life. Among the well-being related behaviors, 69.7% of subjects have purchased items (children: 61.5%, parents: 87.3%). 37.2% of the subjects have acquired information from TV. The average well-being practice score was $61.01{\pm}10.36$. Children's scores were significantly lower than the parent's scores (p < 0.001). And the average practice score of 'purchasing food materials,' 'eating out,' 'food habits,' 'daily routine activities' were $15.3{\pm}3.3,\;15.5{\pm}3.1,\;16.8{\pm}3.3$ and $13.4{\pm}3.5$, respectively. Among five types of purchasing food materials, 'purchasing domestic agricultural food' was greatest ($3.64{\pm}0.91$) and 'purchasing of organic or low agricultural chemical food products' was lowest ($3.15{\pm}0.91$). In regard to food habits, 'eating rice and bread made of mixed grains' was greatest ($3.46{\pm}1.12$) and 'eating uncooked food or zen food' was lowest ($2.46{\pm}0.99$). The practice scores were significantly affected by gender (p < 0.05), monthly income (p < 0.01), educational level (p < 0.01), presence of disease (p < 0.05), subjective health condition (p < 0.05), well-being awareness (p < 0.001) and concern with well-being (p < 0.001). Well-being awareness scores and well-being practice scores are related positively. Therefore various programs in well-being education should be necessary in order to boost the authentic perceptions of well-being and well-being oriented behaviors in any socioeconomic situation, such as different generations; industrial companies producing well-being goods for consumer's needs and satisfaction; and government and local community create various conditions for well-being oriented behavior.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.449-461
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the changes of physical and psychological factors of obese children, obesity indices and blood serum levels, food habits and body and self-esteem after a weight control program. The results from this study were as follows: Participants of the study involved 20 boys (48.8%) and 21 girls (51.2%) totaling 41 children. Children's weight control experiences were 90.2% and parents' were 59.5%. Among methods of weight control, children and parents both used exercise and reduced amounts of meals. Sixty-one percent of the children had breakfast almost everyday. The reasons of skipping breakfast were having no time to eat by 44.4% and 50% of children watched TV while having a meal and they considered taste (55.3%) and nutrition value (21.1%) when choosing food. After the weight control program, the children's body fat percent (%) significantly decreased from 40.3% to 35.4% (p < 0.01). There was significant difference of boys and girls' hip circumferences (92.9 cm, 91.4 cm, p < 0.01) after the program but there was only a slight change in their WHR (0.91, 0.92). Girls' waist circumferences significantly decreased from 75.0 cm to 73.0 cm (p < 0.05) and there was a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol, 50.0 (mg/dL) to 55.2 (mg/dL), (p < 0.05). Knowledge levels of obesity significantly increased from 2.5 to 5.1 in the girls' cases (p < 0.001). Nonetheless, attitudes of weight control and food habits score had not changed a lot. After the program, both the boys and girls' body-esteem had significantly increased (p < 0.01) but self-esteem had not changed. These results suggest that a body weight control program must be included in nutrition education, exercise and psychotherapy to improve body and self-esteem of obese children.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.419-429
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to assess the consumption patterns of Makoli and to provide age-specific suggestions to increase the popularity of newly developed products. The subjects of the study were 373 men and 329 women, and information was obtained by self-administered questionnaire in December of 2010. One major finding of the study was that regardless of gender, consumption of Makoli was correlated to age: older respondents drank more Makoli. Those in their thirties and older, especially women, drank Makoli at home with family. The reasons given for liking or disliking Makoli differed among age groups, but were the same between genders. More subjects in their twenties liked Makoli because of its distinctive taste, while more in their forties liked it for its cultural value. Subjects in their thirties disliked it because it caused headaches, while more in their forties complained of burping. Both genders in their twenties suggested that TV and internet advertisements may be the best strategy to increase the popularity of newly developed Makoli products, and women in their forties suggested promoting Makoli's health benefits. The low calorie content of new Makoli products appealed to women of all age groups and men in their twenties and thirties. Women in their forties were also attracted by Makoli's possible effect to alleviate constipation.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 2006

This study was performed to investigate factors affecting sensitivity and preference for salty tastes of Korean adult females. Sensitivity and preference for salty tastes were determined as detection threshold concentration of NaCl solution and the optimally-preferred NaCl concentration of the bean sprout soup, respectively. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the information regarding general characteristics, self diagnosis of stress, health-related lifestyle practices, dietary habits and food preferences. Dietary intake using 24-hours recall and blood pressure were measured. Salty taste detection thresholds and optimally-preferred NaCl concentrations were 0.0197% and 0.357%, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the optimally-preferred salt concentration and age, despite no significant correlation between either sensitivity or preference for salty taste and sodium intake, which was 3,605mg/day. Those who had bread or cereal with milk as breakfast instead of a traditional Korean meal and those who preferred jjigae to soup had significantly higher NaCl preferences for bean sprout soup. Going to bed after midnight and skipping meals (${\geq}3/week$) decreased salty taste sensitivity without reaching statistical significance. Self awareness of one's own health, recent weight changes, family history of hypertension, sleep quality, getting-up time, rate of eating and other food preferences did not affect either perception. Stress level, TV watching, BMI and sodium intake did not have significant correlation to sensitivity or preference. Further research including a large number of well-controlled subjects and more accurate measurement of sodium intake should be directed to find other factors affecting salt preference and sensitivity in order to decrease Na intake and related diseases.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.332-343
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• 2016

Objectives: Study purpose was to investigate perception on diet, diet problems and related factors among young adult women using focus group interviews (FGI) based on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Methods: Eight groups of FGI were conducted with 47 female undergraduate or graduate students. Guide for FGI included questions regarding perception on optimal diet, diet problems and cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors of SCT. FGI were video, audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed by themes and sub-themes. Results: Subjects showed irregular eating habits (skipping breakfast, irregular meal time) and selection of unhealthy foods as the main diet problems. Regarding cognitive factors related to optimal diet, subjects mentioned positive outcome expectations (e.g., health promotion, skin health, improvement in eating habits, etc.) and negative outcome expectations (e.g., annoying, hungry, expensive, taste). Factors that promoted optimal diet were mainly received from information from mobile or internet and access to menu or recipes. Factors that prevented optimal diet included influence from friends, lack of time and cooking skills. Behavioral factors for optimal diet included behavioral capability regarding snacks, healthy eating and smart food selection. Subjects mentioned mass media (mobile, internet, TV) as the influential physical environment, and significant others (parents, friends, grandparents) as the influential social environment in optimal diet. For education topics, subjects wanted to learn about healthy meals, basic nutrition, disease and nutrition, and weight control. They wanted to learn those aspects by using mobile or internet, lectures (cooking classes), campaign and events. Conclusions: Study results might be used for planning education regarding optimal diet for young adult women. Education programs need to focus on increasing positive outcome expectations (e.g., health) and behavioral capability for healthy eating and food selection, reducing negative outcome expectations (e.g., cost, taste) and barriers, making supportive environments for optimal diet, and incorporating topics and methods found in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.180-190
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• 2011

This study is aimed at examining the status of seafoods intake and preference to actively use the seafoods with high nutritional values and preference. For this purpose, this study conducted a questionnaire survey. The demographic features of the respondents are as follows: male and female high school students were 50%, respectively; first graders were 33.3%, second graders were 35.0% and third graders are 31.7%; the primary dietary-care giver was mother in 80% of the respondents. The survey results on seafood intake at home showed that the most frequently responses to the question of the degree of liking seafood were 'on average' and 'like it', respectively in order. The reason for preferring seafood is 'because it tastes good' in 43.7% of the respondents. Both male and female respondents answered they like seafood for its good taste. With respect to the degree of preference for the seafood provided from the school meals, there were more students who like it than those who do not like it. The most frequent reason to ingest seafood in the school meals is because 'I want to eat it' followed by 'because parents push', 'because friends eat it', 'because health-related TV programs recommend it', respectively in order. The most preferred seafood in the school meals was fried shrimp and the most disliked one is the boiled warty sea squirt. The above results collectively suggest that the preference level for seafood is low and the most preferred one is fried seafood. It is suggested that the nutritionists need to actively develop menu for the students to ingest more various seafoods.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate the health education program for elementary school children. The program consisted of nutritional education and physical exercise. The subjects composed of 89 school children, first through sixth grade (n = 100), who had completed ten weeks of health education program from April through July 2010. Pre-post intervention design was used to evaluate the program effectiveness. After completing health education program, the number of overweight subjects decreased (boys 13 to 11 and girls 11 to 9) and the number of obese subjects decreased from 5 to 4 for boys and 4 to 2 for girls The number of sit-ups significantly increased in both 1-2 grade girls and 3-4 grade girls. Backward trunk extension of 1-2 grade girls also significantly increased (p < 0.05). The level of serum total cholesterol decreased from 171.8 mg/dL to 153.5 mg/dL (p < 0.001). Hypercholesterolemia (above 239 mg/dL), hyperLDLcholesterolemia (above 175 mg/dL) and low level hemoglobin subjects changed to normal levels. Total score of nutrition knowledge increased from 5.9 to 6.1 (p < 0.05), percentage of perception answers increased significantly in 5 out of 10 items and percentage of correct answers increased significantly in 6 out of 10 items (p < 0.05). Three food habits improved, including, "having breakfast", "having diverse foods" and "having vegetables per meal" (p < 0.05). Two self-efficacy items improved significantly, including, "having meals slowly", "having exercise instead of watching TV or computer" (p < 0.05). These results suggest that health education program for elementary school children including nutritional education and physical exercise may be effective to improve their anthropometric characteristics, physical fitness, hyperlipidemia, nutrition knowledge, food habits and self-efficacy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.186-195
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the dietary behaviors and stress-related factors among male and female college students. Methods: A total of 405 college students (male-195, female-210) were recruited, of whom a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. The study investigated the general characteristics, health-related factors, dietary behaviors, and stress-related factors of the respondents. Results: The body mass index was significantly higher in males. The rates of underweight and overweight were significantly different between male and female respondents. The scores for workout frequency, health concerns and health condition were significantly higher in males, while the score for watching TV & playing computer games was significantly higher in females. The scores for meal regularity, frequency of breakfast consumption, and smoking were significantly higher in males. Eating problems showed a significant difference between males and females. The biggest source of stress was social factors, followed by college study and individual factors and the most experienced stress-induced symptom was anxiety, followed by headache and stomachache. The most popular way to overcome stress was taking a rest, followed by drinking & smoking and outdoor activity. The most preferred food under stressful conditions were alcohol or beverages, followed by hot & spicy food and sweet food, which showed a significant difference between males and females. Conclusion: These results indicate that stress affects dietary behaviors, drinking, smoking, and health status. Stress not only changes dietary behaviors, but is also related to health status. Therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate programs for emotional stability and stress relief targeting college students which provide continuous nutrition education focused on desirable dietary behaviors and nutritional aspects.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.535-542
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Proper nutrition intake during pregnancy and lactation is very important to both mothers and babies. Pregnant women should maintain proper nutritional status to restore decreased physical strength due to pregnancy and childbirth and produce breastmilk for the growth and development of the baby. Recently, the number of Chinese people living in Korea has increased as the exchange between Korea and China becomes active. It is important to provide proper nutrition education for pregnant women of both countries considering cultural differences. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects of this study were postpartum women in Gyeonggi, South Korea and Jinhua, China. The subjects were 20-45 years old less than six months after childbirth. A survey, using self-administered questionnaires, was conducted from October 2018 to January 2019. For data analysis, 221 Korean postpartum women (KPW) and 221 Chinese postpartum women (CPW) questionnaires were used. RESULTS: KPW had significantly higher nutritional knowledge score and dietary attitude score than CPW (P < 0.001). However, overall score for dietary habits was significantly higher in CPW compared to KPW (P < 0.001). In KPW, nutritional knowledge (P < 0.01) and dietary attitude (P < 0.001) had significantly positive correlations with dietary habits. The proportions of KPW and CPW who answered that they had experience of nutrition education were 28.5% and 80.1% (P < 0.001). The score for dietary habits was lower as the hours for watching TV and using mobile phone became longer in postpartum women of both countries, with significant differences in KPW (P < 0.001) and CPW (P < 0.05). In KPW, the score for dietary habits in postpartum women with exercise experience was significantly higher than that in postpartum women without exercise experience (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: More pregnancy-related nutrition education should be provided and various and effective nutrition education programs, which not only transfer information but can be practiced in the actual life, should be developed.