• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.268-276
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• 1999

This study was performed to investigate the factors related to vitamin & mineral supplement use by the adolescents. Nine hundred and seventy-two adolescent boys and girls attending middle or high schools were chosen from various cities and rural communities in Korea. In this study, the factors affecting vitamin & mineral supplement use were analyzed from a self-administered questionnaire. It was found that vitamin & mineral supplements were taken by 31.3% of subjects. High school students(p<.01), female girl students(p<.001), and rural-dwellers(p<.001) took vitamin & mineral supplements more frequently than their complementing groups. The socioeconomic status of the family (p<.01), and supplement consumption by parents and siblings respectively affected the supplement use by the subjects(p<.001). Vitamin·mineral supplements were consumed more often in subjects who perceived their health as poor(p<.001), skipped breakfast(p<.05), and received nutritional information from books or magazines(p<.05). However, food habits and nutritional knowledge score of subjects did not affect vitamin & mineral supplement use. These findings suggest that adolescents take vitamin & mineral supplements commonly, and they tend to use supplements without prescription. Vitamin·mineral supplement consumption seems to be affected by general characteristics, health related variables, and meal management attitudes of subjects. Therefore, nutritional understanding and education are required in regard to the used of vitamin & mineral supplements, and the relationship between balanced diet and good health for the adolescents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.357-363
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• 2001

This study examined the experience of vitamin/mineral supplement among adults in Seoul. Using a self-completed questionnaire including demographic information and use of vitamin/mineral supplement, 618 participants completed the study. The majority of respondents were female (72.2%), 40~49 years old (42.2%), and over college graduates (53.4%). Among the 618 respondents surveyed, 56% had experience of supplement use. The reasons for vitamin/mineral supplement use were health maintenance (56%), fatigue recovery (18%), disease prevention (8%), disease treatment (8%), and nutrition (8%) in order. The main considering factors for selecting vitamin/mineral supplement were side effect, cleanliness and reliability of company. The information sources for vitamin/mineral supplement were physician/pharmacist (45%), TV & advertisement (29%), family and relatives (19%). The main purchasing place for their supplement reported by the most of the respondents (84%) was from pharmacy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.332-342
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• 2000

Vitamin mineral supplement usage by self-prescription is popular behavior among adolescents. This study was conducted to investigate the behaviors of vitamin·mineral supplement usage and the relationship between demographic variables and supplement usage by healthy adolescents. Nine hundred seventy two boys and girls, aged 13-18 years, attending general middle or high schools were chosen from various cities and rural communities in Korea. As a result, vitamin·]mineral supplements were taken by 31.3% of subjects. Users tended to take vitamin·mineral supplements more frequently when they were healthy than when they suffered from disease. The taking period of supplements was different according to school type such as middle or high school(p<.05), sex(p<.001) and residence of subjects(p<.01). The main information source of supplements was newspaper/magazine/TV, and it was affected by sex(p<.05) and residence(p<.01). Vitamin·mineral supplements were generally recommended by their mothers instead of health professionals. The commonly cited taking reason of supplements was affected by sex(p<.01)and socioeconomic status of family(p<.05). The frequently responded effect obtained from supplement use was recovery from fatigue and it was different according to sex(p<.01). The major mentioned reason of not taking vitamin·mineral supplements by non-users was 'I eat a balanced diet'. The most frequently consumed supplements were vitamin C, followed by multi-vitamins supplements, and this pattern was different according to school type(p<.001), sex(p<.01) and residence(p<.05). These findings show that the behaviors of vitamin·mineral supplement usage by subjects are not resonable, and their supplement usage tends to be affected by demographic variables. Therefore, nutritional understanding and education that are intended to form the resonable behaviors toward vitamin·mineral supplement usage of adolescents should be provided with considering the relationship between demographic variables and supplement usage.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2001

The Purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary intake of nutrients and the use of vitamin and mineral supplements by Korean college students attending Web class and the socioeconomic, dietary and health-related factors involved. The subjects were 137 male and 115 female students amending a health and nutrition-related Web class at a cycler university. This cross-sectional survey was conducted by self-administered questionnaire and the data were analyzed by SAS and SPSS PC package programs. Nutrient intake data collected using three-day recall method were analyzed by the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis Program. Average intake by male students of most nutrients except energy, vitamin B$_2$ and calcium and intake by female students of those except energy, vitamin $B_2$, calcium and iron was higher than Korean RDA. Nutrient intake of male students was significantly influenced by the mother s job, skipping meals, exercise, vitamin and mineral supplement use, flood supplement use and self-evaluated anemia. Skipping meals and flood supplement use significantly influenced the nutrient intake of female students. A total of 47.4% of male students and 53.9% of female students were vitamin and mineral supplement users. In female students, socioeconomic characteristics such as the father s education level and household income were significantly different between vitamin and mineral supplement users and non-users. In both male and female students, there were significant differences in cross analysis between vitamin and mineral supplement use and flood supplement use. As for the self-reported health status of male and female students, vitamin and mineral supplement users perceived their health status to be worse compared to non-users. Therefore, nutrition education via the Internet is necessary in order to encourage college students to practice optimal nutrition strategies, including maintaining well-balanced diets by choosing various floods wisely.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.303-314
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• 2004

We studied daily micronutrient intake from vitamin-mineral supplements, health-related life style, clinical case of diseases and food frequency of the Korean middle-aged (40-59 yr, n = 404) to compare the characteristics of non-user (n = 270) and user (n = 134) of vitamin-mineral supplements. Rate of supplement use of the middle-aged was 33.2% and there was significant difference in education level (p = 0.0084) and family income (p = 0.0476) of user and nonuser. Smoking habit (p = 0.0844) and drinking frequency (p = 0.0606) tended to be lower in a supplement user than a non-user. The medical history of a case was significantly higher in users (67.9%) than in non-users (44.4%) (p = 0.001), which suggests that medical history is one of the important motivations of supplement use. Supplement users had the medical history of digestive disease (34.1%), anemia (11.0%) and hypertension (9.9%) in order. Vitamin C was the most frequently supplemented nutrient (81.3%) among vitamin-mineral supplement, and the next orders were vitamins E (73.1%), B$_2$(68.7%) and B$_{6}$ (60.4%). Mean intakes of vitamin B$_1$, iron, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C from supplement was 4,260%, 4,030%, 1,660% and 1,330% of RDA, respectively. The supplement users tended to consume most food items including milk ＆ milk products (p ＜ 0.01), rice (p ＜ 0.01), grains (p ＜ 0.05) and cookies (p ＜ 0.01) less frequently than non-users. Conclusively, nutrient intake of vitamin B$_1$, iron, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C from supplement was excessively high compared to RDA. We suggest that the toxic effect of excessive supplementation should he informed to supplement user and nutritional education should be focused on the optimal supplement dose.e.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1066-1075
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• 1998

The use of vitamin and mineral supplements among 330 preschool children was examined for relationships with general characteristics and food habits. Mean intake of vitamin and minerals obtained from supplement use was calrulated. The percrntage of preshool children receiving vitamin-mineral supplements was 34.2% and a higher percentage of use was shown in boys(p<0.05). Among preschool children, supplement use by mother and children showed some association(p<0.05). Socio-economi factors had little influence on vitamin-mineral supplement usage. There D·ere no significant differences in. weight and height between the users and non-users. The parent's main reasons f3r providing their preschoolers with vitamin-mineral supplements were that they were unsure that the preschoolers were receving sufficient nutrients from their diet, and that they were not healthy. The reasons for not feeding their children vitamin-mineral supplements were that considered the preschoolers were eating well and were healthy, therefore vitamin-mineral supplements were not necessary. The mean vitamin intake obtained from the supplements was about 2-7 times the RDA, but the level of minerals(Ca, Fe, Zn) furnished by supplement use was 1/2 of the RDA. (Korean J Nutrition 31(6) : 1()66-1075, 1998)

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.552-559
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• 2013

This study is conducted in order to investigate the prevalence of vitamin mineral (VM) supplement use and its related factors among Korean adolescents. Using a cross-sectional study design, information was obtained by questionnaires from adolescents selected by stratified sampling in large, small and middle-size cities, as well as rural areas of the whole country, followed by convenience sampling. The total number of participants in this study was 1,407 adolescents ($15.2{\pm}1.6$ years) attending middle or high schools, chosen from various cities and rural areas in Korea. The prevalence of VM supplement use was 65.5%, and there was no significant difference between the genders. City dwellers took VM supplements more frequently than those adolescents from rural areas (p < 0.01). The VM supplement users tended to have higher family income, parents' academic background, and socioeconomic status, respectively (p < 0.001). The greater part of VM supplement users replied that they acquired their nutritional information from their parents, relatives and friends, while many nonusers replied that they did it from school classes (p < 0.05). Compared to nonusers, VM supplement users had greater 'self concern about health' (p < 0.05), 'parents' concern about child's health, growth, and nutritional intake' (p < 0.001), and 'parents' concern about child's grade point' (p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between users and nonusers when it came to 'self perception of body shape' or 'BMI'. In addition, users significantly had greater nutritional beliefs concerning VM supplements than nonusers (p < 0.001). These results showed that VM supplement use has been common among adolescents in Korea, and supplement use of subjects has been related with various factors. Among them, it was shown that especially parents great influence the use of VM supplements by adolescents. Thus, not only education for adolescents, but also that for parents is needed to help adolescents take VM supplements properly.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2000

The aim of this study was to evalute the effect of multivitamin-mineral supplementation during pregnancy on plasma levels of antioxidants, erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities, and lipid peroxidation. A controlled, semi-randomized, prospective trial was performed by comparing the supplement group, which received multivitamin-mineral tables once daily for 10 weeks, with the control group. Plasma levels of $\beta$-carotene, tocopherol, coenzyme Q10, ascorbate, folate, zinc, and selenium and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as the activities of superocxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) in erythrocytes were measured initially (20 wk gestation) and at the end of the intervention (34 wk gestation). In the control group, plasma ascorbate and selenium levels decreased and tocopherol levels increased. In the supplement group, a significant increase in plasma $\beta$-carotene(46%), conenzyme Q10 (42%), and zinc (24%) was observed after 10 weeks of supplementation. No changes were observed in the plasma levels of MDA, and erythrocyte GSH-Px activity, while SOD activity increased in both control group and the supplement group during the intervention. These data suggest that multivitamin-mineral supplementation during pregnancy produced moderate increases in plasma $\beta$-carotens, coenzyme Q10, and zinc concentrations but the enhancement of those plasma antioxidants had on direct on the plasma level of MDA, erythrocytes SOD or GSH-Px activities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.995-999
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• 2004

Effects of liquefied calcium supplement on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone health index (osteocalcin, deoxypyridinoline) were investigated in 12 middle aged women. Middle aged women were arranged into 3 groups such as control, Ca500 and Ca750 by liquefied calcium supplement level. BMD was measured at the spine (vertebrae L2-L4). After 6 month, BMD of control group dropped but that of Ca750 were increased from 0.850 to 0.865. The increase in serum calcium and osteocalcin level, and the decrease in urine deoxypyridinoline level were observed in by calcium supplement groups. The bone health index of serum was changed as much as level of calcium supplement. The serum osteocalcin level of Ca750 significantly increased to 7.93 ng/mL after 6 months of calcium supplement. Although we didn't get any significant difference in BMD, we found that the liquefied calcium had no side effect and led effective change in bone health index. Hereafter, we suppose that the liquefied calcium will be available to develop healthy products for preventing osteoporosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 1995

The relationship between dietary intake and vitamin/mineral supplement usage was examined in 706 adolescent girls who were high school students. 43.8% of subjects used vitamin/mineral supplements during one year. The higher the family income and parents education level, the higher percentage of vitamin/mineral supplement usage was. But there was no significant difference between grades and scores. And vitamin/mineral supplement usage was higher int he thin and obese groups than the average weight groups. Nutrition knowledge and food habit did not affect vitamin/mineral supplement usage. Calorie intakes of vitamin/mineral supplement users and nonusers were similar. However, independent of the supplements, the diets of supplement nonusers contained significantly more dietary protein, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$, niacin, vitamin C, and calcium than the diets of the users. A considerable portion of both the users and nonusers had dietary intakes of less than 2/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, niacin, calcium, and iron. Vitamin/mineral supplement nonusers generally consumed a more vitamin, mineral from diet. Reasons for taking supplements were to take energy, advice and illness.