• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.601-611
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• 2019

As the economy of Korea has developed, dietary patterns have also changed in many ways. Rural areas, in particular, demonstrate relatively lower food accessibility than in urban areas. The aim of this study was to examine whether or not there were differences in food accessibility between urban and rural areas using data of the Census on Basic Characteristics of Establishments, Consumer Behavior Survey for Food, of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Also investigated was how such differences would affect the frequency of food purchase, dietary intake, and nutrition intake by district. The results showed that districts with the lowest 10% in food accessibility had lower frequency of food purchase than did the highest 10% districts. In terms of nutrition intake, the daily average nutrition intake was not significantly different among districts. Yet, analysis of the amount of weekly dietary intake indicated that food oasis districts had from 1.3 to 3 times greater dietary intake than did food desert districts. These findings mean that the difference in food accessibility causes unbalanced food intake. Thus, the government must take a comprehensive approach to ensure that rural residents get greater food accessibility.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 2020

Objectives: This study explored the community food environmental factors affecting food purchasing using a qualitative research methodology for the elderly as well as the various food environments under their socioeconomic diversity. Methods: For the qualitative data collection, this study interviewed 20 elderly people aged 65 years or more, who participated in a public health program or lunch services operated by the senior welfare center in Seoul. Five dimensions, such as availability, physical accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and accommodation suggested in previous studies, were used to identify the community food environmental factors. Results: The elderly participants showed overall similarities to the concepts derived from existing studies on the five dimensions of food accessibility environment. In addition, other important food accessibility environmental factors that were not present in previous studies, such as acceptability for a product of domestic origin, delivery service to home, and small-packaged food sales, were derived. On the other hand, the concept of some subjects differed depending on the household income and specifically for the physical accessibility concept. This showed that the close distance factor from a grocery store at home might not apply to older adults in low-income households in Korea. Conclusions: This study found that five dimensions of the food environment suggested by previous studies could also be applied to vulnerable older adults in Korea. On the other hand, the socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and households would affect the perspectives of their local food environments differently. The findings of this study could help in the development of tools for evaluating the community food environment.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.581-600
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• 2014

This study examines the relationship between food purchase accessibility for 86 homemakers and that for 42 grocery stores. The Study area included Bibong-myeon and Maesong-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, to represent a rural area. The analysis classified three regions (residence, outside of residence, and other areas) and seven types of grocery stores (LDS, CS, NCS, CC, NCC, TM, and other). The expansion of the area range increased the availability of food items and the accessibility of large-scale grocery stores as well as those for food procurement. The respondents had difficulty preparing family meals and buying food items because of a lack of food item variety and the small scale of grocery stores. In particular, fresh meat, fruits, and fish were difficult to purchase, causing some nutritional imbalance. These results suggest a need to develop meal composition samples and programs that can actively encourage the intake of meat and fish products with a diet based in self-produced vegetables for better dietary behaviors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.304-313
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• 2023

This study was a qualitative investigation into the food security and food variety among the rural elderly. For the qualitative data collection, nineteen elderly people who lived in Yangpyeong-gun were interviewed individually. Food security and variety was evaluated based on accessibility and affordability. The participants seemed to have difficulty preparing their own meals and eating with their families or others. The frequency of vegetable intake was found to be high, as vegetables were available through cultivation. However, in terms of diversity, the intake of meat and milk, which are sources of protein and calcium, was found to be significantly low. This has to do with very poor physical accessibility. A lack of nutrition education was identified as the biggest reason for not following dietary therapy despite having a pre-existing disease condition. Therefore, for the elderly in Yangpyeong-gun, it is suggested that a basic nutrition policy for food supply that can increase their actual intake is more essential than education on cooking and nutrients. Moreover, periodic nutrition education or a regular counseling system for dietary therapy through local public health centers may help improve the health of the elderly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2021

Objectives: In spite of the importance of green space for reducing obesity-related problems, there has been little exploration of whether access to green space (e.g., parks and recreational facilities) influences the obesity rate of adults in the United States. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships among accessibility of green space, obesity rates, and socioeconomic and demographic variables among adults living in the State of Indiana, United States. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis to investigate the relationships among accessibility to green space, obesity rates, and socio-demographic variables with employing Geographic Information System in order to measure the accessibility of green space. Results: This study found that accessibility of green space served as a strong predictor of reduced obesity rates among adults (β=-2.478; p<0.10). In addition, adults with higher education levels, as well as better access to green space, were found to have even lower obesity rates (β=-0.188; p<0.05). Other control variables such as unemployment rates, food security, and physical inactivity are additional factors that influence obesity rates among adults. Conclusions: Accessibility of green space may play an important role in facilitating physical activity participation and reducing obesity rates.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.173-179
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• 2016

This study was conducted to provide basic information for future Anseong local food policy and local food activation by finding the key factor determining consumer purchasing for Anseong local food. First, we conducted a survey and derived consumer purchasing attributes for the local food. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find the main factors that determine the consumers' purchase intention for Anseong local food out of such seven attributes as 'excellent quality', 'safety', 'good for health', 'activation of local economy', 'low price', 'accessibility', 'variety of items'. The results showed that the most influencing attributes on consumers' purchase decisions for Anseong local food were 'excellent quality' and 'low price' followed by 'accessibility' and 'activation of local economy'.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.283-304
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to identify Web accessibility issues of healthcare websites of the Korean government and public agencies by evaluating these websites' accessibility in accordance with the Korean Web Contents Accessibility Guideline. This study conducted both automated and expert testing to assess the accessibility of a total of 27 health-related websites. The results of the assessment which was conducted in two stages indicated that institutions such as the National Hospital and National Rehabilitation Center demonstrated almost no Web accessibility error. In addition, the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Health Services Agency, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency attained very high web accessibility. However, the results of an expert evaluation highlighted that there were considerable errors in providing appropriate alternative text, which was not found in the automated test, and the color contrast of the text content did not comply with Web accessibility standard. Therefore, these websites did not support web accessibility for the sight-impaired. Furthermore, the present study found that it was difficult to deliver accurate information to users due to errors in the default language display and markup, and also, issues of skipping repeated content, content linearization, and compliance with keyboard use were considered as challenges that might arise for people with sight, cognitive and mobility impairments with respect to Web accessibility. It is the first study that evaluated accessibility of healthcare websites of the Korean government and public agencies based on the Korean Web Contents Accessibility Guideline. The present study made a contribution to research on Web accessibility by conducting expert testing, which provided a more complete assessment that identified the degree and specific issues of accessibility errors when compared to automated testing.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.475-483
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure accessibility and to examine distribution of restaurants in the local community. Methods: The target area of this study was two urban areas and a rural area in a city. We collected location information on all restaurants in target areas and classified all restaurants according to Korean food restaurants and Non-Korean food restaurants. We measured restaurant density per 100 m from the residences of the study population and calculated the distance of the nearest restaurant from the residences of the subjects using the Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis method. We compared the accessibility and distribution of restaurants in urban areas with that of the rural area, and compared the accessibility and distribution of Korean restaurants with that of Non-Korean restaurants. Results: Restaurants in urban areas were more dense than those in the rural area, and, in urban areas, restaurants were intensively distributed around the subjects' residence. Also, there were more Non-Korean food restaurants than Korean food restaurants in urban areas, and it was opposite in the rural area. Conclusion: It is important that we understood the current state of the restaurant environment in the local community using GIS analysis for the first time in the field of food environment. Further research is necessary on the association of restaurant environments and the dietary life of the population.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Traditional cuisine reflects cooking traditions shaped by political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental conditions characterized by authenticity and uniqueness. Traditional food is not only a part of our cultural heritage but also a knowledge resource. Application of food science and technology in Korean traditional foods was reviewed from six points of view, including food preservation, fermentation, changes in food materials, utilization of food functionality, and packaging and development of cooking appliances. Books from disparate times were chosen in order to cover a wide range of materials from the past to the present. Food preservation and fermentation techniques were applied to various food materials. Combination of science and skills contributes to the accessibility of diverse food materials and better quality foods. Koreans use assorted and resilient plants, which have an abundance of functional substances such as food materials. Among cooking appliances, microwave oven and refrigerator are the most innovative products with huge influences on food eating patterns as well as lifestyle. Packaging effectively reduces post-harvest preservation losses, and better packaging has technical improvements for storage and distribution. Kimchi was chosen as an example in order to study technology from the past to the present. Availability of Kimchi cabbage, enrichment of functional ingredients, identification of useful microbial species, standardization of recipe for commercialization, prevention of texture softening, introduction of salted Kimchi cabbage and Kimchi refrigerators, and packaging were reviewed. The future of traditional foods in the market will be competitive. First, traditional foods market should be maintained to protect the diversity of food materials. Secondly, tailored foods for individuals should be considered using foods with functional properties. Information on health benefits would provide insights into health and traditional food products. Third, speedy transfer of new technology to the traditional food industry is needed to ensure food quality production and new opportunities in the market. Fourth, safety of traditional foods should be ensured without sacrificing the essential characteristics of culturally important foods. Improvement of logistics, distribution, and facility should be carried out. As demand for convenience foods increases, traditional foods should be developed into products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.388-396
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• 2008

This study examined the effects of Web ad components on customer attitude and purchasing decisions in 300 individuals who visited family restaurant Websites. The results are summarized as follows: First, Web ad components such as content, design, and interactivity had effects on the cognitive attitudes of the customers. And design, accessibility, and Web functionality had significant effects on the customers' emotional attitudes. In addition, content, navigation, and Web functionality had significant effects on the customers' behavioral attitudes. Lastly, the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attitudes of the customers had significant effects on their purchases. From these results, design elements such as content, color, and menus, along with user interactivity for information are considered helpful components of a food service Web ad for customer cognition of the restaurant's information. In addition, aspects of Web functionality such as the food service's Web ad set-up, or the protection of personal information, the color design and menu, as well as accessibility for easy use, are all helpful in terms of gaining a customer attitude that is friendly and preferential towards a restaurant's menu items.