• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.558-563
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Most Koreans consume nearly 70-80% of the total sodium through their dishes. The use of a salinometer to measure salinity is recommended to help individuals control their sodium intake. The purpose of this study was to compare sodium content through chemical analysis and salinity measurement in foods served by industry foodservice operations and homemade meals. MATERIALS/METHODS: Workplace and homemade meals consumed by employees in 15 cafeterias located in 8 districts in Daegu were collected and the sodium content was measured through chemical analysis and salinity measurements and then compared. The foods were categorized into 9 types of menus with 103 workplace meals and 337 homemade meals. RESULTS: Workplace meals did not differ significantly in terms of sodium content per 100 g of food but had higher sodium content via chemical analysis in roasted foods per portion. Homemade meals had higher broth salt content and higher salt content by chemical analysis per 100 g of roasted foods and hard-boiled foods. One-dish workplace meals had higher salinity (P < 0.05), while homemade broths and stews had higher sodium content (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). The sodium content per 100 g of foods was higher in one-dish workplace meals (P < 0.05) and in homemade broths and stews (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The use of a salinometer may be recommended to estimate the sodium content in foods and control one's sodium intake within the daily intake target as a way to promote cooking bland foods at home. However, estimated and actual measured values may differ.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.248-259
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adequate nutritional intake is essential for good health and well-being. We aimed to compare the nutrient intake from homemade meals, meals sourced externally ("eating out"), and meals from workplace foodservices, as well as the potential association between foodservices used and nutritional quality among adult Korean workers. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationwide cross-sectional survey on the health and nutritional status of the Korean population. Data from 6,845 workers aged 20-64 years were included. A survey on dietary behavior and nutrition was conducted using the 24-h dietary recall method. Nutritional quality was examined using the index of nutritional quality (INQ) score. Higher INQ scores reflected poorer nutritional quality, with insufficient intake of a higher number of nutrients. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify the association between the foodservices used and INQ scores after adjusting for other covariates. RESULTS: We found that foodservice users exhibited a higher 1-day intake of total energy and macronutrients (all P < 0.05) and lower INQ scores (P < 0.01) than non-users. The INQ scores for total daily meals decreased with the frequency of foodservice use (P < 0.01). A significant association was observed between the non-use of foodservices and INQ scores (β = 0.29, P < 0.01) after adjusting for other covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The use of workplace foodservices contributed to higher dietary nutritional quality among workers. This study highlights the importance of expanding the scope of workplace foodservices to promote higher nutritional quality and healthy dietary habits among workers.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.637-651
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate salinity and sodium content in foods served at industry foodservice operations in selected workplaces in Daegu. The researcher collected 1,142 food items categorized into 22 menu item groups from lunch samples served at 100 industry foodservice operations and measured the salinity of the food items, and calculated sodium and salt contents from the salinity. In terms of salt content of one meal at each workplace, 46% of the meals were 3-<5 g, and only 3.0% of them were 1.7 g or less, which is one third of the daily target intake (5 g) presented by the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans. In terms of sodium content, 35.3% of the meals were 1,000-< 1,500 mg (most), and only 2.5% of them were 667 mg or less, which is, again, one third of the daily target intake. As to the salinity of each menu item group, side dishes such as sauces, kimchi, seasoned vegetables, hardboiled foods, and stir-fried foods were significantly higher, but the sodium content was not higher, because their quantity per serving was small. The salinity of foods with liquid such as stews, noodles, soups, and broths was relatively lower, but the sodium content was higher, because their quantity per serving was large. This indicates that an education program should be developed for foodservice workers who prepare food for the workplace regarding the development and promotion of various menus for reducing sodium content, in order to reduce sodium content in meals served by food service in the workplace.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.593-603
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• 2019

Purpose: Previous studies have highlighted that the nutritional behaviors among South Korean workers are far from ideal. This study examined the organizational influences affecting the eating practices of office workers in South Korea. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 22 office workers at 12 companies in South Korea. The interviewer inquired about the employees' daily routines on food and beverage intake. The various factors that influence their food choices in their work environments were also explored. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using a content analysis. Results: A framework analysis revealed 7 key recurring themes, and these were grouped under three levels: team-, company-, and corporate group-levels. First, team dinners are core social events for all the workers and they tend to include high-caloric food and alcoholic beverages. The frequency of team meals and the food associated with them depend on various team characteristics such as gender composition, the nature of a team's work and the team leaders' emphasis on group meals. Second, the company's policies and practices regarding budget allocation for team meals and subsidies for cafeteria meals affect the workers' food intake practices. In addition, the physical environment of the worksite cafeterias can influence the choices of foods. Third, various corporate group policies that were not designed to target food intake had additional positive effects on the workers' eating behaviors. Conclusion: This study provides important insights into the broader organizational influences on the food consumption of employees in their workplace. These insights can be used to design and implement more effective intervention strategies for improving the nutritional behaviors of office workers.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.210-222
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the health status, healthy behavior, and health promotion program needs of day time and shift time industrial male workers at an workplace. Method: Relevant data were collected from June 20 to August 18, 2005. Questionaries were distributed to all subjects along with their medical records of 2005 and 151 sets of responses were used for the analysis. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 10.0. Result: 1. Health Status - day time and shift-time workers had significant differences in obesity ($x^2=8.38$, p<.01) and blood pressure ($x^2=-2.17$, p<.05). 2. Healthy Habits - Full-time and part-time workers had significant differences in regular meals (63.83, p<.01), preferred foods ($x^2=7.10$, p<.05), and sleep time (t=-3.55, p<.01). They also had significant differences in exercising ($x^2=13.11$, p<.01), exercising time (minutes) (t=-2.25, p<.01), and use of fitness centers ($x^2=7.02$, p<.05). 3. They also had significant differences in their needs of health programs ($x^2=8.66$, p<.01). Conclusion: This study revealed that day time and shift-time workers had differences in obesity and blood pressure, as well as differences in eating sleeping, and exercising patterns. Both groups needed 'fitness programs' more than any other types of health programs and picked 'weight loss' and 'stress control' programs for other options. Industrial nurses should be able to create appropriate health programs for each group based on the above results and induce the workers' active participation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.328-333
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• 2009

The average sodium intake of Koreans was reported to be 5,279.9 mg/day, which is one of the highest intake levels worldwide. The average Koreans intake 19.6% of sodium from kimchi, showing kimchi as the main contributor of sodium in this country (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2005). The sodium content of dishes that are frequently chosen by workers, and which were served by foodservice cafeterias were chemically analyzed. The average sodium content of one meal provided by 10 foodservice cafeterias was 2,777.7 mg. Twenty-one, one-dish-meals, frequently chosen by workers for a lunch menu, were collected at 4 different restaurants for each menu by one male, aged in the twenties and analyzed chemically also. Workers who eat lunch at a workplace cafeteria everyday could intake about 8 g of salt at a one-time meal and those who eat out for a one-dish-meal would intake 3-8 g of salt without counting sodium content from the side dishes. From these study results, one could estimate that over 10 g of salt could be possible for a single meal for workers who eat out everyday. A nationwide nutrition campaign and education for low salt diets for restaurant owners and foodservice providers should be seriously considered.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.589-594
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Turmeric and its active component curcumin have received considerable attention due to their many recognized biological activities. Turmeric has been commonly used in food preparation and herbal remedies in South Asia, leading to a high consumption rate of curcumin in this region. However, the amount of curcumin in the Korean diet has not yet been estimated, where turmeric is not a common ingredient. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study utilized the combined data sets obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2008 to 2012 in order to estimate the curcumin intake in the Korean diet. The mean intake of curcumin was estimated from the amount of curcumin-containing foods (curry powder and ready-made curry) consumed using reported curcumin content in commercial turmeric and curry powders. RESULTS: Only 0.06% of Koreans responded that they consumed foods containing curcumin in a given day, and 40% of them were younger than 20 years of age. Curcumin-containing foods were largely prepared at home (72.9%) and a significant proportion (20.4%, nearly twice that of all other foods) was consumed as school and workplace meals. The estimated mean turmeric intake was about 0.47 g/day corresponding to 2.7-14.8 mg curcumin, while the average curry powder consumption was about 16.4 g, which gave rise to curcumin intake in the range of 8.2-95.0 mg among individuals who consumed curcumin. The difference in estimated curcumin intake by using the curcumin content in curry powder and turmeric may reflect that curry powder manufactured in Korea might contain higher amounts of other ingredients such as flour, and an estimation based on the curcumin content in the turmeric might be more acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the amount of curcumin that can be obtained from the Korean diet in a day is 2.7-14.8 mg, corresponding to nearly one fourth of the daily curcumin intake in South Asia, although curcumin is rarely consumed in Korea.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.371-379
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• 2020

This study aims to evaluate the effect of mobile health intervention for employees with diabetes. The study subjects were 101 employees having fasting blood glucose over 100 mg/dL. The study participants were educated to check their blood sugar before meals every day, and received text messages to help improve general lifestyle habits for blood sugar, diet, and exercise for 12 weeks. There was a sufficient difference in blood sugar, body mass index and blood pressure before and after the intervention. As a result, fasting blood glucose(129.38±1.95 to 123.63±1.82) decreased(P<0.001). Body mass index(26.20±0.29 to 25.81±0.28, P<0.000), diastolic blood pressure(124.60±1.03 to 122.56±1.05, P<0.032), and systolic blood pressure(79.86±0.83 to 78.06±0.79, P<0.017) decreased, which were also statistically significant. It is expected that this study will be used as basic data to develop a self care program by using mobile and apply it to employees with diabetes.

• Journal of Advanced Technology Convergence
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2024

Due to the high inflation rate of dining out, along with changes in group meals or cafeteria services, office workers are increasingly using workplace cafeterias to reduce their meal expenses even slightly. With the recent development of ICT technology, various fields are realizing that not only are smartphones becoming more popular, but they are also becoming an integration of the latest technologies. In this paper, we analyze the current status of cafeterias with a large number of customers and propose ways to improve problems or difficulties. Since most people always carry their smartphones for urgent communication or work tasks, we aim to develop a cafeteria management system that utilizes the NFC function of smartphones. By presenting the process from customer entry to menu selection, it will enable more efficient use of the cafeteria.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.43.1-43.12
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• 2023

Background: Gig workers, also known as platform workers, are independent workers who are not employed by any particular company. The number of gig economy workers has rapidly increased worldwide in the past decade. There is a dearth of occupational health studies among gig economy workers. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to violence and job stress in gig economy workers and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 955 individuals (521 gig workers and 434 general workers) participated in this study and variables were measured through self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 when the score was greater than or equal to 10 points. The odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was calculated using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, working hours, education level, exposure to violence and job stress. Results: 19% of gig economy workers reported depressive symptoms, while only 11% of general workers reported the depressive symptoms. In association to depressive symptoms among gig economy workers, the mainly result of odds ratios for depressive symptoms were as follows: 1.81 for workers type, 3.53 for humiliating treatment, 2.65 for sexual harassment, 3.55 for less than three meals per day, 3.69 for feeling too tired to do housework after leaving work. Conclusions: Gig economic workers are exposed to violence and job stress in the workplace more than general workers, and the proportion of workers reporting depressive symptoms is also high. These factors are associated to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the gig workers associated between depressive symptoms and exposure to violence, job stress.