• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.441-454
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the association between the frequency and pattern of eating alone and the mental health status according to region in Korean adults. Methods: The data of 10,040 Korean adults aged ≥ 19 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2017 and 2019 were used. Participants were divided into 4 groups based on their frequency of eating alone: none (all meals together), 1, 2, and 3 meals/day alone. The regions were divided into urban and rural areas. Mental health status was assessed by stress recognition, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) on the association of the frequency and pattern of eating alone with poor mental health after controlling for covariates. Results: Among Korean adults, 74.1% ate more than one meal a day alone. Individuals having 3 meals a day alone tended to be less educated, single, single person households, or living in urban areas (all P < 0.05). In rural areas, those having 3 meals/day alone had higher odds of stress recognition (AOR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.02-2.35) than those having all meals together. In urban areas, individuals eating alone 3 times/day had higher odds of stress recognition (AOR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.31-1.96), depressive symptoms (AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23-2.12), and suicidal ideation (AOR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.42-3.22) compared to those having all meals together. Urban residents having dinner alone had higher odds of depressive symptoms (AOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.05-1.58) and suicidal ideation (AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.19-2.33) than those having dinner with others. Conclusions: Our findings showed that the frequency and patterns of eating alone were differentially associated with increased odds of poor mental health according to region of residence. Nutrition education is needed for those frequently eating alone, particularly those living in urban areas, to highlight the advantages of eating together and to ensure that they have balanced and healthy meals even if they eat alone.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.139-143
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• 1997

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplemental charcoal(CH) or charcoal extract(CE) on performance and meat quality of broiler chicks for 5 weeks. Basal diets based on corn and soybean meal contained 21% crude protein for the first 3 weeks and 19% for the rest two weeks. Two levels of dietary CH(O, 0.5%) and CE(0, 0.2%) were fed in a factorial design. There were four replicates of 10 chicks each per treatment. An increased growth rate was observed in chicks fed the basal diet supplemented with CE alone. Chicks fed the diet containing both CH and CE tended to depress the growth rate. Dietary supplemental CH and CE improved the feed conversion efficiency compared to the control group, but was not significantly different between them. The abdominal fat(%) of chicks fed CH alone or both CH and CE tended to de-crease without significant difference. The total lipid content of breast meat of chicks fed CE alone showed significant difference among treatments (P

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.160-172
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• 2003

This study was performed to investigate the dietary characteristics and related factors of the elderly female living alone. The subjects were 70 single living elderly female residing in Bucheon city and receiving benefits from the government based social welfare programs. Seventy nine percent of the subjects had self reported monthly income less than 200,000 (won) and forty one percent of the subjects were paying more than 100,000 (won) for food expense. The number of side dishes for a meal was two or three (35.71 ％) or one or two (31.40％)； fifty seven percent of the subjects ate reheated left-over for lunch and 70.0％ for dinner. The proportion of the single living elderly at high nutrition risk ($\geq$ 6 as evaluated with Nutrition Risk Index Score) was 77.1 ％. Cereals and their products contributed most to the macronutrients like energy, protein and carbohydrates and vitamin B. In contrast vegetables and their products contributed most to the fiber, minerals (Ca and Fe) and vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C). The mean total score of depression was 8.59${\pm}$2.69 (full score: 12) meaning that the extent of depression was serious.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of age, education and residence on food consumption and nutrient Intakes of older women living alone. In-home interviews were conducted using the health habits and food frequency questionnaire for one hundred twenty free living, healthy women who were between the ages of 60 and 87 years. Analysis of variance was used to assess the effect of three independent variables on food consumption and nutrient intakes. Food groups eaten at every meal were examined on 5-point scale, and consumption scores were compared with groups according to age and education. The meat consumption of younger and more highly educated respondents were significantly( p<0.05) higher. The oldest Participants had higher consumption frequencies for cereals and grain food categories. but lower consumption frequencies for vegetables and fruits ( p<0.05) The dietary assessment data showed that the energy and Protein intakes of subjects were 84.8% and 85.1% of RDAs, respectively. Vitamin A and calcium intakes showed a significant (p<0.05) difference among the three age groups More highly educated respondents had higher intakes of calcium and phosphorus than those respondents with less education.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2001

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effents of feeding single or combined probiltics on performance and intestinal micreflora of broiler chicks for five weeks. Diets based on corn and soybean meal contained 21.50, 19% CP and 3,100, 3,150kcal/kg ME for starting and finishing period, respectively. Lactobacillus salvarius isolated from chicks intestine(LSC), Lactobacillus salvarius isolated from piglet(LSP), Bacillus polyfermenticus(BP) were fed with alone and mixed ones at the level of 0.21 and 0.1% in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Three hundred eighty four chicks were randomly assigned to eight treatments with four replicates of 12 chicks each per treatment. Weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio(FCR) were weekly measured for 5 weeks. The number of intestinal micreflora was examined at the end of experiment. In both experiments, weight gain of chicks fed probiltics tended to be similar or higher than control, but was not in LSC+LSP treatment. Feed intake was not consistent among treatments. In experiment 1, FCR of chicks fed LSC alone was the lowest of all treatments, whereas it was significantly higher in LSC+LSP treatments than control(P〈0.05). In experiment 2, LSP supplemental groups tended to increase FCR compared to the control. The number of ileal E. coli was the lowest in LSP alone treatment of experiment 1, whereas cecal E. coli was higher concentration in probiotics supplemental groups than control. Total Lactobacillus of chicks fed probiotics was decreased in ileum, but was no consestency in cecum. In experiment 2, ileal total yeast tended to be higher in probiotics supplemental groups except LSP alone supplement than control. Total Lactobacillus of chicks fed LSC or LSP alone treatments was significantly higher than control(P〈0.05).

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2013

Excessive sodium intake leading to hypertension, stroke, and stomach cancer is mainly caused by excess use of salt in cooking. This study was performed to estimate the salt content in school meals and to compare differences in perceptions related to sodium intake between students and staffs working for school meal service. We collected 382 dishes for food from 24 schools (9 elementary, 7 middle, 8 high schools) in Gyeonggi-do and salt content was calculated from salinity and weight of individual food. The average salt content from elementary, middle, and high school meals were 2.44 g, 3.96 g, and 5.87 g, respectively. The amount of salt provided from the school lunch alone was over 80% of the recommended daily salt intake by WHO. Noodles, stews, sauces, and soups were major sources of salt intake at dish group level, while the most salty dishes were sauces, kimchies, and stir-fried foods. Dietary knowledge and attitude related to sodium intake and consumption frequency of the salty dishes were surveyed with questionnaire in 798 students and 256 staffs working for school meal service. Compared with the staffs, the students perceived school meals salty and the proportions of students who thought school meals were salty increased with going up from elementary to high schools (P < 0.001). Among the students, middle and high school students showed significant propensity for the preference to one-dish meal, processed foods, eating much broth and dipping sauce or seasoning compared with the elementary students, although they had higher nutrition knowledge scores. These results proposed that monitoring salt content of school meals and consideration on the contents and education methods in school are needed to lower sodium intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.459-467
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to suggest the strategies for improvement of home-delivered meal services for the elderly, to identify reasons for recipients to get started with the services and to evaluate the attitude, acceptability and adaptation of recipients to the services from the perspective of life context. Methods: The data was collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with eighteen low-income elderly recipients of home-delivered meals and analyzed using a qualitative research method. Results: The results were deduced as four themes which comprised of long-term vulnerable socioeconomic contexts resulted in entry to the services, conflicting acceptability to the services, passive adaptation to taking the services, and positive practices to cope with supplement free meals or other services. The service participation was initiated because of a combination of prolonged, vulnerable socioeconomic contexts, including poverty and unexpected life events such as diseases, disability, living alone, aging and unemployment. With regard to taking the services, conflicting acceptability was observed: positive aspects including saving living cost and good quality of meals, and negative aspects including lack of a tailored service and feeling of stigma. Although the recipients needed an individualized service, they did not express their needs and demands for the services and they accepted the unavailability as an accustomed, prolonged vulnerable socioeconomic context. With regard to lack of tailored services, either self-solution such as modification of eating patterns or community-based network and services were used. Conclusions: We suggest that a system to concretely identify recipients' attitude, acceptability and adaptation for home-delivered meal services should be developed in the establishment of a tailored nutrition support system for the low-income elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1285-1296
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• 1998

This study was performed to investigate the food behaviors of college students through a food record method. In this study, one hundred and sixty seven students of Dankook university were chosen(male:77, female:90). We collected data about nutrients intake and food behaviors. Food behaviors included a frequency of both meal and snack, meal time, eating place, person with whom they ate, reason for eating, feeling after eating, and activities during mealtime. The results of the study were summarized as follows. Energy intake per day of male and female were 2201kcal and 1781kcal, respectively. Expect for the protein, vitamin C and phosphate, nutrients were not satisfied with the RDA, especially the intake of vitamin A, Vitamin B2, and calcium was very low. Average eating frequency per day was 5.1 and meal eating frequency per day was 2.6. In addition, male ate more frequently than female did. The interval between breakfast and lunch was 295 minutes, and between lunch and dinner was 373 minutes. The places where they ate the meal and snack were mostly school and restaurant at lunch and dinner, and there was not a significant different between weekday and weekend. On weekdays, the 40~50% of subjects had a breakfast with family, and most students had a lunch or dinner with friends. During weekend, although the percentage of students who had a lunch and dinner with family were increased, a lot of students had a lunch and dinner with friends or alone. In case of reason for meal and snack, the 60~70% of subjects answered that they ate the meal for hunger, and there was not different between weekday and weekend. 60~70% of subjects felt that they eat proper, but the percentage of overeat was increased for dinner. Most students were talking with others while they had a lunch. About 20% of subjects ate only food at both breakfast and dinner and 30% of subjects were watching TV. In correlation between nutrients intake and food behaviors, the higher frequency of eating, the higher carbohydrate intake in male. In case of female, protein intake and dinner time showed the negative correlation, and protein intake and mean intervals of eating had a positive correlation. In case of male, reason for eating affected the nutrient intake, but eating place, after feeling and activity for eating had no relation with nutrients intake. But in case of female, these factors affected nutrient intake. Therefore, food behaviors had an effect on nutrients intake, and the type of effect was different between male and female.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.264-273
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• 2012

This study analyzes the food frequency for the elderly regarding different family types and finds the factors for nutritional risk, offers a basic reference for providing nutritional support for them. The study referred to the dietary behavioral survey data of 3,680 elderly people (1652 male and 2028 female) from 21 regions in the northern Kyeonggi province. The data was collected through the method of one-to-one interviews and was a part of the Community Health Survey for 2008 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). We classified family types as a household for elderly people living alone, a household of elderly people with a spouse, a household of the elderly with unmarried children and a household of the elderly with married children, and as for intakes of foods, the frequencies of taking fruits, vegetables, kimchi, rice with mixed cereals, meat, fish, bean tofu soymilk, milk and dairy products, as well as sweet beverages are calculated on a daily basis and skipped meals are calculated on a weekly basis. Elderly women showed lower income, lower education level, higher unemployment rates, and a higher rate of government healthcare subsidies than elderly men. Elderly women tend to live alone and with their children while elderly men tend to live with their spouse. In both males and females, the intake of fruits and vegetables were the least in the elderly living alone, while the elderly with married children ate the most. In both males and females, the household of the elderly living alone ate significantly less amounts of Kimchi than other family types. Elderly people living alone tended to have significantly less meat and fish, especially women. In the case of rice with mixed cereals, the elderly men living alone and the elderly men with unmarried children ate significantly less amounts than the elderly men living with a spouse. The elderly men living alone took significantly less milk and dairy products than the elderly men with unmarried children while the elderly women living with a spouse took significantly less milk and dairy products than the elderly women with married children. With regards to the frequency of meal-skipping, the elderly living alone had the highest frequency for skipping meals. From this result, having various foods is difficult for the elderly living alone. Furthermore, the elderly living with unmarried children demonstrated a low quality of dietary life compared to those of married children. Hence, it can be concluded that social support is important in order for the elderly to have a balanced diet.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2001

With a continuous and steep increase in life expectancies, Korean society is expected to enter the aged society by year 2020. And as the number of elderly increases, the burden of medical and health care expenses for them becomes greater in every developed society. Hence, the preventive approach for chronic degenerative diseases remains to be the best solution for the above-mentioned problem and warranting optimal nutrition would be one of the most important approaches. We performed a nutrition survey on 585 older adults of 50 years of age and older, residing in 3 metropolitan areas including Daejun, Daeku and Kwangju. Anthropometry, including body composition analysis based on the bioelectrical impedance analysis using InBody 3.0 and dietary intake survey by semi-quantitative flood frequency questionnaires, were used in collecting data. As one of the most important factors affecting the health and nutritional status of the elderly, we focused on living arrangements. Analyses were performed on the data from 550 subjects only, after excluding statistical outliers. Three hundred and sixty-eight of them(66.9%) were female and the number of elderly(65 years of age and older) was 485. According to the statistical analyses, the female elderly were more vulnerable to malnutrition than the male elderly. And the older they befame, the less adequate they were in nutrient intake. In addition to this, the elderly living alone showed the poorest patterns of nutrient intake and anthropometry. Although the exact effect of living alone could differ among different sex-age groups, the fact that the elderly living alone is vulnerable to malnutrition would remain concrete. This raises the utmost necessity of nutrition intervention to be devised and directed to the targeted population, namely the living-alone elderly from the government level. The intervention may include nutrition education, nutrition counseling and support In forms of meal service by networking the efforts of central as well as local governments to ensure the good health of the Korean elderly.