• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 1998

The study purpose was to investigate psychosocial factors related to smoking among adolescent boys. The Theory of Planned Behavior provide the basis for the study. Twenty-five attitudinal beliefs, 9 normative beliefs and 20control beliefs were identified through questionnaire development. The data were analyzed using t-test and χ2-test. Thirty-three percent of 300 students were smokers. Most of the beliefs examined were significantly different between smokers(n=92) and nonsmokers(n=92). With respect to attitudinal beliefs, smokers responded less negatively on the items of bad health effects of smoking such as sore throat, headache, chest pain, risk of cancer and bad blood circulation(p<0.001), and decreased physical strength(p<0.05). Smokers believed less negatively on the items that smoking leads to bothering others, bad breath, yellow teeth and making them spend money(p<0.001). In contrast, smokers felt more positively on smoking as a means of stress management, relaxing, helping digestion(P<0.001). Smokers felt less pressure for not smoking from significant others. Especially mother, siblings, friends, girl friends, seniors of school were important sources of influence regarding subject's smoking. Smokers felt less confident in controlling the urge to smoke in several situations including; when they were with friends or asked to smoke by friends; after the meal, or drinking; when they were bored or stressed, upset, and when they felt unstable(p<0.001). Smokers also scored lower on specific skills to quit or control the urge to smoke as well as overall perceived control, compared to nonsmokers(p<0.001). These results suggest that interventions for adolescents incorporate diverse strategies to increase the perceived control over smoking in specific situations as well as overall perceived control, to help them realize and modify attitudinal beliefs, and to elicit support from significant others for not smoking. (Korean J Community Nutrition 3(3) : 358∼367,1998)

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.55-72
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• 2004

Alcohol has as much effect on our lives as the different taste for foods that people have all of the world. Recently, the interest about drinking habits has increased with the rise in health problems for college students with poor health related behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate alcohol consumption, smoking and eating behavior of college students in the Kyungsan area. This survey was administered through questionnaires, and the subjects were 177 male and 189 female college students. The self-administered questionnaire was composed of questions concerning social-demographic factors, general characteristics, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and eating behavior. The data were analyzed by $\chi$$^2$-test and t-test. According to the survey results, almost of all of the survey subjects drank alcohol. The mean alcohol consumption level per day for male students (33.9${\pm}$29.7g) were significantly higher than for the female students (18.5${\pm}$16.5g), and more than 39.6% of the subjects drank alcohol 1-3 days a week. Alcohol consumption changed the students eating habits. Most students had dietary problems such as fast eating, skipping meal and spending too much money on fast food. The survey about eating behavior of the students showed the male students had more problems when compared with female students. Alcohol consumption levels and alcohol dependence showed a significant positive correlation with smoking cigarettes (r=0.386, p＜0.001). The correlation coefficient between alcohol consumption and eating behavior was negatively correlated with skipping meals (r=-0.121, p＜0.001). However, there were significant and positive correlations with overeating when students were depressed (r=0.130, p＜0.05), with eating meals when watching TV or videos (r=0.085) and with spending money on fast food(r=0.235, p＜0.235). The results indicate that health related behaviors of college students in the present study were fairly good. More attention should be given to college students and their habits of skipping meal, alcohol drinking and smoking, and the fairly good students can act as a model for correct dietary behavior so as to improve overall student health.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.749-761
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• 2002

This study investigated the anthropometric and biochemical indices, and the health and nutritional factors influencing the two indices among 194 middle-aged and elderly subjects (108 middle-aged and 86 elderly) residing in a medium sized city for more than 10 years. In the examination of their dietary habits, 8.3% of the middle-aged subjects and 14.0% of the elderly subjects had two meals a day, and more female subjects had two meals per day. Of the subjects who ate meals at regular times, 75.0% were middle-aged and 79.1% were elderly, and the degree of irregularity of meals was greater for female subjects. The study of the dietary behavior of the subjects indicated that 71.3% and 66.3% of the middle-aged and elderly, respectively responded that the amount of food in each meal was sufficient. The subjects ate alone comprised 19.7% of the middle-aged females and 31.5% of the elderly females. The prevalence of smoking among the subjects was 28.1% for the middle-aged, 18.8% for the elderly male and 7.4% for the elderly females. The percentage of the subjects who drank alcohol was 34.4% of the middle-aged males and 13.2% of the middle-aged females. Slightly less than half of the subjects exercised more than once a week, with the male subjects showing a higher rate than the female subjects. The average body mass indices (BMI) were 24.5 and 24.6 for the middle-aged male and female, respectively, and 22.6 and 24.0 for the elderly male and female, respectively. BMI assessment showed that underweight subjects (BMI ＜ 20) comprised 3.7% of the middle-aged, 14.0% of the elderly, and that 40.7% of the middle-aged and 24.4% of the elderly were overweight (25 ＜ BMI ＜ 30) , and 0.9% of the middle-aged and 1.2% of the elderly were classified as obese (BMI $\geq$ 30) . A waist/hip ratio (WHR) greater than 0.8 was found in 89.5% of the middle-aged females and 90.7% of the elderly females, showing high abdominal fat deposition in the majority of females. The average systolic blood pressure of females was 121.1 $\pm$ 17.1 mmHg for the middle-aged and 129.6 $\pm$ 21.3 mmHg for the elderly subjects. The systolic blood pressures showed a significantly difference between the two age groups. Those defined as anemic subjects based on hemoglobin values comprised 13.0% of the middled-aged group and 16.3% of the elderly group. There was a tendency for higher fasting glucose levels among the elderly subjects. An increase in total plasma cholesterol levels with age was shown. The female subjects had higher cholesterol levels than the males'The study of the correlation between the daily habits and health status showed that the amount of food eaten at each meal, the frequency of eating out, and the use of dietary supplements appeared to influence BMI, WHR, the plasma triglyceride and plasma cholesterol levels; omitting one meal had a positive correlation with the systolic blood pressure and plasma cholesterol. These results suggest that desirable dietary habits and concerns for health are contributing factors for maintaining good health, as indicated by normal blood lipid levels.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.455-464
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the status of dietary behavior and its association with study-related factors in middle school students. Methods: Study-related factors, dietary habit score and dietary behaviors were surveyed by questionnaire and then analyzed. A total of 580 students in some middle schools in Gyeonggi-do participated in this study. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS for windows Ver. 22.0. Results: 71.3% of the subjects slept for 6 ~ 8 hours, and the studying time outside of school was the highest (2 ~ 4 hours). The highest score for stress from studying by private lessons or academies was 'seldom stressed', with higher stress being observed in male students than female students. The average dietary habit score was 3.69 in male students and 3.62 in female students. The highest average time for meal eating was 10 ~ 20 minutes, with shorter times being observed for male students than female students. Eating meals was regular in most students and the highest number of snack eating was 1 ~ 2 times a day. For dietary behaviors by study-related factors, students with more than 2 hours of studying time outside of school showed higher dietary habit scores than those with less than 2 hours, who showed significantly higher rates of eating 2 meals a day. As the sleeping hours and daily average studying hours increased, the rate of regular meal eating increased significantly. Conclusion: The students showed good, above average dietary behaviors, but gender differences in study-related factors and dietary behaviors. Moreover, the sleeping hours and the studying time outside of school were correlated with dietary habit scores and dietary behaviors. Thus, continuous and systematic education for proper dietary behavior is needed along with greater interest in students with problems of study-related factors, particularly those due to study burden.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.297-306
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of diabetes has continued to increase globally. Changes in eating habits, lack of exercise, increased stress, and aging are major contributors. Glycemic control is the key strategy of diabetes management. The purpose of this study was to analyze the utilization of nutrition labels and related factors among patients with diabetes. MATERIALS/METHODS: Data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. General, health-related, diabetes-related characteristics from 1,587 adults with diabetes history were included. Nutrition label utilization was assessed with awareness and use of nutrition labels and effects on food choice. For statistical analyses, chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of awareness, use, and effects of nutrition labels on food choice among diabetic patients were 48.8%, 11.4%, and 9.6%, respectively. High monthly income, walking frequency, family history of diabetes, younger age at diagnosis, and shorter duration of diabetes were associated with higher nutrition label awareness. Nutrition label use and effect on food choice were higher in women, those with high monthly income, those diagnosed at younger than 45 yrs, those with diabetes for less than 10 yrs, those with meal therapy, or patients who had undergone a fundus examination. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition label utilization status was low in Korean patients with diabetes. Strategies are needed to promote nutrition label use as a diet management tool for patients with diabetes.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.101-109
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• 1999

This study investigated the food life of 271 Korean American hoursewives residing in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area. The objectives of this survey were to describe the food life of Koreans and to identify any demographic factors related to the food life. Most of the respondents(80.4%) considered dinner as the most important meal of the day and 97.4% preferred Korean foods for their dinner. More than half percents (54%) preferred to go out to eat at Korean restaurants. While 14.4% of the respondents reported always buying Kimchee, 47.2% of the subjects reported making their own Kimchee regularly. Although several studies showed that the food life are likely to occur spontaneously and to change constantly, most of the Korean Americans in this study appeared conservative in their food life. This study is expected to provide a baseline for a culturally specific nutrition program that would recommend immigrants to practice positive food life and nutrition behaviors. A more study about the effects of immigration on dietary patterns and diseases as well as other nutritional status would be needed.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.949-958
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• 2008

This study was carried out to examine the association of age, nutrient intake, alcohol drinking and smoking on serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in 100 healthy adults (54 males and 46 females). The serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p<0.05), apolipoprotein B (Apo B) levels, LDL-C:high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, Apo B:apolipoprotein(Apo A-I) ratio and atherogenic index (AI) (p<0.001) were significantly higher in males than females, but HDL-cholesterol level was significantly lower (p<0.01) in males than females. The plasma ascorbic acid concentration had no difference in both genders. Most of nutrient intakes except Ca, vitamin A and vitamin $B_2$ were higher than RI (Recommended intake) in both males and females. The meal frequency per day was significantly higher (p<0.01) in males than females, while meal speed, the heaviest meal, meal quantity and meal regularity had no significant differences. The rates of drinking and smoking were significantly higher (p<0.01) in males (59.3%, 37.2%) than females (17.3%, 6.9%). The age was positively correlated with triglyceride level in males (p<0.05), and with total cholesterol (p<0.001), LDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), Apo B (p<0.01), LDL-C:HDL-C ratio (p<0.01), Apo B:Apo A-I ratio (p<0.05) and AI (p<0.01) in females. The levels of serum lipid and apolipoprotein were more correlated with protein intake than other macronutrient intakes in males, while those in females were more correlated energy, carbohydrate and lipid intakes than protein intake. The effect of drinking on serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels was bigger in males than females, while the effect of smoking on those was bigger in females than males. The plasma ascorbic acid concentration was positively correlated with HDL-cholesterol (p<0.05), Apo A-I levels (p<0.001), whereas negatively correlated with Apo B:Apo A-I ratio (p<0.05) in males. And that was positively correlated with HDL-cholesterol (p<0.05) in females. These results suggest that moderate macronutrient intake, less alcohol consumption and non-smoking were necessary to maintain healthy lipid profile with aging in adults.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.504-515
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition risk and malnutrition among the elderly is a public health concern. In combating this health-related problem, it is critically important to evaluate the risk factors in a multidimensional way and to apply appropriate nutrition intervention based on the results. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 215 elderly patients (32.6% male, 67.4% female) in a geriatric outpatient clinic of a hospital in Turkey. Nutritional questionnaires that incorporated the 24-h recall method were applied to determine general characteristics of patients, their health status, nutritional habits, and daily energy and nutrient intakes. Mini Nutritional Assessment was used to determine nutritional status. Relevant anthropometric measurements were obtained. RESULTS: The subjects' mean age was 76.1 ± 7.0 years, and the prevalence of malnutrition (n = 7) and risk of malnutrition (n = 53) among the 215 subjects was 3.2% and 24.7%, respectively. Patients with malnutrition or risk of malnutrition were found to be single, have a depression diagnosis, in an older age group, have less appetite, more tooth loss, have more frequent swallowing/chewing difficulty, and have more frequent meal skipping. In addition, mean daily energy, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folates, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron intake, and water consumption were found to be statistically significantly low in subjects with malnutrition or risk of malnutrition. After performing regression analysis to determine confounding factors, malnutrition risk was significantly associated with marital status, loss of teeth, appetite status, and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Routine nutritional screening and assessment of the elderly should be performed. If nutritional deficiencies cannot be diagnosed early and treated, self-sufficiency in the elderly may deteriorate, resulting in increased institutionalization.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.40-52
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• 2001

This study was undertaken with 237 fifth grade children to investigate the factors, affecting the seafood prefrerence of elementary school children as one of the approaches to find strategies to promote these children's acceptance of seafoods. Subjects for this study were from one public elementary school under meal service located each in Boryeoung-city Chungcheongna Co (coastal area) and Chelowon gen Gangwon do land locked area) The preferences for than those in Boryeong and differences in may items were significant Among four area gender groups girls in Cheolwon had the lowest preference for most seafood items except cephalocoda for which the preference of body in Cheolwon was the lowest Making soup was the least preferred method to cook fish regardless of gender and area, while grilling was the most or the second most preferred in each gender area group Compared to girls bodys had a higher preference for deep frying The seafood preferences of mothers in both areas were similar to those of their children except for processed seafoods which were even more preferred by the children than mothers. Gender, distance from the sea and the method of preparation/cooking seemed to affect the children's preference more than their mother's preference and frequency of serving in the case of seafood. And the effect of gender distance from the sea and cooking methods differed for each seafood category The several suggestions to improve seafood preference especially in land locked area are discussed.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.25-43
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• 2020

Although ready meals have recently increased their market share in the Korean food industry, a literature review found that the use of ready meals triggers feelings of guilt in homemakers. Such guilt arises as a result of several factors apparently related to consumers' health. Consequently, levels of guilt might be expected to vary depending on consumers' perceived health locus. The present study aims to examine (a) how health locus affects guilty feelings about ready-meal consumption, (b) how the effect varies in relation to the consumption of different types of ready meal, and (c) the relationship between consumers' guilty feelings and willingness to buy ready meals. Three dimensions of health locus of control (HLC) -internal HLC (IHLC), powerful-others HLC (PHLC), and chance HLC (CHLC)- were presumed to influence consumers' feelings of guilt in association with ready meals. Data were collected via an online survey, and participants were randomly assigned to either of two groups: one group was instructed to heat meals in a microwave (ready-to-heat [RTH] group, n=104) and the other cooked using a pan with additional ingredients (ready-to-cook [RTC] group, n=101). The study found that guilty feelings about consuming RTH meals increased in line with increased external HLCs, namely, PHLC and CHLC. For the RTC group, guilt increased in line with increased PHLC. IHLC had no significant effect on guilty feelings in either group. Willingness to buy ready meals decreased for both groups as consumers' feelings of guilt increased. Even RTC meals, which require more time and energy in food preparation, did not reduce guilty feelings among consumers with higher PHLC. RTC meals are preferable for consumers with higher CHLC, since their sense of greater involvement in the cooking process alleviates their feelings of guilt. Cooking with already prepared and uncooked ingredients brought fun and joy, both for the participants and their significant others. This interpretation may be developed into a strategic plan by ready-meal producers to strengthen their marketing strategy.