• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.534-546
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed at understanding meal kit purchasing behavior and investigating its relationship with the Nutrition Quotient (NQ) of young adults. Methods: We conducted a survey on adults in their 20s and 30s covering their meal kit purchase experience, satisfaction, recognition, and purchase intention, and examined the relationship between the meal kit purchase and their NQ from February to March 2021. Results: Among the 404 subjects, 37.9% of males and 48.0% of females had experience in purchasing a meal kit (p < 0.001). The highest response indicated that the purchase cost of meal kits was 10,000-20,000 Won at a time, and the frequency of purchase was less than once a month. The convenience of cooking was the main reason for the purchase of meal kits, which were consumed mainly in the evening with family. The satisfaction with the purchase experience of a meal kit was rated 3.6 points for males and 3.7 points for females out of 5 points, and the satisfaction experienced by women was significantly higher than men in terms of freshness of ingredients, packaging design, and adequacy of the quantity of content (p < 0.05). Recognition of the meal kit was rated 3.5 points for males and 3.7 points for females out of 5 points. The purchase intention of the meal kit was rated 3.8 points for those with prior purchase experience, 3.2 points for the non-experienced, 3.3 points for males, and 3.6 points for females out of 5 points each (p < 0.001). The NQ score of dietary behavior in females with experience of meal kit purchases was significantly higher than non-experience (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The dietary behavior of female showed a significant difference by the meal kit purchase experience. It is necessary to understand the consumers' meal kit purchasing behavior to enable the development of various health-oriented meal kit products.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.596-612
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the dietary behaviors of preschool children using the nutrition quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P) and investigate factors that influence NQ-P in preschool children. Methods: Subjects were 214 parents with children aged 3-5 years residing in Busan and Gyeongnam, Korea. The survey was conducted from March to April, 2019 using a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, the NQ-P questions, and health consciousness. All data was statistically analyzed by the SPSS program (Ver 25.0) and the statistical differences in variables were evaluated by the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results: The mean score of NQ-P of the total subjects was 58.28, which was within the medium-low grade. The mean score of 'balance' was 60.08, 'moderation' was 47.64, and 'environment' was 67.83. The analysis of related-factors influencing NQ-P scores showed that there was a significant difference according to the frequency of dining out. The scores of the NQ-P (p < 0.05), moderation (p < 0.001), and environment (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the 1-2 times per week group compare to 3-4 times and 5-6 times per week group. The scores of NQ-P (p < 0.01), environment (p < 0.01) were significantly higher in the high group of parents' health consciousness compared to the those with low health consciousness. Conclusion: According to the results of the evaluation by NQ-P, the dietary behaviors of preschool children residing in Busan and Gyeongnam need to be improved and monitored. For improving their eating behavior and nutritional health status, preschool children and their parents need proper nutrition education programs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.683-696
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• 2019

This study examined the nutritional status and dietary behaviors of university students in Gangwon-do as well as the effects of dietary education on them. Forty college students were recruited, and their dietary lifestyle was examined using an Adult NQ questionnaire before and after dietary education. The questionnaire items were grouped into four categories: balance, diversity, moderation, and dietary behavior. The mean NQ score out of 100 was 48.00. Among the three grades of the NQ grade criteria, most subjects (50%) were in the lowest grade, which was poor. The mean scores of the NQ factors were highest for moderation (68.76%), followed in order by diversity (50.81%), dietary behavior (45.66%), and balance (21.01%). Compared to the criterion value, moderation was only good, and balance was the worst. These results suggest that the nutritional status of the subjects is poor. On the other hand, there was a significant change in the areas of the NQ score (53.7), balance (29.22) and dietary behavior (56.77) after dietary education. Nevertheless, the 'balance' area remained lower than the average, highlighting the need for education on food intake to enable diverse food intake.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2014

There has recently been Increased interest in the emotional intelligence (EQ) of elementary school students, which is recognized as a more important value than IQ (intelligence quotient) for predict of their success in school or later life. However, there are few sensory education programs, available to improve the EQ of elementary school student's in Korea. This study was conducted to develop an educational program that reflects the characteristics and contents of traditional rice culture and verify the effects of those programs on the EQ of children. The program was developed based on the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation) model and participants were elementary school students in $3^{rd}$ and $4^{th}$ grade (n = 120) in Cheonan, Korea. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were used. EQ scores pertaining to the basic sense group, culture group, and food group were significantly improved after the sensory educational program(P < 0.05), but no change was observed in the control group. These findings indicate that sensory education contributed to improving elementary school children's Emotional Intelligence (EI) and their actual understanding about Korean traditional rice culture.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.281-292
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• 2022

The lower elementary school grades are an important period in which eating habits are formed. We examined the relationship between eating habits and school meal intake in the lower grades of an elementary school in Seoul. The eating habits were investigated using the Nutrition Quotient (NQ) for children. The school meal intake rates and preferred menus were obtained by automatically scanning the plate before and after meals using an artificial intelligence food scanner. The average school meal intake rate for the 347 subjects was 68.5±12.2%, and the nutrient intakes through the school meals were 353.5±70.0 kcal of energy, 51.8±10.2 g of carbohydrates, 14.6±3.1 g of proteins, 10.3±2.3 g of fats, 87.0±20.0 mg of calcium, and 1.8±0.4 mg of iron. The preferred menus were rice, grilled food, and dairy products, and non-preferred menus were salad, beverages, and stewed food. The eating habits that showed a positive correlation with the school meal intake rate were 'Diverse side dishes (r=0.332, P<0.001)', 'Vegetable side dishes (r=0.166, P<0.01)', 'Kimchi side dish (r=0.230, P<0.001)' and 'Less TV watching and computer game time (r=0.105, P<0.05)'. The NQ score also showed a positive correlation with the rate of school meal intake (r=0.216, P<0.001). The balance score was positively correlated with fruit (r=0.192, P<0.001), and the diversity score had the highest positive correlation with Kimchi (r=0.362, P<0.001). The regularity score was positively correlated with fried food (r=0.114, P<0.05). In conclusion, it was found that elementary school students in the lower grades had a higher school meal intake rate when their eating habits included eating side dishes evenly, and consuming vegetable side dishes and Kimchi.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.217-230
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diet intake status and quality of adults from North Korea who had lived in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, using the nutrition quotient (NQ) for Korean adults. Methods: A number of 166 adults aged from 20 to 64 years were enrolled as study subjects. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on their demographic characteristics, food consumption frequency, eating behaviors, and NQ. The NQ score was then used to measure the overall diet quality. The NQ score was composed of four major age-based categories. 'Balance', 'Diversity', 'Moderation', and 'Dietary behavior' were utilized as scores for measurements within each of the four categories. The scores for all four categories were summed up, resulting in the total NQ score. Participants' age groups were stratified by 20's, 30's, 40', and over 50's. A χ² test and generalized linear regression (GLM) model were used to assess a significance for difference of subject distribution in categorical and continuous variables in the food consumption frequency, eating behaviors, and NQ scores. Results: Participants in younger age groups were more likely to report consumption of ramyeon, fast food, sweet and greasy baked products, processed beverage, delivery food, and night snacks than the older age groups. Most importantly, participants in 20's age group were less likely to report the total NQ and moderation score than the 50's age group. Conclusion: In this study, the 20's age group displayed a lower NQ characteristic for an unbalanced diet. Therefore, it is imperative for adults from North Korea to be given individualized diet instructions along with nutritional education programs.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.536-544
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• 2019

Purpose: Proper nutrition is essential for brain development during infancy, contributing to the continued development of cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional skills throughout life. Considering the insufficient published data in the Middle East and North Africa, experts drafted a questionnaire to assess the opinions and knowledge of physicians on the impact of nutrition on brain development and cognition in early life. Methods: The questionnaire consisted of two parts: The first focused on the responders' demographic and professional characteristics and the second questioned the role of nutrition in brain development and cognition. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondents' characteristics and their responses to questions. Results: A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed; 994 physicians responded. The majority of the surveyed physicians (64.4%) felt that nutrition impacts brain development in early childhood (0-4 years), with almost 90% of physicians agreeing/strongly agreeing that preventing iron, zinc, and iodine deficiency would improve global intelligence quotient. The majority of physicians (83%) agreed that head circumference was the most important measure of brain development. The majority of physicians (68.9%) responded that the period from the last trimester until 18 months postdelivery was crucial for brain growth and neurodevelopment, with 76.8% believing that infants breast-fed by vegan mothers have an increased risk of impaired brain development. Conclusion: The results of this study show that practicing physicians significantly agree that nutrition plays an important role in brain and cognitive development and function in early childhood, particularly during the last trimester until 18 months postdelivery.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.58-70
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to investigate children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and the degree of keeping the Dietary Guidelines of children and their mothers and to further examine the relationships between children and mothers. Methods: The subjects were 281 children from 4th to 6th grade in an elementary school located in Gwangju and their mothers. Results: NQ of the children was $66.8{\pm}14.2$, which was in the third (medium) grade. Among the five factors, the scores for Moderation and Diversity were in the second (high) grade, but those for Regularity, Practice, and Balance were in the third grade. Children of non-working mothers had significantly higher scores for NQ and Balance than those of working mothers. Children of mothers with age over 40 had a significantly higher score on Diversity than those with mothers under age 40. Children of mothers with higher education showed higher score for Regularity than those with lower education. Children from high-income families had higher score for Moderation. The score for children keeping the Dietary Guidelines was $78.8{\pm}10.5$ and children of non-working mothers showed higher score than those of working mothers. The score for mothers practicing the Dietary Guidelines was $80.6{\pm}9.4$ and non-working mothers and mothers with age over 40 had higher score. Children's NQ showed significant correlation with the score for keeping the Dietary Guidelines for children (r = 0.789, p < 0.001) and also with that of mothers (r = 0.235, p < 0.001). Conclusion: These results show that NQ of elementary school children in Gwangju is in the medium grade, the degree of practicing the Dietary Guidelines for children is pretty fair, and these factors are influenced by their mother's socioeconomic characteristics such as employment, age, education, and family income.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.382-395
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined the nutritional status according to frailty status in the elderly at home. Methods: The participants were a total of 76 elderly at home living in Seo-gu, Gwangju, Korea. The nutritional status and frailty status were analyzed using the Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E) and the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses and Loss of weight Scale (K-FRAIL), respectively. Results: The distribution of frailty status was robust (17.1%), pre-frailty (38.2%) and frailty (44.7%), and its distribution was significantly different in genders, age groups and the number of medications. The mean NQ-E score was 47.0 for total subjects, indicating a low grade. The scores of balance, diversity and dietary behavior factors were within the low grade, while the score of the moderation factor was within the medium-high grade. According to the frailty status, pre-frailty and frailty showed significantly higher scores for sugar-added beverages intake in the moderation constructs than robust. Robust showed significantly higher scores for the exercise hours and perception level for one's health than pre-frailty and frailty. Conclusions: These results suggest that nutrition status is associated with frailty status. Regular nutrition education and visiting nutrition service should be established to improve the balance and diversity of food intake and improve the dietary behavior of the elderly at home.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.419-438
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• 2023

Purpose: This study examines the effectiveness of personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling among adults in their 20s and 30s. Methods: Nutrition counseling was conducted for a total of 30 adults through a 1:1 chat room of a mobile instant messenger, once a week for 8 weeks. The first week of counseling included a preliminary online questionnaire survey and a dietary intake survey. Based on the results of the preliminary survey, 2 dietary goals were set in the second week and the participants were asked to record their achievements on a daily checklist. From the third week onwards, counselors sent feedback messages based on the checklist and provided information on dietary guidelines in a card news format every week. Post-counseling questionnaires and dietary intake surveys were conducted in the seventh week. Changes in dietary habits during the counseling were reviewed in the eighth week, followed by a questionnaire survey on the evaluation of the counseling process. Results: The nutrition quotient (NQ) scores and self-efficacy scores were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The NQ scores of consumption frequencies of fruits, milk and dairy products, nuts, fast food, Ramyeon, sweet and greasy baked products, sugarsweetened beverages, the number of vegetable dishes at meals, and breakfast frequency were significantly higher after nutrition counseling. The intake of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron, and the index of nutritional quality of vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron were higher after nutrition education. The participants were satisfied with the nutrition counseling program and the provided nutrition information. Conclusion: Personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling were found to be effective in improving the quality of diet and self-efficacy in young adults. Similar results were obtained in both the underweight/normal weight and the overweight/obese groups.