• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined the association between the dietary behavior and weight status of preschool children and their mothers in Daejeon, Korea. Methods: A total of 301 mother-preschool children (aged 3~6 years) dyads were included in this study. The dietary behavior of children and their mothers was assessed using the Nutrition Quotient (NQ) questionnaire for preschoolers and adults, respectively. The NQ questionnaires were completed by the mothers. The overweight/obesity status of children and their mothers was determined using data on height and body weight reported by the mothers. Multiple logistic regression was performed to examine the relationship between the dietary behavior and weight status of children and their mothers. Results: The mean NQ score was 58.9 ± 9.7 in children and 55.6 ± 9.2 in mothers. The NQ score was higher in boys than girls but did not vary by age. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 27.5% in children and 46.5% in mothers. The physical activity level of mothers and their NQ scores were positively associated with the NQ scores of the children. After adjustment for covariates, the mothers in the highest tertile of NQ scores showed a lower odds ratio (OR) for the unhealthy dietary behavior of children (OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.11~0.53, P < 0.001) compared to those in the lowest tertile. The obese mothers showed a higher OR for children's overweight/obesity (OR = 3.38, 95% CI = 1.68~6.80, P = 0.001) compared to normal weight mothers. Conclusions: The dietary behavior and weight status of young children and their mothers were closely linked. Nutrition education programs targeting mothers are necessary for improving maternal and child nutrition. Specifically, these programs need to be tailored to the socioeconomic characteristics or weight status of mothers.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 2008

A community-based longitudinal study was conducted in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region of Ghana with the objective of assessing how caregiving practices influence nutritional status of young children in Ghana. The study subjects were one hundred mothers with infants between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Each child was visited at home monthly for a period of six months. On each visit, information was collected on caregiver household and personal hygiene, child's immunization status, child's dietary diversity, caregiver responsiveness during feeding, caregiver hygienic practices related to feeding and child's weight and length. At the end of the study, summary scores were generated for each variable and quality of care practice determined based on their distribution. Classification of child nutritional status was based on z-scores for both weight-for-age and length-for-age. The results revealed that caregivers who exhibited better quality of care practice had well-nourished children. Such caregivers were more likely to practice good household and personal hygiene than those of poorly nourished children (97.1% vs 31.8%, p<0.001). They were also more likely to complete their children's immunization schedules (88.2% vs 62.2%, p<0.001), provide good quality diets from highly diversified sources (79% vs 23%, p<0.001), exhibit high responsiveness during feeding (100% vs 22.7%, p<0.001) and feed under hygienic conditions (100% vs 22.7%, p<0.001). Based on the findings it was concluded that good caregiving practices are associated with improved child nutritional status.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.3-7
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• 2001

The paper presented the effect of Surveillance and Improvement of Children's Nutritional Status in China The survery was conducted in 101 relatively poor counties in 27 provinces in 199-, 1993 and 1995 respectively. Physical measurement and blood biochemisty was take for 86, 397 children aged under five years. The intervention activities were carried out for 5 year in those 101 counties, e. g. nutrition education promotion of food production family poultry and livestock raising soybean production and utilization home gardening, nutrition food development for children Having the above mentioned measures the prevalence of stunting dropped by 21% wasting decreased by 25% and anemia lowered by 49% during 5 years It is suggested that it should be carried out continuously and promotion efforts should be intensified so as to reach the goal of improving children's nutritional status.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate whether the birth rate is associated with socioeconomic status in the women of the Republic of Korea, where the birth rate is rapidly decreasing. Methods: This study included 732 females from the Healthy Twin Study, a family-twin cohort. The participants were classified into 3 socioeconomic groups according to their average income, education, and occupation. The association between socioeconomic status and number of children was assessed using gamma regression analysis with a generalized linear mixed model, adjusting for the age group, smoking/alcohol status, and family relationships. Results: The group with the highest education level had significantly fewer children compared with the group with the lowest education level (p=0.004). However, no significant associations were found according to household income level. The non-manual labor group had significantly fewer children compared with those working as homemakers (p=0.008). Conclusions: This study aimed to explain the causal relationship between socioeconomic status and number of children. Associations between some socioeconomic status and number of children were found in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.34-50
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• 1983

The Denver Developmental Screening Test was devised to provide a simple method of evaluating the developmental status of infants and preschool children. To assess the development of Korean children, 667 children (390 boys and 277 girls) between the ages of 2 weeks and 6 years who live in Kwangju city and rural areas in Chonnam were examined according to the DDST. The ages at which 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the children performed each item were calculated for the entire sample. The results of these were compared with the norms of Denver children and other related previous studies in Korea. The development of the boys was also compared with that of the girls, and further the test results of city children and country children were also compared. Girls performed the DDST items in personal-social, fine motor-adaptive and gross motor sectors slightly earlier than boys. In general, however, there were no significant differences in the developmental rate between boys and girls. In all four sectors of the DDST, urban children performed the items significantly earlier than rural children. In comparing Korean children and Denver children, Korean children tended to perform gross motor and personal-social items at a slightly earlier age than Denver children. In the language sector, Denver children tended to perform a little earlier than Korean children. But on the whole there were no significant differences in developmental status between Korean and Denver children. It should be noted that a few items, such as“Uses plurals”, needed to be changed due to the structure of Korean language.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.49-63
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• 2010

The current study examined the effects of socio-demographic characteristics and peer relations on the emotional, behavioral, and comorbid disorder symptoms among low-low-SES children, using the Young Lives Survey: an International Study of Childhood Poverty: Round 1, 2002. Participants were 1,000 8-year-old children (502 boys and 498 girls) from low-low-SES families. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-tests, post hoc test (Scheffe's method), correlations, and multiple logistic regression analyses according to the analysis strategy. There was a moderate correlation between selected socio-demographic variables and emotional/behavioral disorder symptoms, and the caregiver's marital status, child's health compared to others, child's work status corresponded to significant differences in their emotional/behavior levels. Regarding the logistic regression analysis, in addition to the effects of socio-demographic variables reflecting the characteristics of less-developed countries, marital status, child's working status, and conflicts with peers proved to be detrimental to emotional, behavioral, or comorbid disorder symptoms in low-SES children, who have been lack quality parenting, social resources, and child human rights. Results indicated the need to develop health care services that would address those problems and appropriate intervention and prevention programs targeting children in low-income families. Moreover, careful assessment and intervention for child's health status, child's working status and peer relationship problems are suggested as possible strategies for helping children at risk of exhibiting further problematic behaviors.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.265-278
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• 2006

This study examined the relationship of children's quality of friendship, conflict resolution strategies, and conflict outcomes by peer status. Thirty-four elementary school 5th grade dyads were selected by peer status and friendship status. The major results were that (1) popular children perceived more help and less conflict and rivalry from friends than rejected children. (2) Popular children used more compromising/integrating and less dominating strategies than rejected children to resolve conflicts. Conflicts between popular-average pairs resulted in equal outcomes more often and unresolved outcomes less often than rejected-average pairs. (3) There were significant correlations between friendship quality, conflict resolution strategies, and conflict outcomes by peer status.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.3-11
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• 2004

The objective of this study was to examine relationships between breakfast skipping and ecological factors related to eating practice. Participants were 537 children (male: 274, female: 263) from two elementary schools in Kyunggi-do (School A) and Seoul (School B). Analysis included cross-tabulation of demographics, factors related to eating practice and weight status, frequency of breakfast skipping and types of breakfast and the number of foods at breakfast by schools. Logistic regression were conducted to identify the factors associated with breakfast skipping. Children in school B showed higher socioeconomic status by living environment and the type of fathers' job than those in school A. Eighty six percent of children in school B and 75% in school A ate breakfast 5 times and more per week. School and father's occupation differences correlated with the frequency of breakfast, but not mother's employ status was not. After controlling school. type of father's job, mother's employ status, eating breakfast 5 times and more was associated with eating with other family members, feeling hungry before breakfast, normal weight status, eating Korean traditional meal type and number of food eaten at breakfast. The results stress the need for intervention programs aimed at decreased skipping breakfast among elementary school children. While programs need to reach all children skipping breakfast, approaches need to be suitable to in particular those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.671-677
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• 2001

The purposes of this study are to evaluate nutritional status and dietary intake of vitamin A in 5th and 6th grade primary school children in Chungbuk. Also the relationships between nutritional status and factors relevant to dietary intake of vitamin A were examined. For the study, total 180 children in urban area of Chongju city(37 boys and 40 girls) and rural area of Eumsong gun(56 boys and 47 girls) were recruited. For the assessment of dietary nutrients intake including vitamin A, 1-day, 24-hr recall method was applied. And serum retinol contents were analyzed by HPLC to diagnose the nutritional status of vitamin A. The average of daily vitamin A intake was 490R.E., 81.8% of RDA. Vitamin A intake of urban was higher than that of rural children(p < 0.001). Of the total dietary vitamin A intake, only 25.8% came from animal retinol, means that children still heavily depend on plant carotenoids as vitamin A floods. The average serum retinol concentration of total 180 children was 37.2$\mu\textrm{g}$/100ml. Serum retinol concentration of urban children was 37.3$\mu\textrm{g}$/100m1, significantly higher than rural children of 35.6$\mu\textrm{g}$/100m1(p < 0.05). According to the biochemical criteria, no one was in critical vitamin A nutritional status. Because of relatively large day-to-day vitamin A intake, 1-day, 24-hr recall method may not be the proper way to assess the usual intake of vitamin A. In conclusion , to diagnose the nutritional status of vitamin A by dietary survey, it is necessary to develop new survey technique which measure the dietary habit of the people.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.341-352
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• 2008

The number of school lunch-supported children who belong to low-income families has been rapidly increased in Korea. This study was aimed at evaluation of nutritional status of school lunch-supported elementary school children. One hundred school lunch-supported children and 119 non-supported children of fourth to sixth year class in 3 elementary schools in Gyeongbuk rural area were selected, and surveys were conducted twice, i.e., once during school term and once during summer vacation in 2006. Food consumption survey during school term was carried out through an interview by dieticians at school-lunch time using a 24-hour recall method, and the survey during summer vacation conducted by recording food intakes for three days by children. Nutrient intakes were calculated using CAN-Pro 3.0 program. School lunch-supported children showed higher rate of skipping breakfast and rather irregular meal time as compared to non-supported students. Eating alone was more frequent in school lunch-supported children than in nonsupported children. The average nutrient intakes and nutrient adequacy ratios were lower in supported children than in non-supported children. During term, percentages of nutrient intakes provided by school-lunch were higher in supported children than in non-supported children. Intakes of energy nutrients were within acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges, but proportion of carbohydrate intake increased during vacation. Analysis of patterns of food intakes based on major food groups (dairy, meat, grain, fruit, vegetable) indicated that meals during term were more balanced as compared to meals during vacation. In conclusion, food behaviors and nutrient intakes of school lunchsupported children were inferior to those of non-supported children during term and during summer vacation. They were provided with more nutrient intakes from school lunch during term as compared to non-supported children. Therefore, it is necessary not only to keep meal support program during vacation but also to provide a proper nutrition education as a part of school lunch program to improve nutritional status and food behaviors of school lunch-supported children.