• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2021

Background According to the Sasang constitutional medicine, eating habits according to the characteristics of Sasang Constitution (SC) types affect management of chronic diseases and health conditions. The aim of this study is to identify the association between eating habits, such as breakfast, eating frequency, and energy intake, according to SC, and quality of life. Method This study is a cross-sectional study of people aged 33 to 55 years, sampled by stratification based on population distribution. The SC types were classified into Taeeumin (TE), Soeumin (SE), and Soyangin (SY) using a structured questionnaire (KS-15). Items examined regarding eating habits were whether the subjects had breakfast; the frequency of eating such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and after-dinner snacks; and energy intake surveyed using a food frequency questionnaire. As for quality of life, SF-12, which is widely used worldwide to assess health conditions, was utilized. A regression analysis was conducted on the relations between eating habits according to SC and quality of life. Results The SC distribution of the 3,895 subjects was 47% for TE, 22% for SE, and 31% for SY. The scores indicating quality of life differed for TE and SY depending on whether they ate breakfast and eating frequency groups, and those of SE varied depending on levels of energy intake. A regression analysis having adjusted all covariates demonstrated for TE a positive relation between the eating frequency of three times per day or more (compared to 1.5 to 3 meals per day) and quality of life (B=1.365, p<0.001). For SE, there was a negative association between low energy intake (compared to adequate energy intake) and quality of life (B=-1.642, p=0.004). Meanwhile, no relation was found between eating habits and quality of life for SY. Conclusion This study identified the association between eating habits according to SC types and quality of life. For TE, it was found to be important to eat evenly dispersed adequate amounts as opposed to overeating or binging at once. For SE, adequate energy intake affected good quality of life. This study suggests that eating habits based on SC improve quality of life, and health management customized for each constitution should be performed in the future through proper eating habits.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2006

The traditional Korean diet, which is high in rice and vegetables, is fast being replaced by a Western style diet as the standard of living goes up. In addition to this, cigarette smoking has taken on serious proportions, especially amongst those of the younger generation. Because Seoul (and it's surrounding areas) is the hub of Education and Business, it is densely populated and heavily polluted Consequently health-related issues and diseases are starting to resemble those prevalent in Western communities. Historically, stomach cancer was the #1 killer-disease in Korea, but nowadays lung cancer ranks either 1st or 2nd on the list of killer-disease in Korea. This is presumably due to the lethal combination of heavy smoking and pervasive air pollution. Despite these disquieting facts, almost no study had been made of the nutritional patterns and dietary habits of smoking and non-smoking young adults in the Seoul area. Therefore the purpose of this study is to compare the dietary and nutritional patterns of young smokers with those of young non-smokers in and around Seoul. This is done with regards to their eating habits and lifestyles, as well as the dietary components that contribute towards maintaining good health. The results showed that compared to non-smokers, smokers manifested irregular eating patterns and also tended to overindulge on fast- or junk foods. In contrast to this, non-smokers enjoyed a healthier diet, which was high in brown rice, grains, legumes, fresh fruit and vegetables, and 'kimchi'. Amongst the male subjects of this study, it was found that smokers consumed significantly less vitamin $B_2$, calcium, and phosphorous than non-smokers. It was also established that in general, stress-generated smoking habits were formed during the high school years of the younger generation. In conclusion: Because smokers maintain a less healthy diet and life-style, it is to recommended that a 'Health Education Program' be developed which could guide young smokers into adopting better dietary habits and life styles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2022

This study was undertaken to examine body image distortion among female adolescents and identify related factors. Raw data from the 14th Korean Youth Health Behavior Survey were used. The proportion of participants exhibiting body image distortion was 39.5%, with the ratio being higher among female students of normal weight as compared to underweight female students. Logistic regression revealed that the risk of having a distorted body image was higher among high school females than in middle school females having lower subjective academic performance and household economic status. In addition, the risk of having a distorted body image was higher for students who drank alcohol when compared to students who did not drink, for the group engaging vigorously in physical activity (exercise) more than three times per week as opposed to the group exercising less than three times per week, and for the group consuming less than one serving of fruit per day as compared to the group consuming more than one serving of fruit per day. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that continuous nutrition education needs to be provided so that adolescents can correctly perceive their body images and form desirable eating habits.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.374-385
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• 2008

A study has been performed to provide the basic information about the current dietary habits, health related behaviors, and body indices and to bring forward the importance of this information to the people's attention based upon the relation between employee's life patterns and health conditions in their daily lives. Three hundred and five department store workers were examined from August 2006 to September 2006. With the average BMI values $23.9{\pm}2.2$ for males and $20.0{\pm}1.9$ for females, both gender groups were in normal, but 62.2% of the males were overweight and 15.4% of the females were under-weight. Regarding dietary and health related factors on how they perceive themselves, as normal were 204 (66.9%) the most and bad and very bad were respectively 43 (14.1%) and 5 (1.6%). Half of the subjects (43.2%) perceived sleeping hours to be insufficient, and 64.4% of them need to exercise regularly. As problems related to eating habits, they reported irregular meal times, overeating, preference of hot and spicy food, skipping meal, unbalanced meals. Regarding weight control they have attempted were the most (73.0%), after weight reduction, 51.2% of the subjects had side effects, such as gastrointestinal troubles, anemia, dizziness, sense of fatigue, constipation, physiological disorder, and diarrhea, etc. In the food habit score, it was shown that overall average score of the subjects was $62.63{\pm}9.86$ which is lower than other studies. Female ($62.76{\pm}10.15$) had better score than male ($61.67{\pm}8.06$). While the item with the highest point was eat all three meals of the day, that was the lowest point, exercise every day. The food habit score of the younger group had lower than older group, and also they preferred sweet foods to other group. The results suggest that nutrition education for workers at specific working fields needs to be more focused on the improvement of dietary habits and health status of workers.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.290-301
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• 2012

This survey of 836 midlife women ($51.0{\pm}4.0$ yrs) was undertaken by exclusively a face to face interview by well-trained interviewers guarantying data collection of higher quality. This survey data was analyzed using the SPSS program. The main purpose of this study was to describe the factors affecting self-rated health status, including dietary habits and physical mental social factors. In the self-rated health status of a 'good' group, age was lower (p < 0.05), monthly income was higher (p < 0.01), dietary habits score (p < 0.001) and appetite (p < 0.001) and the degree of movement (p < 0.001) and life satisfaction (p < 0.001), marital intimacy (p < 0.001) and relationship satisfaction with their children (p < 0.001) were significantly higher than the 'bad' group. The level of depression (p < 0.001) and severe feeling of menopausal symptoms (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the 'poor' group. The results of correlation analysis demonstrated that educational level (r = 0.069, p < 0.05), income (r = 0.157, p < 0.001), eating habits (r = 0.235, p < 0.001), appetite (r = 0.263, p < 0.001), life satisfaction (r = 0.197, p < 0.001), marital intimacy (r = 0.167, p < 0.001), child relationship satisfaction (r = 0.149, p < 0.001), positive attitude toward menopause (r = 0.070, p < 0.05) showed a positive correlation, but depression (r = -0.122, p < 0.001) and menopausal symptoms (r = -0.292, p < 0.001) showed a negative association with self-rated health status. The predictable factors affecting the self-rated health status of middle-aged women were examined by multiple regression analysis. The 'menopausal symptoms - physical discomfort' was the most important variables followed by the 'appetite', 'eating habits', 'menopause symptoms - sensory problems', 'BMI', 'positive attitude toward menopause' and 'high marital intimacy'. These results showed that the 'appetite' and 'eating habits' are important factors affecting the self-rated health status. Therefore, a program of dietary education must be considered for the effective health education and counseling of middle-aged women.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.365-369
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• 2021

Background: Law enforcement communications (i.e., 911 dispatch and call takers) is a challenging and stressful occupation. The purpose of this study is to identify the main stressors associated with employment in law enforcement communications, and to identify and provide context to how these stressors affect workers' health and wellbeing. Methods: This research study included focus groups with 23 call takers and 911 dispatchers employed by a large, urban law enforcement agency in 2018. Thematic analyses were conducted to identify trends. Results: Four themes of stressors emerged (i.e., the high stakes nature of some 911 calls for service, understaffing, supervisor-related stress, and recruiting practice). Two health-related themes emerged as being occupation-related: weight gain and poor sleep patterns/insufficient sleep). Specifically, participants reported negative eating habits resulting in weight gain and obesity, lack of sleep and irregular sleep schedules, and development of hypertension and/or diabetes since beginning their jobs. Conclusion: Law enforcement communications professionals experience a number of the same stressors facing law enforcement officers in patrol. These stressors, combined with the sedentary nature of the job, could result in long-term, chronic health problems.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.332-341
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with oral health-related quality of life among elderly women living in the community. Method: The participants were 162 elderly women aged 65 and older who lived in D city. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression were used with SPSS/PC windows program to analyze the data. Results: The major findings of this study are as follows: 1) there were statistical differences in OHQoL for spouse presence, educational level, monthly income, self-rated health, number of teeth and chronic disease, and types of denture. 2) OHQoL was positively related to age, number of chronic disease and nutrition. Also, OHQoL was negatively related to educational level, monthly income, number of teeth, and diet habit. 3) Significant factors influencing OHQoL were self-rated health and nutritional status. Conclusion: Based on these results, it is necessary to do further study on oral health of those who have 20 or more teeth. Oral health promotion programs focusing on prevention are necessary for elderly women in the high risk group.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.920-928
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• 2001

Malnutrition is a common problem in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis(HD) and compromised food intake is an important cause. Malnutrition is one of the important factors influencing mortality in chronic HD patients. We investigated the nutritional parameters of 50 Korean HD patients(mean age: 46.9 $\pm$ 10.3y, men : 23, women : 27) by measuring anthropometric and biochemical blood indices and assessing food intake using 24-h recall method. Also we administered two questionnaires, one for assessing nutritional knowledge about renal disease and dietary therapy, the other for measuring dietary habits related to dietary therapy. According to the distribution of BMI, 21.3% of HD patients were underweight. The hematological values of HD patients, such as plasma hemoglobin, hematocrit, and total lymphocyte count were below the normal range. The serum cholesterol levels were 133.2 $\pm$ 30.5mg/dl. HD patients took energy and protein only 77.5% and 83.1%, respectively, of their RDA. There were significantly positive correlations between nutritional knowledge and intake of nutrients, such as energy, fat, cholesterol, iron, potassium, vitamin B$_1$, vitamin B$_2$, and niacin. Also, there was a significantly positive correlation between nutritional knowledge and dietary habits(r = 0.317, p < 0.05). In conclusion, Korean HD patients showed mild malnutrition and suboptimal nutrition intake. It can be postulated that the dietary intake can be increased by nutrition education improving nutritional knowledge and correcting the dietary habits of HD patients.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.734-743
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• 2001

Iron deficiency anemia is a worldwide public health problem relevant to unsound nutritional practice. While the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is very common among pregnant women, appropriate nutritional service programs to improve the iron status are lacking in Korea. In an attempt to develop a nutritional screening tool to separate the high-risk subjects of iron deficiency, we carried out a nutritional survey for 115 Korean pregnant women whose gestational age ranged from 13 to 24 weeks. Each subject was interviewed with questionnaires for general characteristics and dietary habits. Food intake was measured by 24-hour recap method and 2 day record. Fasting blood was drawn for measuring hemoglobin and serum ferritin. It appeared that half of the pregnant women belonged to the anemia group and had insufficient dietary habits to provide adequate amounts of dietary iron. The first gravida and the working women had better hematological iron indicators than the second or more gravida and the housewives. It also appeared that women who had bigger family size and lower BMI in pre-pregnancy had poorer iron status. Among the food consumption habits, fruit dependent dietary habit was related to poor iron status. Sufficiently consumed green leafy vegetable and appropriate amount of food before morning sickness were positive factors of iron stares. Our results indicated that parity, BMI, current job, family size, food habits including consumption of fruits, green & yellow vegetables, and food habits before the onset of morning sickness are significant factors to contribute the Fe deficiency anemia during pregnancy.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.511-518
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• 2004

This study was designed to compare general characteristics and dietary habits between volunteers for a nutrition survey and non-volunteers using a questionnaire. Volunteers were recruited by advertising on the homepage of a university to assess nutritional status by examining dietary intake for three days and blood analysis. Non-volunteers were selected from some classes not related to nutrition. There were no significant differences in sex, monthly allowances, eating-out cost, drinking and exercise between the two groups, while the proportion of self-boarding was higher in the volunteer group than in the non-volunteer group, and smoking rate of volunteers was approximately 2.4 times lower than that of non-volunteers. Volunteers were less concerned about their diet than non-volunteers. No significant differences in concern about health, considering factors in their diet, self-evaluation of their diet, learning experience about nutrition, and vitamin/mineral supplement use were observed. The frequency and the place of eating-out for dinner were significantly different between the two groups. More proportions of volunteers tended to eat regularly and eat breakfast. Volunteers consumed seaweeds more frequently, and milk, fruits and fast foods less frequently than non-volunteers. Our results indicate that some characteristics and dietary habits of volunteers are different from those of non-volunteers. However, we could not show that volunteers were more interested in their diet and had desirable dietary habits than non-volunteers. Further research on the characteristics of volunteers who participate in nutrition survey may be helpful to interpret and generalize the survey results.