• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.192-204
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• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the association between dietary behaviors and perceived health status among Korean adolescents from multicultural families. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2,459 Korean adolescents from multicultural families (aged 13 ~ 18 years) who participated in the 2017 ~ 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. Information on the sociodemographic variables, dietary behaviors, and lifestyle variables was self-reported using a web-based questionnaire. The dietary behaviors analyzed in this study were the breakfast and food intake frequencies, including fruit, vegetable, milk, fast food, carbonated drink, sweet drink, and high caffeine/energy drinks. The adolescents' health perception was self-rated as healthy, average, or unhealthy. The dietary behaviors associated with health perception were examined using a multiple logistic regression after adjusting for the confounding variables. Results: In this study population, 7.6% of adolescents perceived their health status as unhealthy, and 25.4% perceived it as average. The adolescents who were girls, middle school students, and in households with a low economic status showed significantly higher percentages of poor health perception (P-values < 0.001). Skipping breakfast was significantly associated with a negative health perception. Compared to the adolescents who consumed fruits every day, those who did not consume fruits during the previous week showed a higher odd ratio (OR) for a negative health perception [OR = 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32-3.97]. The adolescents who frequently consumed carbonated drinks (≥ 5 times/week) perceived their health status as unhealthy relative to those who did not consume carbonated drinks (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.25-3.71). Skipping breakfast was significantly associated with an increased OR for a negative health perception in girls but not in boys. Compared to adolescents with a normal weight, those with overweight/obesity (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.21-2.52) and underweight (OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.25-3.82) showed higher ORs for negative health perception. Positive associations of overweight/obesity and underweight with negative health perception were observed in boys but not in girls. Conclusions: Dietary behaviors and weight status were associated with the health perception in Korean adolescents from multicultural families. These findings suggest that nutrition interventions on breakfast intake and healthy food choices for this population might effectively improve their weight and perceived health status.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.169-176
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• 2006

This study explored elderly American women's body satisfaction and clothing consciousness with the methods of survey and body measurement. To that end, I first investigated their self-perception of body size and body satisfaction and also the relationships between those, along with the relationships between body measurements and body satisfaction. Then, I analyzed the differences in elderly women's body satisfaction and clothing consciousness among different body type groups. For the last, I examined the degree of their body thinness or obesity and ideal body size in order to explore the standard for ideal body shape among elderly women. Elderly American women were satisfied with most of their body parts except waist circumference and weight. Body satisfaction with stature, weight, and hip circumference was correlated to both size perception and body measurement. Body satisfaction with thigh circumference and leg length was correlated to size perception, and also that with waist circumference and neck length to body measurement. Size perception showed differences among body types, but body satisfaction did not show notable differences among body types. There were significant differences between real size and ideal one. Elderly American women thought that clothing was important in their everyday life.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 2008

This study investigated the relationships between eating disorder risk, body image perception, weight control, and dietary habits in Korean women. Body shape perception, the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and dietary habit information were collected by a self-administered questionnaire to 373 adult women and the data were analyzed by the Chi-square test. 31.4% of the women were classified in the eating disorder group by a score of over 20 points on the EAT-26. Compared to the normal group, more women in the eating disorder risk group perceived that a thin body shape was the ideal body shape and were dissatisfied with their body shape. This group was also more interested in weight control and more likely to try weight control methods. The eating disorder risk group was more likely to skip meals and snacks than the normal group. In addition, they had a greater appetite and a higher frequency of overeating than the normal group. Over 30% of the Korean women surveyed were categorized at high risk of eating disorders. They were more likely to overestimate body weight and shape and tried to control their weight by inappropriate methods. To prevent eating disorders in adult women, nutrition education programs should incorporate strategies to change inaccurate self-body image and to disseminate information about healthy weight control methods.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2008

The objective of this research was to study the differences between urban and rural areas high school students in body image and dietary habits. The number of subjects in Seoul and Kyungkido were 902. Based on self-reported height and weight, there was no significant difference between the urban and rural students. However, the rate of obesity was significantly higher in males, whereas the rate of underweight was significantly higher in females, especially for urban females (p < 0.05). Their ideal body image ratio as skinny or slender-type was 91.6% (urban) and 95.7% (rural) for male category while 100% (urban) and 99.4% (rural) for females. Urban females had a strong preference for a skinny body (p < 0.05). Rural students were more highly interested in weight control than urban students were, but they appeared not to care their health. In addition, they had significantly lower levels of weight control knowledge and dietary attitude score (p < 0.001). Subjective assessment of body weight appeared to be more important in terms of body satisfaction, weight control knowledge and dietary attitude than actual measurement of body mass index. Significant test revealed that weight control knowledge was related to dietary attitude (p < 0.01). (p < 0.01).

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.163-175
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to collect fundamental data for weight control education based on obesity, weight control practices and body image in female college students. Those surveyed were 364 female college students attending universities in Seoul, Kyoung-Gi and Chung Cheung Buk Do. The data were collected from June 1, 1999 to September 10, 1999. The resulting data are as follows: 1. The mean BMI of the female college students was 19.78:t1.87kg/$\textrm{m}^2$, which comes within the range of normal weight. Underweight, normal weight and overweight students were respectively 27.2%, 66.8% and 5.5%. As many as 7.1% of the underweight students and 42.8% of the normal weight students described themselves as being "fatty". 2. Of these subjects, 83.5% reported wanting to lose weight, and the primary reason of weight control was to improve their appearance. The mean weight that they wanted to lose was 5.2$\pm$2.7kg, and 68.7% of the respondents had tried to lose weight. Among them, the most frequently reported weight control behavior was dieting followed by exercise, 30% reported fasting, 3.6% reported using drugs, 4.4% reported smoking and 3.6% reported vomiting. As to the weight loss effect, 96.7% of the subjects used behavior modification, 82.5% of the students exercised, and 76.1% of the dieters reported they had lost weight. 3. As to body image, many female college students were dissatisfied with their body figures, especially thighs(70.3%), hips(60.4%), abdomens(60.2%), and weight(55.2%). The body image of the students that perceived themselves as "fatty" was the lowest. 4. There were significant differences in the mean weight that they wanted to lose and the weight control attempts according to weight perception. Those that perceived themselves as "fatty" wanted to lose more weight, and had more weight control experiences. In conclusion, attempts at weight control are common in the female college students and many students appear to be dissatisfied with their body shapes. It is important to educate about healthy weight control methods and raise their awareness of the positive body image.ss of the positive body image.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.269-279
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• 2002

To investigate the change of perception after weight management education in elementary, middle and high school students, a survey was conducted. Same questionnaire was administered twice, before and after weight management education, to 426 students at 9 schools in Seoul area. The mean height, weight and body mass index were 145.5$\pm$8.0cm, 40.0$\pm$8.3kg, 18.6$\pm$3.0 for elementary school students, 160.1$\pm$5.2cm, 50.2$\pm$7.3kg, 19.5$\pm$2.4 for middle school students, and 162.2$\pm$5.0cm, 52.2$\pm$6.4kg, 19.8$\pm$2.3 for high school students, respectively. Before education, their preferred weight and perceived healthy weight was 35.4kg and 37.0kg among elementary school students, 44.8kg and 46.5kg among middle school students, and 47.3kg and 48.9kg among high school students, respectively. Differences between their present body weight and their preferred weight and/or perceived healthy weight appeared to be 4.5kg and 2.9kg in elementary school students, 5.6kg and 4.0kg in middle school students, and 5.1kg and 3.3kg in high school students, respectively. After administering education, the differences decreased to 2.5kg and -0.2kg in elementary school students, 4.2kg and 2.7kg in middle school students, and 4.3kg and 2.0kg in high school students, respectively (p<0.01). And their perception on own body shape was investigated using 5 point scale ('too lean' to 'too fat', 1 to 5) before and after education. The mean values changed from 3.1 to 2.8 in elementary school students, from 3.3 to 3.0 in middle school students, and from 3.4 to 3.2 in high school students (p<0.01). Their satisfaction with own body weight was monitored using 5 point scale ('very satisfied' to 'very unsatisfied', 1 to 5), also. The mean values changed from 3.0 to 2.7 in elementary school students, from 3.6 to 3.2, in middle school students, and from 3.8 to 3.4 in high school students (p<0.01). In the evaluation of their nutrition knowledge about weight control using 10 item quiz, before and after education, the mean quiz score was changed from 6.3 to 7.0 in elementary school students, from 7.0 to 7.9 in middle school students, and from 7.5 to 8.1 in high school students (p<0.01). In summary, nutrition education on weight management improved the subject's perception on perceived healthy weight and own body shape, and satisfaction with present body weight. This result suggests that nutrition education program should incorporate strategies to change incorrect beliefs and knowledge regarding weight control. Onto this, weight control education for students should start from their early age, be repeated periodically and consistently, and focus on the harmful effects of excessive weight loss and information on the practical and scientific ways of weight management.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.884-896
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• 2018

This study investigates coping strategies of overweight or underweight males in Korea. For this purpose, the authors identify types of stress related to weight management. A qualitative method was utilized to collect the data related to successful weight management experiences of males aged 20-37 years. Data were analyzed based on a motivation theory of coping, which suggests coping strategy elements. The results of this study identified the stress related to weight: dissatisfaction with appearance, others' disapproval of appearance, health problems, weaker athletic ability, negative self-perception, passiveness about appearance, lower romantic attractiveness, others' disapproval of lower romantic attractiveness, weakened task execution capability, and negative stereo-types about task execution capability. In addition, six coping strategies were suggested: improved appearance, improved physical function, improved positive self-perception, more choices to improve appearance, enhanced romantic relationship, and enhanced job performance. This study shows that weight problems in modern society are diverse and complex. Therefore a man who has abnormal weight needs to clarify his stress first and then proposes strategies that are appropriate for each type of stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1142-1152
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to verify the visual perception on various cotton fabrics of the same color. Results obtained through subjective evaluation of cotton fabrics showed that the textural adjectives could be classified into 3; warm/cool, flexibility and surface property, the sensibility adjectives into 5; simple, attractive, masculine, conservative, comfortable and visual perception adjectives into 6; hard, warm, smooth, brilliant, classic and casual. Image distribution results on 12 different fabrics, showed different distributions among textiles on visual perception due to varying texture and sensibility. In thickness, weight, weave type, bending and surface characteristics which are structure characteristics, significant differences were shown for visual perception examination. Having placed into an image scale, visual perception dimension developed divided into the ＇soft-hard＇ axis and the ＇warm-cool＇ axis.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2011

Objectives : Obesity has been linked to various psychological problems as well as medical complications, especially among adolescents. Previous studies have suggested an association between body weight and depression or self-esteem ; however, there has been little evidence on self-perception of weight and mental health. The aim of this study was to examine the association of perceptional weight status with mental health in Korean adolescents. Methods : This study was based on data obtained from the third Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (2005). The study sample consisted of 583 adolescents (268 boys, 315 girls) aged 12-18 years, who had completed the health survey, the health examination, and the nutritional survey. Participants were divided into two groups based on the actual or perceptional weight status: non-obese and obese. Questionnaires for stress, depressive mood, and suicidal thoughts were utilized as mental health indicators. Results : The agreement between actual and perceptional weight status was moderate (k value, 0.585 ; p<0.01). The influencing factors for the discrepancy between actual and perceptional weight status were body mass index of subjects and their parents' education. The obese group was likely to have higher stress levels and more experience of depressive mood or suicidal ideation in regard to both actual and perceptional weight status. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that girls who had perceived themselves as obese were more likely to have an experience of depressive mood than other girls (unadjusted OR, 4.98 ; adjusted OR, 5.15). Conclusion : An experience of depressive mood was significantly associated with the perception of weight status and not actual weight status in Korean female adolescents.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.3353-3360
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• 2015

This study was conducted to identify the BMI of enlisted soldiers, to understand the difference between their BMI and that of other men in their age group, and to identify the influence factors of enlisted soldiers' BMI change. The survey has been conducted self-evaluation questionnaire from 23 Feb. 2009 to 31 Mar. 2009 from 4 different forces as methods. Independent-sample T-test, chi-square test and multiple linear regression analysis were used for statistical analysis from 301 collected data. As a result of surveying enlisted soldiers' BMI, their obesity rate 18.6% was lower than 22.1% of other men in their age group. In terms of health behavior, the underweight&normal weight group(2.39) showed higher diet score than the overweight group(2.13), showing that the underweight&normal weight group ate relatively slowly, less spicy and less sweet food compared to the overweight group. The overweight group(2.25) showed lower satisfaction with their body type than the underweight&normal weight group(2.98), while the overweight group(4.01) showed a significantly higher score than the underweight&normal weight group(3.37) for weight control activity. The influence factors of BMI change were diet habit, subjective perception of body type, and weight control activity. In order to improve of enlisted soldiers' BMI, it would be necessary to improve the food service and the snack bars for interventional control of food that influence obesity, rather than personal effort, in addition, education for right body-shape perception and encouraging on weight control activity.