• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 2019

This study examined the possible causes of nutritional inadequacy in Vietnamese immigrant women married to Korean husbands. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 34 Vietnamese marriage immigrant women and 17 Korean spouses participating in or having experienced Nutrition Plus from four Community Health Centers in Seoul, Korea. The study results showed that the nutritional staus of the Vietnamese marriage immigrant women was affected by the unfamiliar Korean food (cultural factor), low household income (economical factor), difficulty in purchasing Vietnamese food (environmental factor), and low accessibility to nutrition support systems (social factor). The Korean husbands' nutritional status was affected by the unfamiliar Vietnamese food (cultural factor), low household income (economic factor), and irregular working conditions (social factors). Nutritional interventions as a public service to the community needs to be developed and applied. Suggestions are presented regarding the future efforts to better understand and meet the nutrition needs of intermarried couples to respond to their heterogeneous needs and deliver adequate nutrition service to ever increasing intermarried families.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2015

Objectives: Maintaining a balanced diet and thus health is crucial for adolescents, and the first step for balanced diet practice is meal planning. Adolescents, however, find it difficult to plan their meals. This study thus was set out to design an easier way of planning meals for adolescent girls. Methods: A dish-based target pattern for adolescent girls was tabulated, and validity of this was examined. Meal plan applying a dish-based target pattern was prepared by 150 female middle school students, and nutritional adequacies of those meal plans were examined. Validity and adequacy were tested by energy content, energy contribution ratio, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), probability of nutrient inadequacy, index of nutritional quality (INQ) calculation. Results: A dish-based target pattern with 11 dish groups was validated for nutritional adequacy. Though the NAR of calcium was 0.96, the INQ of calcium was 1.00. The average energy supply from the meal plans was 2,379 kcal, higher than the estimated energy requirement of a female middle school student, but the energy contribution ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats were all adequate according to the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR). NAR of all nutrients examined were 1.0, except for calcium. The NAR and INQ of calcium were 0.87 and 0.75, respectively, and the meal plans at risk for calcium inadequacy was 19.30%. Conclusions: A dish-based target pattern proposed for adolescent girls was valid, but the meal plan prepared by female middle school students using this approach was high in energy and low in calcium supply. To cut down the energy supply from the meal plan, it is necessary to recommend dishes low in fat and use low fat cooking methods. To increase the calcium supply, it is important to recommend seaweed and legume group dishes with higher Ca INQ food items.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.706-715
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• 2011

This study aims to identify the dietary patterns relevant to obesity of Korean women among low income classes. Adults 20-64 years were used as study subjects from the data of 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We compared obese and normal-weight women in terms of their nutrients intake, diet quality and food patterns. Diet quality was assessed by using the Nutritional Adequacy Ratio (NAR) and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ). Our results showed higher prevalence of obesity among lower socioeconomic status women. In men, there were no significant associations with socioeconomic status and prevalence of obesity. Higher risk of nutritional inadequacy was observed among obese women compared to normal weight women. Obese women showed significantly lower INQ for nutrients such as Ca, Fe, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Vitamin C compared to other women. They consumed significantly higher amount of rice (p < 0.05) and lower amount of vegetables (p < 0.01). By contrast, obese men from low income classes showed higher intake of those nutrients. Obese men also consumed significantly higher amount of meats than normal weight men. Therefore, this study suggests that gender-specific approaches based on economic situation should be considered in developing the intervention program for managing obesity for low income classes.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2003

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI's) are new nutrient intake standards that are being set for the United States and Canada. There are currently four types of DRI's: Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL). The EAR is the nutrient intake that would be adequate for about half the population, while intake at the RDA should be adequate for 97-98% of the population. When the data are insufficient to set an EAR and RDA, then an AI is set. The UL is the highest intake level that does not pose a risk of adverse effects. The EAR, AI, and UL may be used to assess intakes of both individuals and of groups of people. For individuals, the EAR is used to calculate the probability that intake is inadequate, the AI is used to decide if the probability of inadequacy is low, and the UL is used to determine if a risk of excess intake is present. For groups. the EAR is used to estimate the prevalence of inadequacy, the AI is used to decide if the prevalence of inadequacy is low, and the UL is used to estimate the prevalence of excessive intakes. Because this approach to setting and applying nutrient standards is new, research recommendations include improving estimates of risk, improving dietary data, and improving statistical methods.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1295-1309
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• 2005

Nowadays, the nutritional deficits are rarely seen in Korea. However, an increased availability of the highly palatable energy dense, nutrient-poor foods increases the risks of obesity and deficits of vitamins and minerals in the general population. Also, optimum intake of vitamins and minerals, which varies with age and genetic back ground, might not suffice the poor, young, obese, and elderly people. Young girls and individuals participating in weight reductions and aesthetic components are prone to micronutrient deficiencies because they restrict food intake and specific micronutrient rich foods. An inadequate intake of vitamins or minerals is associated with reduced physical performance and exercise capacity, increased obesity, decreased cognitive function, increased DNA damages such as single- and double-stranded breaks or oxidative DNA lesions, and accelerated aging process and increased neuronal damages with mitochondrial oxidative decay. Most of these deleterious effects of the deficit could be prevented by a one tablet of multivitamins with a good balanced diet. High dose B vitamins are frequently administered to overcome the metabolic inadequacy to the people with the less functional enzymes with increased Km values for their coenzymes due to the single gene mutation or due to the single nucleotide polymorphisms. And some certain antioxidant vitamins are also used in large quantities to overcome the oxidative stress and to repair the damages. In this review, new nutritional concepts of some vitamins and minerals, which are widely used and useful for the children, will be discussed.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.713-722
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• 2009

Vitamin D levels have been reported to be associated with diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. There have been studies on the nutritional status of vitamin D in postmenopausal women at Seoul and premenopausal women at Busan, and these studies showed that nearly no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index existed. However, there have been no studies that examined about the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance in Korea. In this study, we investigated serum vitamin D levels and the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), obesity index (body mass index, percentage of body fat and waist circumference) in 180 premenopausal women (non-obese women 87.8%, obese women 12.2%) in spring (March~April), fall (September~October) and winter (January~February) at Daejeon. Serum vitamin D levels were lower in winter than in spring-fall, after adjusting for age and the obesity index. The frequency of vitamin D inadequacy (serum vitamin D levels were $\leq$ 20 ng/mL) was 45.5% in winter and, 23.5% in spring-fall, and which showed that vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Multiple regression analysis showed that serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance. There was no difference in the obesity index or insulin resistance between the vitamin D inadequacy and normal group, and there was no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index or insulin resistance in non-obese and obese premenopausal women, respectively. In conclusion, serum vitamin D levels in premenopausal women at Daejeon were lower in winter than in spring-fall, and the frequency of vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance in premenopausal women, most of whom were not obese.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.321-330
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• 1995

Concentrations of total vitamin B-6 in human milk as well as individual, B-6 vitamers have important implications for the nutritional management of breast-fed(BF) infants. Vitamin B-6 status was assessed in 3 groups of infants : two groups preterm (PT) BF infants whose mothers were supplemented with 2 or 27mg pyridoxine(PN)-HCI ; a sub group of formula-fed (FF) PT infants. Mothers and infants were assessed weekly during the 28-day post feeding. Throughout the neonatal period, levels of total vitamin B-6 and percentages of pyridoxal(PL) in breast milk were lower in PT than T mothers, even in mothers supplemented with 27mg PN-HCI. Total vitamin B-6 levels in PT milk paralleled maternal supplementation but percentage distributions of B-6 vitamers did not change. Vitamin B-6 intakes of BF preterm infants paralleled their mothers' level of infants in the 2mg group was suggested by vitamin status parameters. Vitamin B-6 inadequacy of infants correlated with their plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate(PLP) levels and erythrocyte alanine aminotransferase(E-ALAT) activity; all parameters such as plasma PLP, PL/PLP ratio and stimulation % of E-ALAT were highest for FF PT infants. The positive correlation of vitamin B-6 levels in breast milk gestational age may contraindicate its adequacy for some PT infants.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.808-813
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• 2006

Until now, South Korea does not have either fortification or enrichment program as intervention tools although the addition of micronutrients to foods is for the most part not regulated. The aim of this study was to determine which scenario would most effectively reduce the proportion of the population with low iron intake while not putting other population groups at risk of excessive intakes. In order to investigate potential dietary consequences of iron fortification we analyzed 2 day dietary record data (n=3,955) from the 2001 National Nutrition Surveys. The Proportion of the population consuming dietary iron less than the estimated average requirement (EAR) ranged from $12.4{\sim}87.5%$ depending upon gender and age group. Iron fortification at the level of 100% of Recommended Intake (RI) per 100g to breads and instant o. dried noodles was estimated to result in a 15% decrease of proportion of those with iron less than EAR, while putting 1.4 % of the population greater than the Upper Limit (UL). Iron fortification appeared to be the most effective for the $15{\sim}19$ year old age group, showing 39% reduction of iron intake insufficiency. The results suggest that carefully designed fortification or enrichment to staple foods may contribute to increase dietary iron intakes of Koreans, especially for the young population with a high prevalence of iron inadequacy. As the estimation in this study was based solely upon dietary intake data, iron intake from supplements should be considered in further studies.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.831-845
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• 2009

Hypertension and obesity are important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Korea. Therefore, we assessed the association between dietary pattern and obesity in hypertensive patients to formulate health promotion strategies for the older population. Dietary information was collected from hypertensive patients visiting community health education and information center by using 24 hour recall method. The 2005 DRIs for Koreans was used to evaluate the dietary adequacy. When subjects were categorized by body mass index (BMI) as normal, overweight and obese, no significant difference in energy intake was found among groups. Dietary intakes of folate, and vitamin C in obese hypertensive patients were significantly lower than in normal weight patients (p < 0.05). When we compare the nutritional status by waist circumferences, dietary intakes of zinc, vitamin A, thiamin, vitamin C and folate were significantly lower in the obese group. Vegetable intake was significantly lower in the obese group according to BMI as well as waist circumference. Energy intake from carbohydrate was significantly higher in obese hypertensive patients (p < 0.05). Obese hypertensive patients had a higher risk of nutritional inadequacy compared to normal weight patients. Our results indicated the need for developing interventions that encourage greater consumption of vegetables while cutting down salt intake with wise selection of staple foods, for obese hypertensive patients.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.171-182
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• 2009

This study was performed to investigate socioeconomic factors relating to obesity and inadequate nutrient intake in women in low income families residing in Seoul. The subjects were 125 women (aged 41-87 y) recruited from the local health center for free health examination for low income families. The socioeconomic status such as educational level, income level, and housing condition were poor. For subjects aged less than 65 years, the prevalence of obesity was 44% based on BMI (${\geq}\;25\;kg/m^2$), 48% based on WHR (${\geq}\;0.85$), and 50% based on waist circumference (${\geq}\;80\;cm$) and for those more than 65 years, these were greater and 57%, 81%, and 79%, respectively. The main food sources of daily diet were vegetables, grains, and fruits. Energy and other nutrient intake was not adequate for all subjects and the inadequacy was more profound in the elderly, showing percentages of subjects whose intake was less than EAR were greater than 50% for all nutrients except for iron and below RI were also greater than 50% for all nutrients. The prevalence of obesity and nutrient inadequacy were not associated with socioeconomic status in subjects aged less than 65 years, however, obesity was associated with household income and nutrient inadequacy was related to education (vitamin A) and housing status (protein, phosphate, and iron) in the elderly. After adjustment for ages, in the elderly, OR for obesity (BMI ${\geq}$ 25, OR = 12.601; 95% CI = 2.338-67.911) and central obesity (WC ${\geq}$ 80 cm, OR = 4.778; 95% CI = 1.103-20.696) were greater in subjects who earned less than 500 thousand Won per month than who earned more. For inadequate nutrient intake, the OR for inadequate intake of Vitamin A (OR = 4.555; 95% CI = 1.491-13.914) was greater in subjects with no education than those educated. Subjects without her own house had greater risk for inadequate intake for protein (OR = 3.660; 95% CI = 1.118-11.981), phosphate (OR = 3.428; 95% CI = 1.157-10.158), and iron (OR = 3.765; 95% CI = 1.205-11.766) than subjects possessing her house. In elderly females in low income families, the socioeconomic status was associated with the risk for obesity (income level) and inadequate nutrient intake (education level and housing status). More attention on these groups should be given for prevention of obesity and inadequate nutrient intake.