• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 2003

Improving dietary patterns, na, in turn, improving nutritional status, is now viewed as a key to improve public health and to prevent chronic diseases. There has been a peat needs to assess diet quality to identify nutritional risk group, however, little research has been done on methods to assess overall diet quality. The purpose of this study was to develope a mini dietary assessment (MDA) index for evaluation of overall dietary quality. A 10-component system was devised based on dietary guidelines and food Tower for Koreans. The system contained 4 food elements of which use is encouraged, such as milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, and 3 food elements of which use is limited, such as fat, salt, or sugar. Also the included were elements on dietary regulation and variety. A subject is to check one of ‘always' 'generally'seldom', which has score of 5, 3, and 1, respectively, so the total possible index score is 50. This index is to use without dietary survey and is to use even by non-nutritionist. A sample of 432 healthy males and females in their 30's and 40's contributed diet intake data based on 24-hour recall for the validation of MDA. The mean MDA score was 31.34 of a possible 50 points. The main nutrients for each MDA component was correlated very well with the results of 24-hour recall. Also, very good correlation was found between healthy eating index (HEI) score and MDA score. However, some of MDA components were needed a modification of term or/and statement. So the Uh was revised and another effort for validation was made with new sample of 169 subjects and even better correlation was found. The revised MDA could be used with minor modification to assess diet quality and to screen nutritional status. (Korean J Nutrition 36(1): 83-92, 2003)

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.216-225
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the associations between obesity and the children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and to further examine the relationships between NQ and mini dietary assessment (MDA) of their parents. Methods: The subjects were 355 children aged 3 to 5 years and their parents in Dongducheon. We collected parental-reported NQ questionnaires for children and MDA of parents. Anthropometric measurements, height, weight and BMI by BIA were measured in children. Overweight and obesity were determined according to age- and sex-specific BMI percentile from the 2007 Korean national growth chart. Statistical analyses consisted of the chi-squared test, ANOVA, partial correlations and logistic regression analysis adjustments for parents BMI. Results: Approximately 20.8% of preschool children were classified as overweight or obese. Underweight children showed a significantly higher score for balance than overweight children. The NQ of the children was $61.9{\pm}11.6$, and NQ scores and their parents' MDA did not exhibit any significant differences according to degree of obesity. After adjusting for parent's BMI, children's BMI was significantly correlated with balance and moderation among NQ factors. Parent's MDA showed significant correlation with their children's NQ, balance, diversity, moderation, regularity, practice and NQ grade, except for diversity of father. Additionally, NQ grade had a significantly increased (150.1%) odds ratio (OR) of being overweight (95% CI 1.008-2.234). Conclusions: These results show that NQ for children is influenced by their parents' MDA and BMI. Furthermore, our findings support the association between overweight prevention and improvement of NQ grade among preschool children.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.272-291
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate health-related habits, dietary habits, depression, stress, satisfaction of body weight, mini-dietary assessment (MDA) and dietary behaviors according to self-rated health among 255 university students in Kyungnam province. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software package (version 19.0). The average ages of the subjects were 21.1 years. Participants were asked their self-rated health and 109, 105 and 41 students answered themselves as "healthy", "normal" and "unhealthy", respectively. The pocket money (P<0.05) was related with self-rated health, and meal frequency (P<0.01) of healthy group was higher than that of the unhealthy group. The self-reported depression level (P<0.01) and the score of depression (P<0.05) of the healthy group were lower than those of the unhealthy group. The self-reported stress level of the healthy group (P<0.05) was higher than that of the unhealthy group. The scores of nutritional behavior (P<0.05) and MDA (P<0.01) of the healthy group were higher than those of the unhealthy group. The scores for intakes of meat, fish, egg or beans, cereals and vegetables except kimchi, fruits, balanced diet and various foods were higher in the healthy group than in the unhealthy group. Our results suggest that pocket money, high meal frequency, low depression, satisfaction of present body weight, and good dietary behavior might influence good perception of self-rated health.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.340-348
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status of liver transplantation (LT) recipients and explore certain factors that influence nutritional status, including dietary patterns and physical activities. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The subjects included 211 LT recipients at a medical center outpatient clinic located in Seoul, Korea. The nutritional status, dietary patterns, and physical activities of each subject were measured using the body mass index (BMI), Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA), and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The percentages of living and deceased donor LTs were 81.0% and 19.0%, respectively. The mean BMIs pre- and post-LT were 23.88 and $23.16kg/m^2$, respectively, and the average MDA score was 36.55. More than 60.0% of the subjects had a moderate or high level of physical activity. In multivariate analysis, a higher BMI before LT (${\beta}=.72$, p<.001), a lower Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (${\beta}=-.18$, p<.001), and being male (${\beta}=-.10$, p=.024) contributed to better nutritional status post-LT. Patients within six months of LT were less engaged in muscle exercises than those post six months of LT (p=.020). Conclusion: LT recipients in Korea have good nutritional status and a good level of physical activity. To improve recipients' post-LT nutritional status, the pre-LT nutritional status should be considered, particularly in those with a higher MELD score. In addition, physical activity including muscle-strengthening exercises should be encouraged from an earlier stage.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.191-199
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• 2003

This study was conducted to evaluate nutritional status of Korean women of child-bearing age. A comparison was made between 113 non-pregnant and 200 pregnant women. Pregnant women of 24-28 weeks of gestation were recruited from prenatal clinic in Seoul. Nonpregnant women were included college students, nurses, office employers, and sales women. General characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes, and hematological values were assessed. There was no difference in mean BMI for nonpregnant and pregnant (pre-gravid) women, which were 20.2 kg/m$^2$and 20.6 kg/m$^2$respectively. The pregnant women showed a tendency of better health-caring behavior, evidenced by stop smoking and drinking, and in taking nutrient supplements. The mean intakes of energy, vitamin A, vitamin B$_2$, calcium, and iron did not meet Korean RDA for adult women. In particular, calcium and iron intakes of both nonpregnant and pregnant women were under 60% of the Korean RDA. Judging by MDA score, dietary quality was better in pregnant than in nonpregnant women. Mean serum values of albumin, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, Hb, IgA, IgG were in normal range. However, more than 13% of the nonpregnant subjects showed mild hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol > 200 mg/dl) and anemia (Hb < 12.0 g/dl) . The percentage of anemia in pregnant women were much higher; the subject with Hb < 11.0 g/dl were approximately 30%. The pregnant subjects showed significantly higher serum concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol, and significantly lower concentrations of albumin, IgA, and IgG compared to nonpregnant women. Correlation analysis showed that Hb concentrations were correlated with the intakes of iron- and protein- containing foods such as meat and vegetables. This study strongly suggest that iron-deficient anemia is a major nutrition problem in Korean child-bearing women and this condition is correlated with dietary intakes.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.89-103
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• 2006

This study was performed to provide sources of nutrition education for female adolescents by identifying eating disorder patterns and their relationships with self-body image, weight control, and eating behavior. A total of 329 female middle school students were recruited and completed a general characteristics survey, the Eating Attitudes Test(EAT-26), a perception of self-body image survey, a concern for weight control survey, an eating behavior survey, and the Mini Dietary Assessment Index(MDA). Eating disorder patterns were identified to be obesity stress and weight control(OW), risk of binge eating(RB), and dietary restraint(DR) by factor analysis. OW pattern was related with stout body shape, body dissatisfaction, experience of weight control, skipping of dinner, and low MDA score. RB pattern was associated with lean body shape, body satisfaction, indiscreet snack behavior, and the eating time of snacks. The DR pattern was associated with normal body shape, regular meal times, desirable snack behavior, and high MDA scores. The results indicated that the eating patterns of adolescent were not identical to existing diagnostic categories. Furthermore, each eating pattern displayed different characteristics of perception on self-body image, concern for weight control, and eating behavior. In conclusion, nutrition education for female middle school students could reflect the different characteristics of each eating disorder pattern.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to compare the nutrition intakes and factors related to dietary behaviors according to age in female. The subjects included 579 females aged 15 - 59 years. This survey was conducted using a selfadministered questionnaire to obtain data about eating behaviors, living habits, eating disorders by EAT-26 (Eating Attitude Test-26), and nutrition knowledge. In younger women aged 15 - 20 years, the living habits related to health such as smoking, drinking and exercising were undesirable. In addition, the younger women group had significantly higher levels of skipping meals and frequency of eating snacks compared to the older women group and their eating times were not regular. And they showed a lower score of health eating index by mini dietary assessment (MDA). Although, all age groups consumed energy, Ca, Fe, and thiamin below the Korean RDA; especially, in adolescent, Ca intakes ($67.1\%$ RDA) were extremely low. In addition, mean score of EAT-26 was significantly higher in young women aged 15 - 29 years than older women. Also, they had rather lower levels of accuracy and perception for nutrition knowledge compared to older age group. These results suggested that Korean adolescent had undesirable nutritional intakes and attitude, and nutrition knowledge, indicating inadequate eating behaviors. These poor dietary behaviors can affect the health status. Therefore, the nutrition counseling and education to help people to have correct nutrition knowledge and to form better eating habits needs to be established.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.176-185
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary flavonoids intake and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: A total of 223 subjects (mean age; $27.3{\pm}4.2$ yrs, range; 17-38 yrs) were divided into the MetS group (n = 27) and non-MetS group (n = 196). Dietary intake data were assessed by 24-hour recall method for two non-consecutive days and the average of the two days was used to estimate the usual dietary intake. Dietary habits were assessed using the Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA) score. We analyzed the intakes of six flavonoid classes (anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, flavonols, and iso-flavones) using a flavonoids database. Results: After adjustment for age, total energy intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, regular exercise, and oral contraceptive use, dietary flavonols intake was significantly lower in the MetS group ($5.1{\pm}2.4$ mg/d) than in the non-MetS group ($8.9{\pm}2.8$ mg/d) (p = 0.0472). Intakes of other flavonoids except for flavonols did not differ between the two groups. In MDA scores, significant differences were observed only for that related to daily consumption of fruit or fruit juice (p = 0.0180). A significant inverse relationship was observed between flavonols intake and the risk of MetS (4th vs. 1st quartile, OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.02-0.62, p for trend = 0.0131). Conclusion: These results suggest that higher intake of flavonols may be beneficial for MetS in PCOS women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.580-589
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the food insecurity status and dietary behavior and examine the association between the food insecurity status and consumption of processed beverage for secondary school students in Vientiane, capital city of Lao PDR. Methods: The study subjects are 714 students (boys = 307 and girls = 407) in four secondary schools (Chao_Anouvong, Phiavat, Saysetha, and Chansavang) of Vientiane, Lao PDR. Data on study subject's demographic characteristics, dietary behavior, food insecurity, and Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA) index were collected. A "Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children Aged 12 Years and Older" developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was used for the food insecurity assessment. Results: As a result, 72.7% of the subjects were in a state of food insecurity, and food security was associated with higher socioeconomic status (higher life satisfaction, higher parent's education attainment, higher item ownership, fewer number of siblings, and having more lunches at the school restaurant than at home). Compared to the food insecurity group, the frequency of breakfast, self-rated diet, and the total score of MDA index were higher in the food security group. On the other hand, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that 'food security' was also associated with a higher consumption of processed beverages (OR 1.544; 95% CI 1.078-2.213; p = 0.018). Conclusion: Improving the quality of the diet is essential for adolescents in both the food insecurity and food security groups in Lao PDR. Therefore, it is necessary to provide well organized nutrition education and establish adequate nutrition policy for adolescents in Lao PDR.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.856-868
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate causes for health problems among college women by analyzing factors related to their dietary habits, physical development, health habits, and blood parameters. The subjects were ages 20 to 24 years, lived in the Seoul area and were randomly selected during March, 2008 to August, 2009. The average height and weight of the overall subjects were $162.02{\pm}4.89\;cm$ and $53.96{\pm}7.00\;kg$, respectively. According to a 3-point assessment scale for the subjects' dietary habits, the average point value was 21.2. The percentage of subjects that ate breakfast daily was only 30.5%, and they omitted regular meals at least once a week. Approximately 83.5% of the subjects reported eating out often or frequently, and preferred Korean foods when they ate out. The subjects had interim meals (snacks) one or two times daily, and 40.4% of them preferred unbalanced meals. As their interim meals, among the 'good' group, ate breaded potatoes (39.3%), carbonated beverages, and ice cream (36.8%), whereas the 'poor' group, drank milk and ate dairy products (38.0%) as well as fast food and fried food (22.8%). Intakes of energy, fat, vitamins $B_2$ and $B_6$, niacin, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus were higher in the 'poor' group. The average hemoglobin level ($13.77{\pm}1.00\;g/dL$) among the subjects was within normal range; while 2.7% of subjects had hemoglobin levels under 11.1 g/dL (standard value) and were examined as anemic. The degree of interest in health was 24.5% higher among the subjects who had poor dietary habits. In contrast, among those who had good dietary habits, 49.6% reported they had no interest in regular exercise. The subjects reported that regular meals, nutrient intake, sufficient rest, and sleep as necessary to maintain health. The average amount of sleep obtained by the subjects was 6~8 hours. Among the 'poor' group, 36.2% reported that they exercised regularly, whereas 18.5% of the subjects in the 'good' group reported regular exercise (p<0.05). In conclusion, it appears necessary to provide nutrition education through teaching and to promote nutrition and health to college women so they can control their individual health status and create practicable dietary plans.