• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.940-955
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study was to compare the degree nutrient intake, health status and other characteristics of females aged 65 years and over in a longevity area according to family arrangement. For analysis, 585 female elderly were recruited from the Kugoksoondam area (Kurye, Goksung, Soonchang and Damyang counties), known as the longevity-belt region in Jeonla province, Korea. The subjects were categorized into three groups according to family arrangement (living alone, living with spouse only and living with family). Demographic characteristics were collected, as well as information on physical measurements, blood tests for biochemical indicators, health status and health-related life style, dietary behavior, favorite food groups, consumption frequency of food groups, nutrient intake and mini nutrition assessment. In the group living with their spouse only, the highest education, physical activity, diverse food intake, frequency of eating meats and fish, energy and nutrients intake, and score on the mininutrient status assessment (MNA) were found to be significantly favorable factors. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the group living with their spouse only had relatively superior nutrient intake and the quality of diet. In contrast, the group living alone showed the lowest self-rated economic status, diversity of food intake, and physical activity, with the highest frequency of drinking, smoking and regular exercise for almost everyday compared with the other groups. On the other hand, those living with family demonstrated the lowest intake of supplements or functional foods, and levels of hemoglobin hematocrit MCH, but the highest HBA1c and blood sugar. Therefore, the group living with family was assumed to be at risk of anemia and diabetes. These results could be useful to plan effective strategies to increase the health-life expectancy of Korean elderly people living in rural areas, according to family arrangement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.765-774
• /
• 2007

Aging rate of rural area in our country is relatively high compared to that of the urban area. Thus, the introduction of meal service for the elderly residing in the rural area is necessary for their better living quality. Food habit, health and the nutritive intake conditions during the busy farming season were surveyed and comparative analysis of dietary intake for the introduction of meal service in pavilion of the elderly living in Chungnam, Kangwon, Jeonnam and Kyungbuk was performed for basic reference data of meal service introduction to the pavilion of the elderly in rural area. In general subject, the male elderly had a significant difference in marital state and showed that 79.4% was married and 20% was separated by death(P<0.05). In allowance, there were no significant difference but most of them lived with less then three hundred thousand won and especially, female lived with less then one hundred thousand won. In health state, the female elderly showed significant difference on difficulty with every day activity but with small trouble although they had to prepare their own meal(P<0.05). The condition dental health conditions of the female elderly had a significant difference showing bad conditions in following order; Kangwon(48%)>Chungnam(38.1%)>Kyungbuk(22.9%)>Jeonnam(22.5%)(p<0.05). The female elderly showed a significant difference in usage of denture and number of the female elderly without using the denture were very high(p<0.05). In nutrition intake condition, amount of sodium was very high but intakes of fiber and calcium were relatively 1ow(P<0.05). Meal service introduction in the pavilion of the elderly is suggested for the improvement of the life quality of the elderly in rural area. When developing the menu for them, conditions such as shortage of the fiber and calcium in diets, the dental conditions should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.578-592
• /
• 1997

The use of semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires to estimate dietary intake has become widespread in nutritional epidemiologic studies. It had been suggested that knowledge about a person's usual portion size of each meal in addition to consumption frequency will improve the accuracy of this method. This study was performed to investigate the dietary intake status(nutrient, food, and dish intake) and one portion size of commonly consumed food and dishes to develop a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire that will be used to expore the relationship between the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diet in Korean women after menopause. Intake of food or dish in 123 elderly women were measured by 3-day food records in March to May, 1996. The results obtained in this study were summarized as follow : 1) Calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin E intakes were less adequate than Recommended dietary allowances(RDA). 2) The subjects who consumed more than 20% of the energy from fat were 35% and the subjects consumed dietary cholesterol more than 300mg were 18$\%$. 3) The most frequently consumed foods or dishes by the subjects were Korean cabbage kimchi〉cooked rice, well-milled〉laver〉apple〉strawberry〉mixed rice〉soybean soup. 4) The major dish groups which contributed to most daily nutrient intakes were cooked rice, Korean cabbage kimchi, soybean soup because of large amount and high frequency of intake although they do not contain large amount of most nutrients. 5) One portion size of commomly consumed foods and dishes in elderly women was different from one portion size suggested in the Korean nutrition society. This study provides information for the design of data-based semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. for Korean elderly women. In addition, they may be useful to health care planners or nutrition educators. (Korean J Community Nutrition 2(4) : 578-592, 1997)

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.201-210
• /
• 2009

The purpose of the study is to examine the demographic characteristics and socio-psychological factors affecting willingness to take health foods among elderly, which is to get the basic materials of educational program for helping their desirable intake of healthy food. The data were collected from 1,032 elderly subjects and analyzed by SPSS Windows Version 12.0. About forty-one percent of the respondents were taking health foods in the period of survey. The main reason of taking health foods was to maintain and improve their health. The elderly subjects were classified into three groups: (1) a group having willingness to take healthy food, (2) a group having unwillingness to take healthy food, and (3) a group having a wait-and-see attitude. According to the results of chi-square and analysis of one-way variance, there were significant differences among three groups in the variables of 'sex', 'age', 'educational level', 'marriage status', 'monthly allowance', 'eating habit', 'concerns about health', 'self -evaluation of health condition', 'self-evaluation of health condition compared to the same age', 'concerns about health foods', and 'awareness of health foods'. In addition, the result of multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the factors affecting willingness to take health foods in the future are 'age', 'concerns about health', 'self-evaluation of health condition compared to the same age', 'awareness of health foods', and 'intake of health foods in the period of survey'.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.519-529
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of food insecurity in Korean elderly and to analyze the health status as well as food and nutrient intakes according to food insecurity status. Methods: A total of 939 elderly subjects (over 65 years old) were used in our analysis from the fifth 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1). The variables consisted of general characteristics, physical and mental health, nutrient intake, rate of deficient intake of energy and nutrients compared with Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) and food quality and diversity according to the status of food insecurity. Food insecurity status was measured using a self-reported food security questionnaire on the dietary situation in the previous year, and participants were classified according to three groups: food secure group, mildly food insecure group, and moderately/severely food insecure group. Results: The proportion of the food insecure group was approximately 67% and the food insecure group had lower income and educational status than the food secure group. Food insecurity was associated with worse physical and mental health status after adjusting potentially confounding variables. The results showed that food insecurity in Korean elderly significantly affected mental health (including stress cognition, depression experience, and suicide thoughts) which exceeded stages of physical health. In addition, food insecurity showed significant association with low nutrient intake and high rate of deficient intakes of energy and nutrients compared with KDRIs, and a reduction of dietary quality and diversity was indicated in the food insecure group. Conclusion: This study concludes that the prevalence of food insecurity may affect the physical and mental health as well as dietary intake of the elderly Korean population. Therefore, food insecurity should be considered as an important public health issue in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.115-127
• /
• 2016

In this study, we compared diet related attributes such as food taste preference, food consumption frequency and nutrition intake between elderly residents in their 80's of areas in Jeollanam-do that are well known for longevity and those of a part of Seoul. Structured in-depth interviews were conducted by trained interviewers on 125 consented subjects (67 Jeonnam and 58 Seoul). Differences of groups were tested using Chi-square tests for nominal or ordinal data and t-tests and ANOVA tests for ratio data. The elderly from Jeonnam tended to sleep longer, express emotion more freely, and interact with others more often than those from Seoul. The elderly tended to prefer sweet or salty tastes, which might be highly related to serious health problems. The most frequently consumed foods were napa cabbage kimchi (2.19 times/day) and multigrain rice (1.99 times/day). Elderly from Jeonnam tended to consume garlic, milk, beans and roasted barley/corn teas less often; whereas, they consumed porridge, dried radish greens, potato, fermented fish, dried fish, pork rib, pork belly, soybean paste soup, soybean paste/Ssamjang, other kimchis, pickled vegetables, snacks, cookies, and green/black teas more often than elderly residents from Seoul. Differences in nutrition intake between the regions were greater than differences between the perceived levels of household economic status. NAR and INQ for folate were lower among elderly from Jeonnam than those from Seoul, while those for protein, vitamin C, niacin, vitamin $B_6$ were higher. The study results indicated that elderly from Jeonnam engaged in a more diverse diet than the elderly from Seoul.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.179-198
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study examined general characteristics, health status, accessibility to medical services, health-related quality of life, dietary behavior, and energy and nutrient intakes of the elderly at different levels of food security utilizing data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2018). Methods: The elderly subjects (1,721 males and 2,271 females) were divided into 3 groups (secure, mildly insecure, moderately/severely insecure) according to their food security levels. Health and nutrient status was determined using energy intake, nutrient density, the prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake, dietary behavior, and health status. Results: The elderly with food insecurities had a lower self-evaluated health status and a higher prevalence of physician-diagnosed chronic diseases such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis for males, and hypertension, stroke, arthritis, and osteoarthritis for females. The associated financial burden was the major reason for not accessing medical services in the food insecure group. Furthermore, the food insecure group had a higher risk of impaired health-related quality of life compared to the secure group. The proportion of subjects with an energy intake below the estimated energy requirement was higher in the food insecure group and a significantly higher prevalence of insufficient intake was observed for all the nutrients (proteins, vitamin A, vitamin B₁, vitamin B₂, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, and iron) assessed in this study compared to the food secure group. Conclusion: This study suggests that food insecurity poses a challenge to the health and nutritional status of the elderly population in Korea and needs proper management. It would be helpful to develop food and nutrition assistance programs to ensure the food stability of the elderly population and assure quality to address gaps in their nutrient intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.101-110
• /
• 2005

This survey was carried out to obtain the information concerning nutritional status, including factors of food habits and nutrient intake of the long-lived elderly men and women living in Ganghwa-gun. In order to assess the quality of dietary intake among the elderly, a survey was conducted during December 2003 of 103 subjects who were over 85 years of age. Dietary nutrient intake data were obtained through the 24 hr recall method. Chi-square test and t-test were the main data analysis method. Their dietary habits such as three meals a day and a regular meal time have shown that they have generally good eating habits. Average daily calorie intake ($\%$ RDA) was 1233.2 kcal ($68.8\%$) for male and 1215.8 kcal ($75.8\%$) for female which were lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Koreans. Energy intake of females got closer to RDA than that of male. Protein intake was 49.3 g for male and 46.9 g for female (which was $82.3\%$ RDA for male and $85.1\%$ RDA for female) for elderly person, the proportion of animal protein to total protein intake were $45.2\%$ for male and $39.0\%$ for female. Average CPF ratio of energy intake for both male and female were 68.7 : 16.1 : 15.2 and 69.6 : 15.4 : 15.0. SFA : MUFA : PUFA ratio of the subject was 0.78 : 1.03 : 1.00 for male and 0.64 : 0.92 : 1.00 for female. Calcium intakes for both males and females were 321.3 mg and 377.2 mg. Vitamin A was the nutrient found to be least sufficient. Mean daily intakes of most of the vitamins and minerals for both males and females were lower than RDA except vitamin C and Zn for female, especially $\%$ RDAs of vitamin A, Ca for male and vitamin A for females were less than $50\%$ of RDA. In conclusion, long-lived elderly in Ganghwa areas did not consume enough nutrients quantitatively as well as qualitatively, especially Ca, Fe, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$ and vitamin E. These results suggest that nutritional guidelines for older Koreans should focus on the maintenance of adequate energy intake. In addition, selection of foods with high protein and calcium, such as dairy food, should be emphasized, particularly in the long-lived elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.392-403
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between HbA1c level and health risk factor. For analysis, 330 elderly women aged 65 years and over were recruited in Jeonla province, Korea. The subjects were classified into two groups according to their HbA1c level; the diabetic group (HbA1c level${\geq}6.5%$, n=68, 20.6%) and control group (HbA1c level<6.5%, n=262, 79.4%). Demographic characteristics were collected, as well as information on physical measurements, blood tests for biochemical indicators, a health status and health-related life style, dietary behavior, favorite food groups, consumption frequency of food groups and nutrient intake. Educational level of the diabetic group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The height of the diabetic group was shorter, and percentage fat of the diabetic group was higher than those of the control group. In the diabetic group, the higher concentrations of creatinine and activity of alkaline phosphatase were found to be significantly unfavorable factors. Therefore, the diabetic group was assumed to be at risk of decreased liver and renal function. The self-rated health level of the diabetic group has a declining tendency, while the medicine intake was significantly higher than that of the control group, but there are no significant differences in visiting frequency of hospital and community health center. The distribution of physical activity showed a significant difference between the groups. Although there are no significant differences in nutrient intake, the diabetic group had relatively inferior nutrient intake of diet, especially vitamin C, as contrasted with the control group. In conclusion, the weight control and increasing physical activity may be effective in the prevention of the diabetes and continuous education and intervention by specialized nutritionists will be needed for diabetic patients. These results could be useful to plan effective strategies to increase the health-life expectancy and the prevention of the diabetes of Korean elderly people living in rural areas.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.467-478
• /
• 2012

This study was carried out to develop nutrition education materials for nutrient intake and the prevention of disease for the elderly and to test their effects on the health-related matters and nutrition intakes after nutrition education. The mean age of the subjects was 71.6 years old. Diet adjustment for health increased a little bit from 2.2% to 11.1% after education but with no significance. The highest reported chronic illness was hypertension. The drinking of the subjects decreased a little bit after their education but wasn't significant. There were no significant changes to the frequency of food consumption across all the items after education, but there was a small increase to the daily intake of milk and dairy products and fruits and to a balanced diet three times per day. There was a significant increase in the intake of such nutrients as energy(p<0.05), protein(p<0.01), lipid(p<0.05), phosphorus(p<0.05), sodium (p<0.05), vitamin $B_2$(p<0.05), vitamin $B_6$(p<0.05), and niacin(p<0.001) after education. Those findings show that nutrition education provided to the elderly had no clear effects on the items that required memorization such as nutrition knowledge but did have some effects on dietary life. If the nutrition education requiring memorization is provided repeatedly with data supplemented, more effective nutrition management will be possible.