Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

[English]
A Study on Obesity and Food Habit of Adolescents in Yeosu, Jeonnam Area: Bok Mi Jung, Il Su Choi; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):129-137. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: This study was to investigate obesity and food habit of adolescents in Yosu, Chonnam area. It was surveyed using questionnaires with 551 adolescents consisted of 280 boys and 271 girls. The questionnaire included general characteristics, obesity index, eating behavior and snack intake pattern. The results were as follows. The proportion of obese subjects was 10% by Rohrer index but the rate of obesity by body mass index was 3.3%. The self perception of body shape were optimal (47.9%), fat (29.8%), slightly lean (14.5%), obese (4.7%) and lean (3.1%). Generally, the proportion of girls responded them as "fat" was greater than boys. The greater percentage of boys responded them as "lean" than girls. The subjects don't take breakfast regularly were 50.8% and the main reason for skipping breakfast was the lack of time (55.2%). The main type of breakfast was cooked rice (78.9%). The most favorite snacks turn out to be cookies (36.5%) and 45.7% of subjects take snacks during the rest. The reason for taking snacks was "feeling hungry" 52.6%) and the taste was the most important factor of snack choice. The results of this study showed that the most of subjects were not in a serious obesity condition, and their eating habits were generally satisfactory. Also, this study has found that it is necessary to educate the students the importance of regular intake of a balanced meal.

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[English]
Common Functional Problems during Pregnancy and Association with Nutritional Status and Weight of Newborns: Bong Soon Choi, In Sook Lee, Joung Ja Shin, Myeung Hee Park, Hyo Jee Joung; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):138-148. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: Morning sickness during pregnancy is a very common functional problem with different kinds of symptom, but little data are available concerning the nutrition intervention program for pregnant women in local area. A total of 152 pregnant women who had experienced morning sickness were surveyed to investigate the relationships between morning sickness, nutrient intakes and pregnancy outcome. The results showed that prevalent symptoms were nausea (68.4%), heartburn (59.2%), morning sickness (48.7%), vomiting (42.1%), and constipation (44.7%). The onset of the symptom occurred during the first 3 months (9.3 +/- 2.3 weeks); 21.1% of the subjects was experienced two symptom at the same time. This significantly correlated with vomiting (p < 0.01), nausea (p < 0.001), morning sickness (p < 0.001), and heartburn (p < 0.01) with pregnancy weight. There were also correlations between the four symptoms and nutrient intakes. Mean birth weight of 21 newborns was 3.06 +/- 0.42 kg, and the one and five minutes of Apgar scores were 7.74 +/- 0.99 and 8.84 +/- 0.69, respectively. There were negative correlations between vomiting and pregnancy outcomes (p < 0.05). Our data support that morning sickness, especially vomiting during pregnancy is associated with Apgar score and body weight of newborn.

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[English]
The Development and Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Diets of Korean Adolescents: Kyeong Sook Yim, Tae Young Lee, Hye Soon Park; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):149-159. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the validity of a food frequency questionnaire for Korean adolescents (FFQ-A) which could be used in clinical and epidemiological studies of the lifestyle and health of young people. The FFQ-A was designed to reflect the eating pattern of Korean adolescents, and was based on the 1998 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey Reports. The FFQ-A had 25 food categories. A total of 125 subjects (aged 13 to 15 years) was recruited from a randomly chosen middle school in a middle-income neighborhood in Anyang, South Korea. Each subject completed a FFQ-A, as well as a three-day dietary record. Data from 117 subjects (boys 47, girls 70) was used in the final analyses. Data on the nutrients was analyzed to estimate the Pearson correlations, Spearman rank-order correlations and agreement with categories. The validity of the FFQ-A was assessed relative to a three-day dietary record. The Pearson correlation coefficients for all the subjects were 0.94, 0.87, 0.77, 0.79, 0.49 and 0.68 for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, calcium, and iron, respectively. Similarly the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients were 0.94, 0.85, 0.79, 0.81, 0.46, and 0.77 for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, calcium and iron, respectively. The Kappa values for energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, calcium, and iron were 0.88, 0.67, 0.63, 0.67, 0.26, and 0.59, respectively. The percentage for misclassification of the lowest quartile into the highest quartile or vice versa ranged from 0% (energy, carbohydrate, or fat) to 16.7% (Vitamin C). Therefore the FFQ-A has a reasonable ability to assess the energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat intakes as estimated from a three-day dietary record of Korean adolescents.

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[English]
A Screening Tool for Identifying High-Risk Pregnant Women of Fe Deficiency Anemia : Process II: Jung A Park, Jin Sook Yoon; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):160-170. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: Pregnant women in South Korea are a highly risk group for iron deficiency anemia. Previous studies indicated that the 24-hour recall method was insensitive in distinguishing iron deficiency anemic women from normal women. This method is also impractical to when used at community health centers where no public health dietitians are employed. The objective of this study was to develop a convenient tool to evaluate the usual iron (Fe) intake of pregnant women. The study participants were 115 pregnant women (age 23 to 37 years) at gestational stage of 13 to 24 weeks. Anemic subjects were classified on the basis of their serum ferritin < 12.0 microgram/L and hemoglobin < 12.0microgram/dL levels. Food frequency questionnaires with 46, 29, and 15 commonly consumed food items were used to measure the usual intake of iron of the subjects. Hemoglobin and serum ferritin were measured from fasting blood samples. Nutrients intake was assessed on three consecutive days using the 24-hour recall method and the food record method. The iron index score calculated using the food frequency method showed a significantly positive correlation with iron intake for the three days dietary intake. The iron index showed a significantly difference (p < 0.05) between the normal and anemic groups. However, there was no significant difference in the iron intake between the anemic and the normal women as measured by the 24-hour recall and food record method. Our study indicated that the 29-food items questionnaire could be used as a screening tool to identify poor dietary intake of iron.

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[English]
A Study of the Dietary Attitude, Dietary Self-Efficacy and Nutrient Intake among Middle School Students with Different Obesity Indices in Gyeong-Nam: Jeong Sook Lee, Bok Ja Ha; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):171-180. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: This study was carried out to investigate the perception of body image, the dietary attitude, the nutrient intake and the dietary self-efficacy of middle school students in Kyoung-Nam. The survey was conducted from April 8 to April 22 in 2002. The results are summarized as follows. Twenty three point nine percents of the underweight group, 24.5% of the normal weight group, 57.1% of the overweight group and 62.5% of the obese group had correct perception about their body image. Most of the students were concerned about their body image and weight control. The obesity of the parents correlated significantly with the obesity of the subjects. The higher the obesity rate, the lower the dietary attitude and dietary self-efficacy. There was a significant positive correlation between the education level of their mothers and the dietary attitude of the subjects and a significant negative correlation between the obesity rate of the subjects and their dietary attitudes. Dietary attitude scores showed no significant difference among the groups. Intakes of calories, protein, calcium and iron were lower than those of the Korean recommended dietary allowances (RDAs).

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[English]
A Study of the Dietary Habits, the Nutritional Knowledge and the Consumption Patterns of Convenience Foods of University Students in the Gwangju Area: Kyung Hee Kim; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):181-191. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary habits, the nutritional knowledge and the consumption patterns of convenience foods of 618 university students located in the Gwangju area, from November twentieth to November thirtieth, 2002. The subjects included 301 males (48.7%) and 317 females (51.3%). This survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. The percentage of students who were underweight, normal and overweight based on their body mass index (BMI) was 3.7, 88.0 and 8.3 for the males, and 29, 71 and 0 for the females, respectively. Most students (73.8%) skipped breakfast. This was because of lack of time (65.1%) of the cases. Self-reported eating habit problems were eating irregular meal (52.4%), overeating (21%), prejudiced meal (12.4%) and skipping meal (7.4%). The type of favorite snack was biscuit (31.9%) and cup Ramyon (31.9%). The rates of alcohol drinking in male and female students were 88.0% and 85.8% respectively, and the rates of smoking were 35.9% and 2.8% respectively. Males ate frequently cup Ramyon (2.08 +/- 2.95), fries (pork cutlet, fried potato)(1.91 +/- 2.58), Ramyon (1.81 +/- 3.00) and kimbab (1.70 +/- 3.17) more frequently, while females ate kimbab (2.25 +/- 3.26), cup Ramyon (1.89 +/- 2.09), fries (pork cutlet, fried potato)(1.77 +/- 2.67), Ramyon (1.46 +/- 1.1.95) and fish paste 1.45 +/- 2.22) more frequently. The nutritional knowledge score was higher in females than in males. The mean consumption patterns of convenience foods of students living in home were lower than that of students living in dormitory and boarding w/cooking. When the amount of pocket money available and the body mass index increased and the nutritional knowledge level was low, the mean consumption of convenience foods increased. The mean consumption of convenience foods correlated negatively with nutritional knowledge (p < 0.01). Therefore, nutritional education for university students is needed so as to improve their health and nutritional education program should be developed to meet the various needs of these students.

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[English]
The Relationship between Serum Cholesterol Levels and Dietary Fatty Acid Patterns, Plasma Fatty Acids, and Other Lipid Profile among Korean Adults: Jeong Sook Kim, Youn Kyoung Suh, Hyung Sook Kim, Kyung Ja Chang, Haymie Choi; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):192-201. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The purposes of this research were to assess dietary fatty acid patterns and to elucidate the relationship between the serum cholesterol levels and dietary fatty acid patterns, plasma fatty acid compositions, BMI (body mass index), and other lipid profile. The subjects were 151 adults aged 23 to 80 years, selected from the Outpatient Clinic and Cardiovascular Department of the Seoul Municipal Hospital. Dietary data were obtained using three day food records. Sixteen dietary fatty acids were analyzed using Korean and US nutrient databases. The subjects were divided into three serum cholesterol levels: desirable (< 200 mg/dl, N = 44), borderline-risk (> or = 200 - < 240 mg/dl, N = 35), and high-risk (> or = 240 mg/dl, N = 72) groups. The high-risk group had higher BMI, waist, and waist to hip ratio (WHR) than the desirable and borderline-risk groups. Serum concentrations of triglyceride, LDL cholesterol and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio were significantly higher in the high-risk group as compared to those in the other two groups. The serum cholesterol levels were highly correlated with BMI (r = 0.435), triglyceride (r = 0.425) and LDL/HDL cholesterol (r = 0.870) ratio. The highest fatty acid intake was from oleic acid (33 - 34% of total fatty acid intakes), which was followed by linoleic acid (27%), palmitic acid (19%), and stearic acid (7%). There was no correlation between the serum cholesterol levels and the dietary fatty acid intakes, polyunsaturated/monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids (P/M/S) and omega6/omega3 ratios. The correlation between plasma fatty acids such as myristic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid and serum cholesterol levels was also weak.

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[English]
The Nutritional Intakes of the Stomach Cancer Patients in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk Areas, Korea: Soo Won Suh, Bo Kyung Koo, Yong Hwan Choi, Hye Sung Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):202-219. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The present study was conducted to evaluate the food and nutrients intakes of stomach cancer patients in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas in order to find out the dietary risk factors for stomach cancer. The subjects of the study were 102 patients who had recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the Gyeongbuk National University Hospital. The control subjects were 105 people including patients from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and healthy volunteers who did not have any gastrointestinal diseases. Estimates of nutrients intakes were determined from the food intake frequency data obtained by individual interviews using questionnaires. The mean daily calorie intakes of the control and the case groups were not significantly different. However the energy intake from protein was significantly higher in the case group as compared to the control group. With regard to the nutrients intakes, the case subjects consumed significantly higher amounts of nutrients such as protein, calcium, sodium, phosphorus and niacin than the control group. The case group showed a tendency to consume higher amount of protein, fat, calcium and iron from animal food sources. In the present study dietary factors which were suspected as being risk factors for stomach cancer included high consumption of animal foods, specific nutrients such as protein, sodium and niacin, specific food groups such as meat, spices, and low consumption of fruits and mushrooms. Therefore, it is recommended that more extensive and systematic surveys be conducted to confirm the risk factors for stomach cancer, taking into consideration the dietary cultural characteristics of this region.

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[English]
Consumer Preferred Formats of Nutrition Labels: Housewives of Daejon City: Ji Hyun Choi, Young Jin Chung; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):220-230. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer preferred formats of nutrition labels: the type of nutritional information provided on the labels. A survey was conducted on 222 housewives between the age of 20 and 65 in Daejeon city in 1998, using an interview questionnaire showing illustrated nutritional label formats. Among twelve nutrients and caloric values listed on the nutrition labels, the housewives ranked their interest in the items in the following order of calorie (58.56%), calcium (56.76%), cholesterol (54.05%), protein (39.19%) and vitamin C (36.04%). The majority of the subjects (69.37%) checked labels when they bought milk or dairy products, whereas only 8.11% looked at labels when they bought Ramyon or noodles. Most of the subjects (90.99%) preferred products with labels with nutritional information as compared with products without labels. this was especially so true of the younger individuals and of people who checked food labels more frequently. The subjects preferred labeling which described the nutrient content per package (55.41%), serving size (32.88%) and food weight of 100g (11.71%) as a standard unit. Generally, they preferred a simplified list to a detailed list of the number of nutrients, a figure graph to bar graph in nutrition claim, vertical bar graph to horizontal bar graph showing the nutritional content of foods and a web-type graphic format to a radiationformat when describing the item's percentage of the Korean RDA's nutrient content. The subjects who checked labels frequently especially preferred detailed list, while housewives with job or with unhealthy family members preferred a simplified list and graphic, rather than a numerical display. From this result, it is suggested that providing consumers with more nutrients information in a more easily understood graphic format would encourage the consumers to check nutritional labels. Therefore this should be considered when developing the regulations for nutrition labeling or when educating the public about nutrition.

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[English]
Investigation of the Conditions and Evaluation of the Benefits of the Foodbank Program from the Recipients' Perspective: Hye Seung Kang, Ilsun Yang, Young Sun Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):231-239. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: The purposes of this study were to: (a) investigate the characteristics of recipients' of the non-government foodbank program, (b) examine the health and dietary related conditions of them, and (c) evaluate the benefits and effectiveness of the foodbank program from the recipients' perspective. A total of 21 groups (n = 755) and 75 individual recipients participated in the survey. The main results of the study were as follows; (a) Generally, the individual recipients were 74-year-old female, livelihood protectee, and those who received government assistance or funds from private donators as their source of livelihood. (b) The ages of group recipients varied widely, and they also received government assistance or funds from private donators as their source of livelihood. (c) Most of the donated foods were bakery and confectionery items, rice, and milk and other dairy products. (d) Benefits such as the decrease in the recipients' food expenses and an enhancement of their nutritional statuses were identified.

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[English]
A Study on the Future Plans for Infant Feeding Practice and Its Associated Factors among University Students: Kyung Suk Choi; Korean J Community Nutr 2003;8(2):240-249. Published online April 30, 2003

Abstract PDF: This study was carried out to investigate the future plan for infant feeding practice and its associated factors among university students so as to develop focus for nutritional education program for the promotion of breastfeeding. The subjects were 301 students (males 130, females 171). The results obtained were as follows. In this survey, the subjects had a basic knowledge of breastfeeding and lactation, especially of the ingredient of breastmilk. However they were not well informed about the physiology and method of breastfeeding and benefits of breastfeeding for mothers. The average scores for attitude toward breastfeeding and lactation were 3.09 points on a 4 point scale, which indicated a slightly positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. However the participants had a negative attitude toward its emotional and practical aspects. Their future plan for infant feeding was breastfeeding 40.3%, formula feeding 3.0% and mixed feeding 56.7%. A concern was that the students showed a high rate with regard to a mixed feeding plan, and they decided this based on an incorrect knowledge of breastfeeding. The group who planned to breastfeed in the future (BF) showed higher scores with respect to knowledge and attitudes than those who planned to formula feed or mixed feed (FF + MF). Therefore, to encourage mothers to breastfeed and support breastfeeding, breastfeeding nutritional education is urgently needed among university students. In addition, nutrition education programs should promote the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and the physiology and practical method of breastfeeding. Also a practical and culturally sensitive course about food and nutrition is recommended to inform participants about breastfeeding.

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