• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.856-866
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between the prevalence of constipation and beverage intake. Research data were collected from first and second grade female students at Hyehwa High School in Seoul by means of questionnaires. A total of 190 questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN program. The results are summarized as follows: The average body mass index (BMI) was 20.7. Of the students, 38.4% had a BMI of less than 20(underweight), and 15.8% had a BMI of over 23 (overweight). However, 84.7% of the students wanted to lose weight. To estimate the prevalence of constipation, five factors were used: frequency and regularity of defecation, time spent defecating, defecation difficulty, and feeling of residue after defecation. The percentage of the students who emptied their bowels every day was 22.1%. About 2/5 of the students (42.1%) had irregular defecation, and 15.2% spent more than 10 minutes in the rest room when defecating. The students who did not have difficulty defecating and those who did not have feelings of residue after defecating were only 24.7% and 28.9%, respectively. The amount of beverage intake per day was 1,062$m\ell$ 674$m\ell$ of water, 128$m\ell$ of milk, 88$m\ell$ of soft drinks, and 53$m\ell$ of fruit juice. The amount of beverage intake before breakfast, during breakfast, before lunch and during lunch was about 100 $m\ell$, each; before dinner, during dinner, and after dinner it was about 200$m\ell$, each. The amount of beverage intake during the weekend was 120$m\ell$ greater than on weekdays. Students who drank more beverages, especially water, before breakfast, showed a higher defecation frequency, more regular defecation, spent less time defecating, had less difficulty defecating, and had less feeling of residue after defecation, so that they have a better defecation pattern. Based on these results, increasing the amount of beverage consumption, especially of water, and drinking greater quantities of beverage before breakfast are ways to reduce constipation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1085-1097
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• 1993

Recently, as korean eating habits have been westernized, the incidence of large intestinal disease, which has been recognized as western diseases until now, has been increasing. This study was conducted to find the association of fiber intake and large bowel function. This was a cross-sectional survey, the data were obtained by self-administering questionnaire and study population was adults aged more than 18 years old in Seoul(N=1200). The response rate was 81.8%. The results were summarized as followed: 1) The factors associated with bowel function was sex, habits of defecation such as regularity and frequencies of defecation, fecal form, gastrointestinal diseases, psychological scores, self-assessment of physical status, exercise and alcohol drinking. 2) The association between the amount of fiber intake and bowel function was significant. This association was still significant, when the confounders such as disease of upper digestive system and alcohol drinking were controlled.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 1994

Recently the incidence of hemorrhoids has been increased. There were various factors related to hemorrhoids, the amount of fiber intake was known as one of them. And so we performed this case-control study to investigate the association of hemorrhoids and fiber intake. The data was obtained by the combination of self-administered questionnaire and personal interview. The study population was consisted of matched 156 pairs, the cases were selected from S-hospital in Seoul, the age and sex matched control from the general population. The statistical analysis was performed by matched-analysis. The results summarized as follow : 1) As socio-economic status were low, the odds ratio of hemorrhoids were high. 2) There was significant association between hemorrhoids and regularity of eating time rather than regularity of defecation. 3) The odds ratio of hemorrhoids was 3 times higher in the presence of constipation. 4) The incidence of hemorrhoids was influenced by psychological characteristics such as somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, and anxiety. 5) Fiber intake was significantly lower in the cases compared to the controls. When the constipation was controlled, the fiber intake was still lower in the cases. These data provide additional evidence that the fiber intake was related to hemorrhoids.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary and lifestyle factors related to bowel pattern of female high school and college students in Gyeonggi Province. The total of 202 self-administered questionnaires (high school students 77 ; college students 125) were analyzed. All respondents were devided into four groups based on their self-reported pattern of defecation: 18 subjects ($9.0\%$) comprised the normal group, 73 ($36.1\%$) the constipation group, 73 ($36.1\%$) the constipation/diarrhea group, and 38 ($18.8\%$) the diarrhea group. Regularity of exercise was significantly higher in the college students than high school students, and times spending on a chair were longer in the high school students than college students. Most students ($72.7\%$) reported that they had stress. Fourty point six percent of the subjects reported that they had 3 meals per day, which tended to be higher in the normal and diarrhea group than constipation and constipation/ diarrhea group. Most students (69.7) skipped breakfast which was lower in the normal group than the other groups. The most preferred dietary fiber food was korean cabbage kimchi. Fifty-eight point four percent of the subjects reported that they had irregular bowel movement. Bowel movement was more irregular in the high school students than college students, and in the constipation group than the other groups. Of the subjects, $77.7\%$ had defecation frequency between three per week and three per day. Those who spent within 10 minutes for defecation were $79.6\%$, and those had difficulty in evacuating were $76.0\%$. High school students and those with constipation and constipation/diarrhea had a significantly lower defecation frequency, longer time spent at the toilet, and greater difficulty in evacuating than college students and normal and diarrhea group. The percentage of those who had feelings of residue in the intestine after defecation was $92.5\%$, and it was greater in the constipation or diarrhea group than in the normal group. Most students ($93.5\%$) reported that they had abdominal pain or discomfort. These results suggest that decreasing times spending on a chair, decreasing stress, keeping 3 meal per day at regular hours, and increasing dietary fiber intake are associated with desirable bowel pattern.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.43-52
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• 2008

1. Objectives This study aims to find out the factors that affect to healthy level according to Sasang Constitutions by comparing THI health state with Sasang Health Index. 2. Methods One hundred twenty one healthy students from Korean oriental medical colleges participated in this study. We used the Questionnaire for Sasang Constitution Classification II(QSCC II) and expert opinion to diagnose Sasang Constitution, and used Sasang Health Index and THI questionnaire to take health information about Sasang Constitution, from 121 people of Sasang Constitution Information Bank. 3. Results 1) The 'Good Sweat' in Taeumin health level was higher than others, especially in case of 'Refreshness after Sweat' and the 'Good Feces' also higher in case of 'Much Volume in Defecation' 'Regularity in Defecation' 'Refreshness after Evacuation'. 2) The 'Good Feces' in Soyangin health level was higher than others, especially in case of 'Thickness'. 3) The 'Good Digestion' in Soeumin health level was not significantly higher than others. 4) The better symptoms in 'Good Sweat', the better health in Taeumin. 4. Conclusions Sasang Constitution Health Level is significantly related with Sasang Health Index.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2005

Objectives: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was aimed to investigate the status of bowel health behaviors, prevalence of constipation and risk factors related to self-reported constipation in high school students. Methods: The study subjects were 1,882 students of six high schools located in a metropolitan city, who were selected by the accidental sampling from June to August, 2002. We analyzed the data by frequency analysis, chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression using SPSS ver. 10.0. Results: The result of this study were summarized as follows: 1. A prevalence rate of self-reported constipation was 25.2%. A rate in male students was 13.4% and in female students 36.5%. 2. In regard to therapeutic behavior, 52.1% of study student with change in bowel habit had not find particular counsellor, 38.9% of the student had counselling with parents. 16.3% of students in constipation group had taken laxative medicine for treating the constipation. 73.5% of the student in constipation group had suffered from anal pain during defecation, but 48.0% in normal group. 41.6% of the student in constipation group had a experience of rectal bleeding after defecation, but 23.7% in normal group. So constipation related symptoms distribution had showed statistically significant difference between two group. 3. From the multivariate analysis by self-reported method, the risk factors related to the constipation were sex(female), experience of diet for weight reduction, absence of the breakfast and intake of vegetable more than 3 times per weeks. Conclusions: we had reconfirmed that we should improve eating habits to prevent and treat the constipation in a result of this study. Intervention that is target to girl students, abstain from weight reduction diet, regularity of taking meals, intake more vegetables, stress management should be provided to prevent the constipation especially in Korean high school students. Further prospective designed study are needed to establish the causal-effect relationship between so many risk factors with constipation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2010

This study was conducted in order to investigate and compare anthropometric measurements, bone density, nutrient intake, blood composition and food habits between non-smoking, non-alcohol drinking and smoking, alcohol drinking male university students in Seoul, South Korea. The data for food habits and health-related behaviors were obtained by selfadministered questionnaires. The BQIs of the subjects were measured by Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS). The subjects were divided into two groups: NSND (non-smoking and non-alcohol drinking, n=62) group and General (smoking and alcohol drinking, n=160) group. The results were analyzed using the SPSS program and were as follows: The average heights, weights, and BMIs of the two groups were 173.3 cm, 66.5 kg and 22.1 and 173.4 cm, 68.7 kg and 22.9, respectively. There were no differences between the groups regarding height, weight or BMI. SBP and DBP, however, were significantly higher in the general group than in the NSND group (p<0.01). The BQIs, Z-scores and T-scores of the two groups were 99.83, -0.23, and -0.31 and 98.24, -0.27 and -0.39, respectively, producing no significant differences between the two groups. The percentages for normal bone status, osteopenia and osteoporosis were 83.88%, 16.12% and 0.0% and 74.37%, 25.62% and 0.01%, respectively. Mean intakes of animal protein (p<0.05), animal fat (p<0.05), fiber (p<0.05), animal Ca(p<0.05), animal Fe (p<0.001), Zn(p<0.05), vitamin B1 (p<0.05) and niacin (p<0.05) were significantly different between the two groups, and mean serum levels of SGOT (p<0.01), SGPT (p<0.001), ${\gamma}$-GTP (p<0.001), triglycerides (p<0.01), total cholesterol (p<0.05) and hematocrit (p<0.05) were also significantly different between the two groups. Overall, there were no differences in meal regularity, frequency of snacking, reasons for overeating, exercise and defecation between the groups. However, favorite foods (p<0.05) and night-time meals (p<0.05) were significantly different. In conclusion, the health status of the NSND group was superior compared to the general group. Thus, students who smoke and alcohol drink should receive a practical and systematically-organized education regarding the increased health benefits of quitting smoking and alcohol drinking.