• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.517-524
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There are limited studies investigating the eating patterns of children's favorite foods. The present study aimed to evaluate a wide range of children's favorite foods, derive its eating patterns, and identify factors related to the patterns. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study included 5,458 students in elementary, middle, and high schools. The survey was conducted at each school to evaluate children's favorite food intake, including the intake frequency of 31 food items or food groups, and its related factors, such as demographic, economic, and environmental characteristics and awareness of policies on children's favorite foods. Factor analysis using varimax rotation method and logistic regression analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Two factors were derived as major eating patterns from data of children's favorite foods: the 'unhealthy eating pattern' which mainly involves confectionery, chocolate, ramen, fried food, etc.; and the 'healthy eating pattern' which mainly involves soybean milk, vegetables, fruit juice, and nuts. A stepwise selection procedure through the regression analysis revealed that allowance, use of screen media, less awareness of policies on children's favorite foods, and less interest in health were positively related to the tendency of unhealthy or less-healthy eating patterns (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study examined that the eating patterns of children's favorite foods were associated with certain environmental characteristics and awareness about the related policies. These findings suggest that a nutrition education program regarding children's favorite foods needs to be conducted according to the characteristics of students to develop their healthy eating habits and proper choice of favorite foods.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.302-312
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• 2004

This study aimed at examine dietary attitude, eating behavior and food preferences of children in child care center. The children involved in this study were 153 boys and 134 girls, aged 3 to 6 years old. The eating frequency of breakfast and the number of meal times a day were significant difference according to sex(P<0.01). Reason for skipping breakfast was ‘no appetite’(49.3%). It was found that 51.5% of the children belonged to ‘fair’ in food habit score, while children in ‘poor’ and in ‘excellent’ were 25.0% and 9.7% respectively. There was no significant difference in food habit score between boys and girls. Their preferred staple foods were ‘cooked rice’ and ‘Chajangmyon’, their preferred soup was ‘seaweed soup’. Also, their most preferred side dishes with animal foods were ‘fried chicken’ and ‘Bulgogi’. The preference of ‘hard boiled soybean curd’ and ‘pan fried soybean curd’ among the side dishes with vegetable foods were significant according to the obesity index(P<0.05). Children preferred side dishes with animal foods to those with vegetable foods. First considered item in meal preparation was child's favorite(58.1%). Mother's response to child's unbalanced diet was ‘trying to persuade the child’(56.6%). It was significant according to mother's occupation(P<0.01). The nutritional management program at child care center is required to enhance the nutritional status of children. Also the nutritional education for the children and their meal planners is required for better growth and health promotion of preschool children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.224-230
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• 2006

Microbial contamination levels and legal preservative appropriation in child foods sampled from the neighborhood of elementary schools were investigated. Contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria in seasoned dried fish slices, bread and snacks, sausages, sugar products and dumplings were $1.70\~6.91,\;1.40\~6.66$, 4.50, $3.48\~5.88$, and $4.79\~4.82\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. Coliforms in four kinds of foods except for dumplings were $2.30\~6.60,\;4.22\~~5.98$, 2.00, and $2.78\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. Yeasts and molds in those foods were $0.10\~4.23,\;1.66\~4.91,\;1.46\~1.91,\;1.56\~4.26$, and $1.12\~1.84\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. S. aureus was isolated in $18\%$ of seasoned dried fish slices ($1.00\~2.84\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $33\%$ of bread and snacks ($1.70\~1.79\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $50\%$ of sausages ($3.28\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $22\%$ of sugar products ($2.16\~2.88\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), and $100\%$ of dumplings $(1.18\~3.31\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$ B. cereus was isolated in $21\%$ of seasoned dried fish slices $(0.70\~2.48\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$, $50\%$ of bread and snacks $(0.70\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$, and $11\%$ of sugar products $(0.30\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$. Both E. coli and Salmonella spp. were not isolated in all samples. Preservative was only labeled on four products among 15 products but preservative on 13 products including 4 products haying an indication of preservative were not detected. Moreover, $0.30\%$ of sorbic acid was detected in one of Squid products . The results of this study indicated that the hygienic level of child foods in Gyeonggi and Incheon was very poor and need to be improved.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.1
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• pp.40-64
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• 1980

The purpose of this study was to compare the different environment among the young children of large and small cities and rural areas in Korea, in order to know how these different environment have an effect on the children's intellectual and emotional development. For this subjects, 2,700 questionares with 51 items were distributed to the infants' mothers in each area to interview and answer. About 1,800 questionaires were gathered from 3 metropolitan, 6 cities and 6 rural areas in (each 2 farming, fishing and mining villages) The results of analyzing these questionaires were like following; 1. The average number of children of each family was 2.5 in large cities, 3.0 in small cities and 3.6 in the rural areas. 2. White about 75% of infants' parents of large cities graduated college education, only 6% of the rural parents did it. Most infants' parents of the rural areas have only graduated the elementary school. 3. About 90% of the rural, small and large cities family have had radios and T.V sets, and 90% of infants watched T.V program for 2 hours a day in average. 4. While about 50% of large cities' young children were not reared by their mother's milk but by milk and other foods, about 95% of rural infants by breasting mills. 5. Young children of large cities were wearing about 5 months earlier than those of the rural. 6. While 20% children of cities were taught in the kindergarten, most children of the rural areas could not be taught in the kindergarten. 7. About 45% young children of the rural areas and cities were understood and taught reading, writing letters and numbers by their parents, brothers and sisters before entering primary school. 8. While 50% young children of large cities have had pianos and were taught music in kindergarten or piano tutor's, most of the rural areas have not had pianos and could not be taught music. 9. Most children's favorite music songs were T.V signals or C.M songs in both the rural and cities. 10. While most children of cities have had lots of children's pictures or fairy tale books. most infants of the rural areas have had nothing or a few. 11. As lots of infants could not find their pleasure resorts of sport tools outside, they used to play in side streets or publicroads with their friends. 12. While most infant's parents in cities wanted to make their infants lawyer or medicine doctor, most parents in rural areas wanted to make their children teacher or technician. 13. About a half of Korean infants have had their own rooms or have lived in it together with their brother or sister. In conclusion, as children of large cities have had more various kinds of cultural circumstances than the rural areas in aspects of cultural institutions' tools and environment of their parents' education, books, toys, pleasure resorts and their own rooms, the intellectual development of the former could be considered to surpass those of the latter. In other words, the average IQ points of urban's young children are 10 point higher than those of the rural areas, which means the better circumstance would affect the infant's intellectual development. Therefore, the government must support to make good circumstances of the children in the rural areas.