• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2024

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutrition quotient and the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 393 adolescents were surveyed to evaluate their Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) scores and dietary intake. The average age of the survey subjects was 15 years and the average NQ-A score of the subjects was 49.11±13.35. There was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to gender and age. The average dietary diversity score was 3.77±0.85, and it was significantly higher in boys than in girls (p< .05) with the scores of 12-14-year-old students being significantly higher than those aged 15-18 years (p< .01). The results of comparing the percentage of recommended intake or adequate intake and the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) according to the NQ-A grade, showed that the 'High' grade had a significantly higher intake percentage of vitamin B1, B12, folate, phosphorus, iron and a significantly higher MAR (p< .05). From a long-term perspective, efforts to improve dietary habits are deemed necessary to meet an individual's nutritional requirements. Adolescents themselves should develop proper eating behaviors and acquire suitable dietary management skills to enhance their nutritional status, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their quality of life.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.142-157
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a nutrition quotient for adolescents (NQ-A) to assess overall dietary quality and food behavior of Korean adolescents. Methods: Development of the NQ-A was undertaken in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. Candidate items of the NQ-A checklist were selected based on literature reviews, results of the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, dietary guidelines for Korean adolescents, expert in-depth interviews, and national nutrition policies and recommendations. A total of 213 middle and high school students participated in a one-day dietary record survey and responded to 41 items in the food behavior checklist. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the responses to the checklist items along with nutritional status of the adolescents were calculated. Item reduction was performed, and 24 items were selected for the nation-wide survey. A total of 1,547 adolescents from 17 cities completed the checklist questionnaire. Exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to develop a final NQ-A model. Results: Nineteen items were finalized as the checklist items for the NQ-A. Checklist items were composed of five factors (balance, diversity, moderation, environment, and practice). The five-factor structure accounted for 47.2% of the total variance. Standardized path coefficients were used as weights of the items. The NQ-A and five-factor scores were calculated based on the obtained weights of the questionnaire items. Conclusion: Nutrition Quotient for adolescents (NQ-A) would be a useful instrument for evaluating dietary quality and food behavior of Korean adolescents. Further research on NQ-A is needed to reflect changes in adolescent's food behavior and environment.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status and dietary behavior of adolescents from North Korean refugee (NKR) families residing in South Korea (SK), who are known to be at a higher risk of malnutrition due to their lower socioeconomic status and facing other psychological challenges. Methods: A total of 178 adolescents (91 males and 87 females) from NKR families were included in the analysis, and their demographic details such as age, birthplace, parental nationality, and duration of their settlement in SK were collected through questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were also taken to determine their growth and nutritional status according to the 2017 Korean National Growth Charts for children and adolescents. The study used the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) questionnaire to assess the dietary behavior of the participants. Results: Approximately 11.8% and 10.1% of participants were identified with malnutrition and obesity, respectively. The total mean score for the NQ-A was 50.1. The mean scores for the individual factors of balance, diversity, moderation, environment, and practice were 49.2, 44.7, 43.8, 51.2, and 61.5, respectively. Approximately 47.2% of participants had a low NQ-A grade. However, there was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to their nutritional status or duration of time in SK. Conclusions: Adolescents from NKR families exhibited both malnutrition and obesity. However, their dietary behavior, as assessed using the NQ-A, did not vary with their nutritional status. The unique challenges and related dietary behavior of North Korean adolescent refugees should be taken into consideration, when developing targeted strategies for nutritional education and health management programs.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.209-221
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• 2023

This study aimed to provide fundamental data that could guide high school students' night eating behavior by investigating habits of their night eating consumption during COVID-19 pandemic (From 2021/5/13 to 5/20). Association between their eating habits and the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) were also explored. This study included a total of 604 students, among whom 441 students were identified as night eating consumers. Among all subjects, 30.5% consumed night eating 3~4 times a week, 27.3% consumed 1-2 times a week, and 27.0% did not consume any night eating at all. The high-night eating group had a higher score of total NQ-A than the non-night eating group for both male (p<0.05) and female (p<0.001) students. This was because male students in the high-night eating group reported significantly higher rates of daily dinner consumption compared to non-night eating group. Furthermore, both male (p<0.05) and female (p<0.001) students showed a significant increase in 'Moderation'. 'Diversity' was also significantly increased in female studies (p<0.05) as subcategories of dietary habits according to night eating frequency. These findings highlight the need for practical research to develop nutritional guidelines for night eating that reflect preferences of students while providing adequate nutritional habits.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.687-700
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship between adolescent food-related lifestyles and food-related media use and eating behavior in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were 392 Korean adolescents, ranging in age from 12 to 18, recruited via convenience sampling. They completed a self-report questionnaire survey consisting of questions about food-related lifestyle, food-related media use, food consumption behavior, food literacy, and nutrition quotient. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0. (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA). RESULTS: The factor analysis of food-related lifestyles identified four factors. Based on the cluster analysis results, participants were classified into three clusters reflecting different levels of interest: high interest in food, moderate interest in food, and low interest in food. The analysis revealed significant differences between groups in food-related liestyle factors (P < 0.05). Notably, the high-interest group demonstrated proactive engagement with food-related content, a willingness to explore diverse culinary experiences, and a conscientious consideration of nutritional labeling during food purchases. In contrast, the low-interest group reported tendencies toward overeating or succumbing to stimulating food consumption post-exposure to food-related content, coupled with a disregard for nutritional labeling when making food choices. A stronger inclination toward a food-related lifestyle was positively correlated with higher levels of food literacy and nutrition quotient. CONCLUSION: This study proposes that the implementation of a nutrition education program using media could effectively promote a healthy diet among adolescents with a high level of interest in their dietary habits. For adolescents with low interest in their dietary habits, it suggests that introducing an education program with a primary focus on enhancing food literacy could be beneficial in fostering a healthy diet. Our research findings provide insight for the development of tailored nutritional education programs and establishment of effective nutrition policies.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.113-123
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• 2021

This study aimed to examine the association between sleep duration, stress levels, and dietary behavior in adolescents. A survey was conducted on 453 students (227 male, 226 female) in high schools in the Chungbuk area. The participants were divided into groups based on daily sleep duration: group I (<5 hrs/d), group II (≥5 hrs/d and <6 hrs/d), group III (≥6 hrs/d and <7 hrs/d), and group IV (≥7 hrs/d). To measure the stress levels of participants, the survey had questions covering a variety of areas, including school life, family life, social relationships, and personal evaluation. To assess the dietary behaviors of participants, the survey included questions encompassing the Nutrition Quotient for Korean adolescents (NQ-A). Among female students, the sleep duration group IV had significantly lower total stress (P=0.022) and significantly lower stress in the personal evaluation area than the sleep duration group I (P=0.004). In the analysis of NQ-A, among female students, the sleep duration group IV showed significantly higher scores in balance (P=0.004), diversity (P=0.016), and total NQ-A score area (P=0.007) compared to other groups. There was a significant negative correlation between sleep duration and stress scores in total students (r=-0.24, P<0.001), while a significant positive correlation was seen between sleep duration and NQ-A scores in female students (r=0.16, P<0.05). To sum up, the longer the sleep duration, the lower the degree of stress, and the quality of meals which can be said to be a significant finding for high school students.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2023

In this study, we identified the differences in food content watching habits and nutrition quotient in adolescent (NQ-A). A total number of 811 subjects were surveyed to establish their general characteristics, food content watching habits, and NQ-A using a self-administered questionnaire. In addition, the mediating effect of watching motivation between the type of food content watched and the NQ-A score was determined. The classification by the type of the food content mainly watched showed that 405 participants (49.9%) watched the Mukbang content, 244 (30.1%) the Cookbang content, and 162 (20.0%) another contents. Among the content watching motives in the Cookbang content group, information acquisition and enjoyment were predominant, whereas emotional satisfaction had the lowest frequency. Compared to the Mukbang content group, when the Cookbang content group mediated information acquisition motivation, the scores of the total, diversity, balance, and practice of NQ-A score areas increased. Compared to the Mukbang content group, the score in the moderation area decreased when the Cookbang content group mediated enjoyment motivation. If food content with accurate information and interesting content are produced and used for adolescent nutrition education, the education will be highly effective.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.674-686
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Mukbang, a trend originating in South Korea and gaining global popularity, could influence children's food choices and eating habits. This study analyzed the correlation between Mukbang viewing time in children and adolescents, their meal consumption frequency, nutrition quotient (NQ), and frequency of food intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: From July to August 2022, this cross-sectional study investigated upper elementary students (ages 9-11 yrs) and adolescents (aged 12-18 yrs) using an online survey. The survey items included key demographic factors, Mukbang viewing frequency and duration, frequency of main meal consumption, commonly consumed foods, and the validated NQ, which was used to assess food intake quality. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the link between Mukbang viewing and nutritional habits. RESULTS: Weekly Mukbang viewing time was significantly correlated with eating habits after adjusting for gender, age, physical activity frequency past week, household income, and primary caregiver's level of education. Increased Mukbang viewing time correlated with reduced frequency of breakfast (P for trend < 0.001) and dinner (P for trend = 0.012), while the frequency of eating out (P for trend < 0.001) and late-night snacking (P for trend = 0.008) increased. Higher Mukbang viewing time notably decreased scores in the moderation domain (P for trend < 0.001), in the practice domain (P for trend = 0.031), and overall NQ (P for trend < 0.001). It also significantly elevated intake of sweets (P for trend = 0.001), Korean-style street food, Western-style fast food, instant noodles, sweetened beverages, caffeinated beverages, and fruit and vegetable juices (P for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study identifies a negative correlation between Mukbang viewing and eating habits among Korean children and adolescents. The results indicate the importance of incorporating children and adolescents' media usage and environmental factors on dietary education and the development of policy programs.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.263-273
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• 2017

Numerous studies have investigated quantifying dietary intake according to the weight status of children and adolescents. However, studies on differences in quality among diets remain scarce. This study compared diet quality by weight status and examined correlations between quality of diet and obesity in children and adolescents. Two hundred fourteen children and adolescents aged between 9 and 18 years participated in this study (Normal weight n=104, Obesity n=110). The data related to food intake were investigated by dietary records, Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and then compared with Dietary Reference Intakes for Korean (KDRIs). In DQI-I, moderation factor (control of unhealthy foods) score was 21.7 in the normal weight group and 19.5 in the obesity group. The normal weight group showed a higher score for moderation factor than the obesity group (P<0.001). Compared with KDRIs, vitamin $B_6$, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and zinc intakes were insufficient in both groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that DQI-I moderation was negatively associated with obesity (OR=0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87) after adjustment for age, gender, income, and total energy intake. Our results suggest that children and adolescents require nutritional education to understand the importance of vitamin and mineral consumption. Especially, education for children and adolescents with obesity needs to emphasize moderation of nutrient intake that can cause diseases with hyper-ingestion such as sodium and high calorie-low nutrition foods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.198-209
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• 2021

This study examined the dietary habits and nutrition quotient (NQ) scores according to leftover food during school meal services among middle school students in the Gyeonggi region. A survey on the dietary habits was conducted among 405 male and female middle school students located in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. The amount of leftover food in the school meals was surveyed using the visual method through a questionnaire over two days. The survey was conducted from July 8, 2019, to July 12, 2019. After calculating the average total leftovers of each student over the two days, they were categorized into the following three groups: the top third was the large leftover group. The middle third was the medium leftover group, and the lower third was the small leftover group. The characteristics of the groups that had leftovers were analyzed. Female, normal-weight, and underweight students accounted for a greater proportion of the large leftover group than male, overweight, and obese students. The rates of selective eating and compliance with new food intake were significantly lower in the large leftover group than in the small leftover group. A comparison of the nutrition quotient for the adolescent (NQ-A) scores of each group revealed significantly lower scores of the large leftover group for all factors (balance, moderation, food diversity, practice, and environment) than the small leftover group. Therefore, there are statistically significant differences in the dietary habits, nutritional quality, and eating behaviors of middle school students that are associated with the amount of leftover food during school meals.