• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.437-444
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• 2016

This study was carried out to investigate food label perception and utilization classified by age and sex. Questionnaires were collected from 938 male and female customers aged in their 20's to 50's from February 4th to March 30th 2014. Regarding checking food labels at the time of purchase, 73.8% of consumers checked food labels, and there was a significant difference by age and sex. Female more often checked food labels than males, and the 40's group showed a higher ratio of checking food labels than other age groups. The main reason for checking food label was 'confirming expiration date' (60%), 'ingredients' (16.4%), and 'nutrition contents' (13.7%). The main reason not checking food labels was 'too small and insufficient to understand' (50.3%), 'too difficult to understand' (16.4%), and 'have no concern' (14.9%). There was a significant difference by age, as in the 50's group showed a higher ratio of 'too small and insufficient to understand' than the other age groups, and 20's and 30's groups showed a higher ratio of 'too difficult to understand'. The overall satisfaction score was 2.96, awareness score was 2.88, and reliability score was 2.93. A total of 96% answered that food labelling education is needed. Therefore, food labelling education for consumers is required to encourage consumers to purchase healthy foods.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.149-161
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to compare nutrition labeling use according to the gender and obesity degree of adolescents to help choose the healthy foods and improve dietary habits. This study surveyed the perception and use of nutrition labeling among 392 male and female high school students in Chungnam. It was found that 34.7% of the subjects read the nutrition labels, mostly for health reason. Calorie content was read the most among all components of nutrition labels regardless of gender or body mass index (BMI) status, especially among female students. Perception of nutrition labeling was 3.3 out of 5 points for all students, and there was no significant difference in scores between male and female students. However, there was a significant difference between the overweight group (3.4 points), normal group (3.3 points), and underweight group (3.1 points) (P<0.05). The frequency of reading nutrition labels by food group was highest for ramen, and lowest for fruits. Female students had significantly higher scores on the use of nutrition labeling for 8 food groups out of 12 groups compared to male students (P<0.05). In addition, the overweight and above group had significantly higher scores on the use of nutrition labeling for snack food and fruits compared to other groups (P<0.05). The proportion of students who received nutrition labeling education was 29.8%, and about half of students answered that such education and advertisement were necessary. These results suggest that nutritional education is needed to promote the use of nutrition labeling in adolescents.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.372-385
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine food habits and dietary behavior related to using processed food among male college students residing in dormitory and self-boarding in Gangwon. A total of 344 students (dormitory group: 227, self-boarding group: 117) were surveyed from May to June of 2012. The results are summarized as follows: self-boarding group had a significantly higher frequency of skipping breakfast and lunch and frequency of out meal compared with the dormitory group (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.05 respectively). The self-boarding group had a significantly lower the score of 'eat vegetables and Kimchi at every meal' (p < 0.001) and 'eat a variety of food everyday' (p < 0.001) compared with the dormitory group. The self-boarding group had a significantly higher the preference for meat products (p < 0.05) and canned food (p < 0.01) for selecting processed food compared with the dormitory group. The consideration for selecting processed food was ranked by 'taste', 'price', 'expiration', 'appearance' and 'nutrition' in both dormitory and the self-boarding group. In the dormitory group, nutrition labels were identified certainly 2.6%, sometimes 12.8%, and rarely 17.2%. In the self-boarding group, nutrition labels were identified certainly 1.7%, sometimes 18.0%, and rarely 24.8%. The necessity of nutrition education was high in both dormitory group (51.6%) and the self-boarding group (62.4%). Therefore, development of an educational program and application of the information from nutrition labels for male college students, especially self-boarding students will be effective in improving dietary life in order to maintain healthy dietary habits.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined the association between the experience of disease management education and the use of nutrition labels according to the sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors of people diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes living in the community. Methods: Among the participants from the Community Health Survey (2018), 74,283 individuals diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes were included in the study population. According to gender, this study evaluated nutrition label use by the experience of disease management education, individual sociodemographic characteristics, and health behavior. Finally, using multiple logistic regression analysis, the association between disease management education and nutrition labels was calculated using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Males (24.5%) experienced more disease management education than females (22.6%). In addition, younger age, higher education level, and higher equalized personal income experienced more disease management education (P < 0.001). The educational experience rate was higher in the male subjects who did not smoke or were involved in high-risk alcohol consumption (P < 0.001). In addition, the rate of disease management education experience was significantly higher for both men and women who exercised by walking (P < 0.001). The use of nutrition labels was higher in females (9.9%) than males (5.8%), and both males and females were significantly higher in young age, high education, high income, and professional and office positions (P < 0.001). The utilization rate of nutrition labels was high in non-smoking male subjects and high-risk-drinking female subjects. In addition, the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in males and females who exercised by walking and those who experienced disease management education (P < 0.001). After adjusting for individual sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, and disease management education, the use of nutrition labels was high among females (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.85-3.58), high income (Q4; OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.41-1.87, Q5; OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.37-1.84) and highly educated (high school; OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.62-3.14, above college; OR 5.60, 95% CI 5.02-6.23) while it was low in the elderly (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.40-0.47), and economically inactive (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.96). The use of nutrition labels was high in non-smokers (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13-1.48), nonhigh-risk drinkers (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08-1.38), and subjects who exercised walking (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.34-1.54). There was no difference in the utilization rate of nutrition labels according to obesity, and the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in subjects who had experienced disease education (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24-1.44). Conclusions: Education on the use of nutrition labels, which contributes to food selection for healthy eating, might be a tool for dietary management. Moreover, the utilization rate can be a good indicator for predicting the proportion of the population practicing the guide for disease management. Improving the utilization rate of nutrition labels through disease management education can be a useful intervention for people with chronic diseases who need healthy eating habits for disease management and preventing complications, particularly those diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.373-380
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• 2023

In this study, 294 housewives in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, were surveyed to evaluate the differences in the recognition and use of nutrition labeling according to age and to present data for nutrition education. The younger the age, the more aware the consumer was of the information on the nutrition label. Housewives who were younger than 60 years were more likely to check the nutrition labels. The lower the age, the higher the reliance on the nutritional labeling content of the food, and the higher the recognition level of nutritional labeling. It was found that the lower the age, the easier it was for the consumer to understand the nutritional labeling. Among housewives in their 30s and younger, 89.5 percent said they believed checking nutrition labels would help their health. In the younger age group knowledge and information on nutrition labeling was acquired from the internet, and in the older age group, knowledge was acquired from television, radio, and newspapers. Research conducted on housewives in other regions in the future could provide more detailed information suitable for the population of each region. This would serve as data for nutrition education on the recognition and use of nutrition labeling for a healthy diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 2024

This study investigated associations between healthy dietary practices and the odds of prediabetes among Korean adolescents. The data of 1,624 adolescents aged 12 to 18 who participated in the 2017-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Healthy dietary practices were defined according to Health Plan 2030 criteria, and prediabetes was defined as a fasting blood glucose level of 100-125 mg/dL. After controlling for confounders, adjusting odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prediabetes were determined for different healthy dietary practices using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Compared with adolescents who engaged in healthy dietary practices, those who did not had a 1.63-fold (95% CI: 1.12-2.37) higher odds of prediabetes. In addition, adolescents who did not consume ≥500 g of fruit and vegetables daily and those who refrained from reading nutritional fact labels, which are both sub-indicators of healthy dietary practices, had a 1.66 (95% CI: 1.05-2.62) and 1.58-fold (95% CI: 1.06-2.37) higher odds of prediabetes, respectively, than those who did. Increasing the proportion of adolescents engaging in healthy dietary practices, such as consuming ≥500 g of fruit and vegetables daily and reading nutritional fact labels when selecting food, is imperative.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.544-551
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• 2014

This study investigated customer perception of nutrition labeling at fast-food restaurants in Korea. Five hundred and fourteen customers with previous experience at fast-food restaurants were surveyed in July 2012 in Korea. A total of 502 completed questionnaires were analyzed (98.0%). The questionnaires asked about the general characteristics of the subjects, their perceptions and opinions of nutrition labeling at fast-food restaurants, any nutrients they would like to see included in nutrition labels, and their preferred nutrition labeling methods at fast-food restaurants. Of the respondents, 59.4% were male and 40.6% were female; 42.4% indicated that they eat at fast-food restaurants two to three times a month. Half of respondents (54.2%) knew of nutrition labeling of fast-food restaurants, with females being more aware than males. Males trusted nutrition labeling at fast-food restaurants more than females did, and more males than females responded that nutrition labeling helps when selecting healthy menu items. As for satisfaction with nutrition labeling at fast-food restaurants, males were more satisfied than females, and customers between 30 and 39 years old showed the highest rates of satisfaction. Calories was the criterion that most respondents (66.3%) wished to pre-displayed, followed by sodium and trans fat levels. Respondents mostly preferred nutrition labels at fast-food restaurants to be in the form of symbolic icons (36.5%). The results of this study can help shape the application of nutrition labeling at fast-food restaurants and can be used to help establish guidelines for nutritional education for customers in Korea.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.413-421
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• 2021

This research empirically analyzed whether the foods which came from a non-Muslim majority country, such as South Korea, could play an important role in affecting the consumer intention in a predominantly Muslim country. Online survey methods were used to investigate the proposed hypothesis. 318 responses were used for further analysis. Forty-six reflective constructs were adapted from literature and designed by using a five-point Likert scale to facilitate measurement. Estimation models and structural models were examined through SEM-PLS analysis techniques using SmartPLS 3.0 application as the data processing tool. The results showed that religiosity and halal awareness had a positive and significant effect on attitude toward halal labels, including the mediating effect from consumer attitudes towards halal labels which had a positive but insignificant effect on purchase intention. Halal awareness plays an important role for Muslims in the decision-making process for purchasing food. In contrast to the initial hypothesis, the country of origin actually did not have a positive effect on attitudes towards the halal label. In a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia, findings halal food is not difficult, so this research basically is a reminder to marketers to follow those halal principles in implementing their marketing strategies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.163-167
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• 2009

Since its first release in 2007, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) has provided pharmacogenomic and comparative information specific to Koreans to allow regulatory reviewers and researchers to adapt their working practices to pharmacogenomics. The highlights of this year's additions include "Drug Information", "Gene Information" and "Pharmacogenomic information in the drug labels" sections. These new additions provide information on 737 genes, 719 drugs and pharmacogenomic data of the labels or relabels of 253 approved drugs as of November 2008. The latest version of the Korean Pharmacogenomic Database (KPD, release 2.0) has expanded significantly since its previous release. More SNP and haplotype information has been added to the database with the latest version of the KPD containing approximately four times as many SNPs and haplotypes than the previous version (719 vs. 152, and 30 vs. 7 respectively). Through the "SNP" and "Haplotype" sections, the KPD provides unique Korean SNP and haplotype information as well as comparative information of other populations (Japanese, Chinese, European, African) to offer a range of pharmacogenomic data that can help reviewers and the public understand pharmacogenomic information. The quality and quantity of information in the KPD has also been improved considerably. This data can be found at: http://www.nitr.go.kr/nitr/contents/m134700/view.do/.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.482-486
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• 2002

The effect of consumer education on food label was investigated by conducting a survey. The questionnaire had been collected from university students in Choongnam and Chungbuk province, and total 462 answers were collected and analyzed. Awareness and understanding of food label appeared to be improved by consumer education. Especially, the respondents showed a good understanding on food additive labeling after consumer education. However, most respondents misrecognize 'sell by date' as 'expiration date'. The results suggested the necessity of consumer education on the shelf life of foods.