Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

[English]
Status of Early Childhood and Maternal Nutrition in South Korea and North Korea: Jae Eun Shim, Jihyun Yoon, Seong Yeon Jeong, Mina Park, Yeon Sook Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):123-132. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional status of children aged 5 or under and women aged 20 to 34 years between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK: North Korea). For the source of nutritional status of North Koreans, the DPRK 2004 Nutrition Assessment-Report of Survey Results was used. As the comparable data of South Koreans, the anthropometric data for children and women were obtained from the reports of the Korean Pediatric Society and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, respectively. The blood hemoglobin data of South Korean women were obtained from the data file of the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey and analyzed. In regard to the North Korea, the prevalence of underweight (weight for age Z-score <-2.0) in children under 12 months was about 10~15%, and thereafter progressively increased until 30 to 35 months reaching 30%. In South Korea, the prevalence of underweight was less than 3% in most age groups both in boys and girls. In North Korea, the prevalence of stunting (height for age Z-score <-2.0) reached 20% in children under 12 months and increased with age over the level of 50% in children aged 54 to 59 months. In South Korea, the prevalence of stunting was less than 3% in children under 12 months and was less than 10% throughout the age groups. Maternal protein-energy malnutrition and anemia were assessed for the women aged 20 to 34 years using mid-upper arm circumference (< 22.5 cm) and blood hemoglobin level (< 12 g/DL), respectively. The prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition was 39.6%, 30.7%, 31.7% in North Korea and 12.5%, 5.0%, 1.5% in South Korea for the women in 20~24, 25~29, 30~34 years, respectively. The prevalence of anemia in the North Korean women was about 34~36% while that in the South Korean women was 15~18%. In conclusion, the disparity of nutritional status in early childhood and maternity between South Korea and North Korea is so huge that active and well-planned nutrition support policy and programs for women and children in North Korea is imperative to prepare for the future unified nation.

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[English]
Relation among Hair Mineral Contents, Nutrient Intakes and Clinical Symptoms of Male Middle School Students in Urban and Local Area: Mi Hyun Kim, Mi Kyeong Choi, Ye Sook Jun, Hye Kyung Cho, Chung Ja Sung; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):133-141. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: Minerals play important roles in biological processes. Hair mineral analysis has the advantages of conveniences in sampling and observing the profiles of multiple minerals simultaneously. The purpose of this study was to compare hair mineral contents between urban and local middle school students, and to find out the relation with nutrient intakes and clinical symptoms. Ten nutritional minerals and 7 environmental mineral contents were analyzed in the hair samples of 44 and 37 male students who resided in urban and local area, respectively. And their nutrient intake and clinical symptom score were estimated from questionnaire. The average age, height, and weight were 15.1 years, 168.4 cm, 56.8 kg in urban subjects and 15.4 years, 169.1 cm, 61.9 kg in local subjects, respectively. The residence types were apartment (63.6%) and small-sized apartment (22.7%) in urban subjects and apartment (51.4%) and house (37.8%) in local subjects. The primary water sources were purified water (38.3%), running water (18.2%) in urban subjects and purified water (32.4%), underground water (27.0%) in local subjects, respectively. Daily energy and nutrient intakes were not significantly different between two groups. Among the surveyed 17 clinical symptoms, the scores of constipation, cold, anxieties and total score of clinical symptoms in urban subjects were significantly lower than those in local subjects. Hair contents of Na, Mg, Ca, Cu, V, Al, As were significantly higher, while U was lower in urban subjects compared to those in rural subjects. Hair contents of Ni and U were significantly correlated with food intake, and Cr, V, Al, Sb, As, U showed a correlation with energy intake. Hair Mg level showed significantly negative correlation with total clinical symptom score. In conclusion, hair mineral profile between urban and local students was significantly different. And some of these minerals were significantly correlated with food and nutrient intakes. Especially hair magnesium was significantly correlated with total clinical symptom score. Therefore, hair mineral levels would be needed for more systematic study elucidating potentiality as a useful clinical tool.

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[English]
Seasonal Difference of Nutrient Intake, Serum Lipid and Antioxidative Index in Female College Students: Young Sook Ko, Hong Seok Ahn; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):142-149. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: To evaluate the seasonal differences of nutrient intake and serum biochemical indices (total cholesterol, HDL-, LDLcholesterol, TG, MDA:malondialdehyde, TAS : total antioxidant status, folate) in Korean college women with a mean age of 20.15y, this study was conducted twice: once in winter and a second time in summer. Anthropometric assessment was also measured in the two seasons. As a result, body fat mass (p < 0.05), body fat% (p < 0.05), and abdominal fat% (p < 0.01) in the summer were significantly lower than those in winter. Intake of fat (p < 0.05), polyunsaturated fatty acid (p < 0.01), zinc (p < 0.05), and vitamin E (p < 0.05) were at significantly higher levels in the summer period compared with the winter period. In addition, nutrients with an intake level less than 75% RI of KDRIs were folate in winter and calcium, and folate in the summer. Total cholesterol (p < 0.05) and HDL-cholesterol in summer, according to lipid profiles, were significantly lower than those in winter. Although MDA, one of the products of lipid peroxidation, remained unchanged, TAS was significantly higher in summer than in winter. The level of folate in summer showed significantly lower than that in winter. The present study suggests that nutrient intake of college women women differs according to the seasons and anthropometric indices and serum biochemical indexes were associated with seasons. Thus nutritional education programs on the basis of season are needed for college women.

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[English]
Analysis of Weight Maintenance Behavior among Female University Students: Seolhyang Baek, Eunjeong Kim; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):150-159. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: Since the 1980's, despite the conclusion of a number of studies in Western countries focusing upon weight maintenance there has been no similar research in Korea which takes into account the contrasts of culture and eating habits between east and west. In order to identify eating, snacking and exercise behaviors, 24 female university students who have maintained weight for at least a year were enrolled for an 11 day study. Participants were required to sign into the program and complete the questionnaire, answering questions by concerning what they ate and did everyday. After excluding unanswered questions, data over 11 days were exported into the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, then both ANOVA and Kendall's tau correlation were applied with SPSS. 75% of weight maintainers had normal BMI (18-23.5) in relation to Korean standard, and appeared to eat a main meal smaller than moderate in portion size. Only two days showed that amount of breakfast eaten negatively correlated with lunch (p < 0.05), while no correlations between amounts of lunch and dinner eaten over all study period. Compared with breakfast or lunch, dinner was usually larger in portion size, but some variables such as TV viewing, restaurant meals, number of people at dinner table seemed not correlated with amount of dinner eaten. In addition, the weight-maintainers reported they rarely consumed snacks or sweetened beverages. Unlike their western counterparts, few participants reported that they took part in regular exercise during the day, which may lead us to the conclusion that these young female weight maintainers seem to maintain their weight with eating behaviours such as 'eat small portion', 'avoid snacking' and 'avoid soft drinks' rather than doing regular exercise. The study did not include a control group, and was foreshortened due to technical difficulties so it may be necessary to repeat the study while considering these two points.

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[English]
The Effects of Regular Exercise on Obesity Indices and Dietary Factors in Adult Males: Kang Ok Cho, Hyun Joo Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):160-167. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: This study was performed to investigate the effects of regular exercise on dietary factors and obesity indices among 407 healthy adult males subjects. Subjects were classified into regular exercise group (REG) and irregular exercise group (IREG). Two hundred and thirteen subjects of REG excercised regularly 3 times (more than 30 minutes/time) per week during more than last 1 month or more. One hundred and ninety-four of IREG (n = 194) didn't regularly exercise during the last 1 month. Obesity indices were BMI (Body Mass Index), WHR (Waist Hip Ratio) and PIBW (Percentage of Ideal Body Weight). And the mean BMI, WHR and PIBW of REG were (22.1, 0.90 and 105.8) significantly lower than those of IREG (25.7, 0.98 and 117.7) respectively. The mean daily starches, seeds, meats, eggs, fish, milk, fats and processed food intakes of REG were significantly lower than those of IREG. And the mean daily vegetables, mushrooms and beverages intakes of the IREG were significantly lower than REG. Energy intake of REG and IREG were 1968.2 kcal and 1978.9 kcal respectively. Vitamin C intake of IREG was significantly lower than REG. But niacin and cholesterol intake of REG were significantly lower than the IREG. Exercise regularity was positively related with obesity indices and dietary factors. Therefore, it is necessary to exercise regularly to prevent obesity and cardiovascular disease in Korean adult males.

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[English]
Improvement of Dietary Attitudes of Elementary Students by Nutrition Labeling Education: Seon Mi Hyon, Jeong Weon Kim; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):168-177. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to improve the dietary attitudes of elementary students through nutrition labeling education. A class of fifth-grade elementary students was selected and educated for basic nutrition and reading of nutrition labeling for 8 weeks by using education materials from the KFDA. After the education, the children were subjected for the practice of reading nutrition labeling during winter vacation, and the changes in their dietary attitudes and practice were measured by using questionnaires for children and their parents along with measuring physical changes. The results were as follows: The level of nutritional knowledge was improved significantly after the education (p < 0.05). Nutrition labeling education increased the children's frequency of reading nutrition labeling from 34.2% to 57.9% while purchasing processed foods (p < 0.05), and 92.1% of the children answered that their dietary attitudes improved by nutrition labeling education. However, no improvement in physical measurements was observed after education. This result suggested that 8-week of education were not enough to show the improvement in physical measurements, and long-term and repeated education is necessary. After the education, most children answered that they recognized the benefit of reading nutrition labeling and they would read the nutrition labeling when purchasing processed foods. Parents also recognized the necessity of nutrition labeling education in school and suggested the need of nutrition labeling be easy to read. The above results suggested that nutrition labeling education is an effective way for improving dietary attitudes of children.

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[English]
Efficiency Analysis of Contract-managed Business and Industry Foodservice Operations Using Data Envelopment Analysis: Kyu Wan Choi, Young Min Park, Seo Young Shin, Tong Kyung Kwak; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):178-188. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: This study was performed to suggest a new efficiency measurement indicator is necessary for evaluating management efficiency of food service operations in contract-managed foodservice companies, to distinguish efficient food service providers and inefficient ones by measuring comparative efficiency among food service operations, and to provide guidance for effective management through showing benchmarking targets for improving inefficient food service providers. The subjects of this study were the 93 B&I foodservice Operations of a domestic contract food service company. The analysis was conducted using CCR model in DEA model. A software, 'Frontier analyst', was used for the analysis. Based on the results derived from comparison of efficiency evaluation classified by providers with use of DEA, it was possible to identify efficient food providers and inefficient providers, and subsequently provide benchmarking guidelines for improvement of the inefficient groups. In analyzing the differences between the results of DEA efficiency evaluation by detailed operation status of food service providers, there was significant difference of efficiency outcomes in terms of contract types, while there was no significant difference in terms of business condition.

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[English]
Glycemic Index Lowering Effects of Breads Supplemented with Resistant Starch, Whole Rye Grain and Fructooligosaccharide: Min A Park, Joung Won Lee, Mal Shick Shin, Sun Yung Ly; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):189-197. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: Low glycemic index (GI) foods have been reported to be very important in the control of blood glucose levels in diseases such as diabetes mellitus and obesity, which are becoming more prevalent in Korea. Bread consumption at breakfast and as a snack is also on the rise. To provide low GI alternatives, breads supplemented with dietary fibersfructooligosaccharide (FOS), ground whole rye, and 2 types of resistance starch (RS2 and RS4)-were developed. The GIs for these breads were evaluated with 13 healthy college students (M6, F7) and sensory tests were done. Four kinds of breads were made through the modification of a basic recipe for white bread (the control, B) as follows: for Bf, the entire amount of sugar was replaced with FOS. For Ryef, 50% of the white wheat flower was replaced with roughly ground wholerye (20 mesh: 12-20 mesh = 1 : 3) in addition to replacing sugar with FOS. For RS2f and RS4f, 20% of the white wheat flower was replaced with RS2 or RS4, in addition to replacing sugar with FOS. The overall preference score of Bf was similar to that of B, while those of Ryef, RS2f and RS4f were lower than that of B, but showed the acceptable degree of the overall preference. The glycemic indices of Ryef and RS2f were 46.1 and 45.9 respectively, which were significantly lower than the GI of B, 67.8. The GIs of Bf and RS4f were, however, 66.7 and 80.5 respectively, showing no significant difference compared to B. The glycemic loads for a 30 g serving were 9.5, 5.9, 6.2, 11.0 and 9.0 for B, Bf, Ryef, RS2f and RS4f, respectively. In conclusion, addition of RS2 or roughly ground whole rye to the dough formula significantly lowered the GI. Since the preferences shown for those two breads were acceptable, they may be recommended as a substitute for white bread for persons who need blood glucose management. More studies on the bread making process are required to improve preference and acceptance. Although GI lowering effects for F and RS4 were not found in this study, further studies are needed to verify their effects.

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[English]
A Study on the Dietary Intake Survey Method Using a Cameraphone: Un Jae Chang, Shin Ae Ko; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):198-205. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: This study was conducted to investigate the validity of using a cameraphone for a dietary intake survey method. The subjects were 28 female college students. After eating a standard lunch meal which consisted of plain rice, seaweed soup, bulgogi, cucumber salad, roasted anchovy and kimchi, the quantity of dietary intake, calorie intake & nutrients intake were analyzed by weighed method, diet record method and cameraphone method by dietitian with & without cameraphone analysis training. There were no significant differences in the quantity of 6 foods intake between weighted method and cameraphone method by dietitians with camera phone analysis training. However, the quantity of seaweed soup, bulgogi & cucumber salad intake analyzed by diet record method was significantly lower than the weighed method. And the quantity of seaweed soup, bulgogi, cucumber salad, roasted anchovy and kimchi intake analyzed by the cameraphone method by dietitians without cameraphone analysis training was significantly lower than the weighed method. There were no significant differences in the calorie intake and nutrients intake between the weighted method and camera phone method by dietitians with camera-phone analysis training. However, protein, calcium, iron, phosphorous, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin E and cholesterol intake analyzed by diet record method was significantly lower than the weighed method. And fat and Vitamin B2 intake analyzed by the camera phone method by dietitians without cameraphone analysis training was significantly lower than the weighed method. Therefore, this study suggests that the use of the camerephone may be a valid and convenient method for evaluating a dietary intake survey. However, systematic and standard education is necessary about the size and volume of dishes and angle of photo for more accurate results.

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[English]
Prevalence of Nutrition Labeling and Claims on Processed, and Packaged Foods: Kwang Il Kwon, So Hyun Park, Jun Hyung Lee, Jee Young Kim, Kwang Soo Yoo, Jee Sun Lee, Seo Young Kim, Hyuni Sung, Hye Seon Nam, Jong Wook Kim, Hye Young Lee, Hye Kyung Park, Myung Chul Kim; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):206-213. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: This study investigated the prevalence of nutrition labeling and claims on processed and packaged foods. The final database consists of 1,287 foods, which were collected in two supermarkets in the Seoul area from September to November, 2006. An estimated 78% of KFDA-regulated processed, and packaged foods have nutrition labels. Nutrient content claims on food labels were identified in 21% of the foods which have nutrition labels. The prevalence of nutrition labels in this study is much higher than in previous studies due to the current expansion of the mandatory labeling regulation. However, false labeling and misleading contents claims were also identified. The food label is an important tool for enhancing the public's understanding of healthy choices of processed foods. Therefore, to maximize the benefits of the nutrition labeling regulation, industries, government agencies and health professionals should work together to help consumers make healthy dietary choices and improve their health.

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