• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.sup1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Curfew due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could influence health behaviors in people, especially in children, who can easily acquire unhealthy eating habits. This study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on weight, health behaviors including eating habits, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in children aged 6-15 years in Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey that included 280 children aged 6-15 years in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 curfew. The survey included questions on sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measures, and health behaviors including eating habits, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. RESULTS: We observed a significant difference in the body mass index before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (P < 0.001). Children significantly tended to skip breakfast, along with a decreased intake of dairy products and fast food (P < 0.001). Moreover, children were less physically active and significantly tended to be involved in leisure screen-based activities, including watching TV and use of computer/games (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence for the negative influences of the COVID-19 curfew on health behaviors, including eating habits, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in children in Saudi Arabia.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

Introduction The previous study showed that the psychological Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and physical Body Mass Index (BMI) were clinically useful for predicting Sasang types diagnosed with certified clinical specialist and QSCCII. The purpose of current study was to examine its clinical usefulness using large sized clinical sample. Methods The age, sex, height, weight, circumference of waist and hip, Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and Sasang type of 2,049 participants listed on the Korean Medicine Data Center were acquired. The anthropometrics of BMI, Ponderal Index (PI), Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) were calculated. The discriminant analysis using SPQ subscales, BMI, age and sex were performed to predict Sasang types. And, the ANCOVA with age and sex as covariate was also used to examine differences among diagnosed and predicted Sasang type groups in biopsychological features. Results The discriminant analysis showed 82.0% of percentage correctly predicted. And, the biopsychological characteristics of predicted Sasang type groups were significantly similar to those of diagnosed Sasang type groups. In both predicted and diagnosed Sasang type groups, the anthropometric measures were in increasing order of So-Eum, So-Yang, and Tae-Eum types, and the psychological measures were in increasing order of So-Eum, Tae-Eum, and So-Yang types as shown in previous studies. Discussion and Conclusion The well validated biopsychological variables of SPQ and BMI showed theoretical and clinical usefulness, and were found to be useful for diagnosing Sasang types in clinical setting. The current study might be useful for the East-West integrative medicine and evidence-based teaching.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2017

Recently the global epidemic problem of obesity has stimulated intense interest in the study of physiological mechanisms using animal models as a way to gain crucial data required for translation to human studies. Panax ginseng has been reported to have anti-obesity or antidiabetic effects in many animal studies; however, there have been few studies investigating human obesity. Herein, we will assess and examine the evidence supporting the anti-obesity effect of Panax ginseng in animal models with respect to anthropometric and metabolic outcomes. We will include controlled, comparative studies assessing the effect of Panax ginseng in preclinical studies of obesity. Panax ginseng will be administered during or following the induction of experimental obesity. The primary outcome measure will be anthropometric assessment and the secondary outcome measures will include adipose tissue weight, total amount of food consumed and metabolic parameters. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus without language, publication date, or other restrictions. Ethical approval will not be necessary as the data collected in this study will not be individual patient data, consequently there will be no concerns about violations of privacy. After finishing the whole procedure, the results will be disseminated by publication in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at a relevant conference. This protocol has been registered on the Collaborative Approach to Meta-Analysis and Review of Animal Data from Experimental Studies (CAMARADES) website (http://www.camarades.info).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1387-1394
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• 2013

Allergies are one of the most common chronic diseases during childhood. While the prevalence of allergic disease in children is increasing dramatically, few studies have evaluated the risk and preventive factors related to this health condition, especially in South Korea. The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate independent determinants of allergic disease, and to examine whether it is associated with growth and other health conditions in childhood. The current study included 209 cases and 311 age and sex-matched controls (fifth and sixth graders) residing in Daegu, South Korea. Environmental data was collected, including child and family histories of allergies, birth information, and reaction to weaning foods during infancy. In addition, current dietary habits (assessed by 2 day-24 hr food records), health conditions, and anthropometric data were obtained through questionnaires and student health check-ups at the school. Based on chi-square tests, cases had a significantly higher prevalence of having a disease at birth, an allergic reaction to weaning foods, frequent hospital visits, and frequent experiences of the common cold and digestive diseases. In addition, significantly more mothers had a higher education in the cases compared to controls. Based on multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis, factors significantly associated with greater odds for having allergies were parental (OR=21.42) and fraternal (OR=14.40) histories of allergies. The anthropometric measures showed that cases tended to be shorter in height and lighter in weight than the controls, but these differences were not statistically significant. These findings may indicate that current nutrient intakes may not be the only critical factor associated with delayed growth delay in the allergic group. A well-planned, large cohort study is warranted to confirm our findings in the future.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.403-411
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical characteristics and instrumental activities of daily living(IADL) of the elderly (85+). The subjects were three-hundred elderly people over the age of 85, living in Kyungpook Sung-Ju area who have no problems in daily living. The survey on anthropometric measures and IADL were carried out by individual measurement and interviews using measuring devices and questionnaires. The subject group of the study was composed of 27% males and 73% females, the average age being 87 years old. Notable physical features of the subjects include considerably short statues and small physiques compared to the average Korean elder. The mean Body Mass Index(BMI) was 20.9. The average percentage of body fat in male and female was 21.7% and 29.5% respectively, and the average waist/hip ratio(WHR) was 0.9 and 0.85 respectively. The percentage of the subjects who were able to perform all the IADL was 51% in males and 25% in females. The male subjects were more capable than the females in all the IADL except for preparing meals. BMI showed positive correlations withy weight(r=699), WHR(r=0.157), body fat percentage(r=0.57), lean body mass(r=0368) and total body water(r=0.368). WHR also had positive correlation with weight(r=0.184), BMI(r=0.157), lean body mass(r=0.149) and total body water (r=0.148). Body fat percentage had a positive correlation with weight(r=0.147) and BMI(r=0.265) and total body water(r=0.265). In summary, the elderly(85+) in the Sung-Ju area had considerably smaller physiques than the average Korean elderly and showed a normal range of BMI in average. The IADL of the elderly(85+) appeared to have a positive correlation with lean body mass and total body water and a negative correlation with body fat percentage.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the nutrition quotient (NQ) by gender and understand which factors influence NQ in preschool children. Methods: Subjects were 245 children (110 boys, 135 girls) aged 4-6 years and their parents. The questionnaire composed of demographic characteristics, eating behavior factors and the NQ questions. The NQ consisted of 19 food behavior checklist items and all items were grouped into 5 factors: balance, diversity, moderation, regularity, and practice. Inbody J05, a measurement device that measures individual's body composition was used to measure children's anthropometric data. All data were statistically analyzed by SPSS program (Ver. 20) and the statistical differences in variables were evaluated by Student t-test, ${\chi}^2-test$, One-way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. Results: The total NQ score of the subjects was 65.3. The NQ score of girls (67.0) was significantly higher than that of the boys (63.2) (p<0.01). The girls' average scores of NQ factors including diversity (p<0.01) and practice (p<0.05) were higher than those of the boys. The analysis of related-factors influencing NQ scores showed that there was a significant difference among the groups according to feeding methods during infancy (p<0.05), breast feeding group being the highest. Furthermore, the NQ score showed a significant difference depending on how to correct children's unbalanced diet as well as parents' nutrition knowledge. The NQ score of obesity group tended to be lower than that of underweight group although there was no significant difference. Conclusions: Overall results indicated that the girls had better quality of diet and eating habits than the boys. Children and their parents need proper nutrition education and counseling to correct children's eating habits and to improve diet quality in kindergartens and in children care centers.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.278-293
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the research trend of nutrition for the recent 12 years from 1996 to 2007 by analyzing 734 articles published in the Korean Journal of Community Nutrition. The majority of the articles (61.4%) were classified as survey types in terms of data collection methods. Most of the subjects used in the articles were adults (28.8%), and the subject whose research has been increased at the highest rate was "patients". The most frequent keywords in the title of articles were "nutrient intake" (231times), "food service" (92times), "dietary habits" (69times), and "obesity" (69times). The keywords that have appeared more frequently with the years were "osteoporosis" (450.0%), "menopause" (350.0%) and "dietary attitudes" (208.3%). As for research interests, "nutrient intake" was dominant in the early stage of research while "disease", "dietary habits", "dietary attitudes" and "nutrition education" have increased in recent years. Some of the most common methods of nutrition assessment were "dietary intake" (41.2%), "anthropometric" (34.0%) and "biochemical test" (14.7%). The most common methods of dietary intake were "24-hours recall" (28.6%) and "dietary habits" (23.3%). The results of this study showed some biases in data collection methods, gender of the subjects, and study areas. Moreover, inconsistent terminologies, questionnaire contents, and measures were used for the researches on dietary behaviors, dietary habits, dietary attitudes, which made it difficult to compare their results for each research. Therefore, standardized research methods and terminologies need to be developed regarding dietary practices.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2473-2476
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• 2014

Background: Little is known about the cancer screening prevalence and correlates in older adults from different racial backgrounds. In the context of heightened efforts for prevention and early diagnosis, we collected information on screening for two major types of cancers: cervical and breast cancer in order to establish their prevalence estimates and correlates among older South African women who participated in the Study of Global Ageing and Adults Health (SAGE) in 2008. Materials and Methods: We conducted a national population-based cross-sectional study with a multi-stage stratified cluster sample of 3,840 individuals aged 50 years or older in South Africa in 2008. In this analysis, we only considered the female subsample of (n=2202). The measures used included socio-demographic characteristics, health variables, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess the association of socio-demographic factors, health variables and cancer screening. Results: Overall, regarding cervical cancer screening, 24.3% ever had a Papanicolaou (PAP) smear test, and regarding breast cancer screening, 15.5% ever had a mammography. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, younger age, higher education, being from the White or Coloured population group, urban residence, greater wealth, and suffering from two or more chronic conditions were associated with cervical cancer screening, and higher education, being from the White or Indian/Asian population group, greater wealth, having a health insurance, and suffering from two or more chronic condtions were associated with breast cancer screening. Conclusions: Cancer screening coverage remains low among elderly women in South Africa in spite of the national guideline recommendations for regular screening in order to reduce the risk of dying from these cancers if not detected early. There is a need to improve accessibility and affordability of early cervical and breast cancer screening for all women to ensure effective prevention and management of cervical and breast cancer.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.393-399
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Thin children may have insufficient intake of energy and nutrients, resulting in reduced immune function and growth. This study aimed to identify the effects of multiple herb formula SEC-22 supplementation on growth, dietary changes, and picky eating behaviors in thin children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 79 children aged 2-5 years with poor appetites, BMI percentile < 25, and without any illness. Subjects were given either SEC-22 (n = 35) or placebo (n = 44) for 2 months and followed for an additional 2 months. Three-day dietary records, questionnaires on picky eating behaviors, and anthropometric measures were collected. RESULTS: Energy, carbohydrate intake, and feeding difficulty improved in both groups during the intervention period. However, changes were maintained only in the SEC-22 group after 2 months of follow-up post-supplementation. 'Frequency of trying to feed' was improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of follow-up (P < 0.05). Intakes of potassium and thiamine were improved in the SEC-22 group compared to the placebo group after the first month of intervention (P < 0.05). 'Frequency of food reward', eating amount, and intakes of carbohydrate, potassium, and vitamin C showed significant improvement compared to the placebo group after the second month of follow-up (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SEC-22 supplementation can improve parental feeding difficulty resulting from insufficient eating amount or picky eating as well as increase nutrient intake in thin children. Although these improvements were observable at least 2 months after supplementation, effects beyond this time frame need to be confirmed.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.234-245
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• 2009

Nutritional assessment for the elderly can identify health status and morbidity. However, development of Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) remains limited for elderly because of difficulties in understanding physiological mechanism of elderly. This study was performed to analyze and develop Nutritional Risk Index for Korean elderly Women (Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index, GNRI). Based on literature review, factors for NRI were identified and indices were assessed by a cross-sectional survey. The survey involved Korean elderly women (${\geq}$60, n = 94) in Gwangju area, and sociodemographics, lifestyle characteristics, health conditions, dietary intakes based on 24h- recall, anthropometric measures (wt, ht, BMI, waist, hip, WHR, body protein, body fat, abdominal fat, and triceps skinfold thickness), and clinical biochemistry parameters (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, fasting blood glucose, HbAlc, ferritin, Zn, Ca, Na, K, Vit E, Vit $B_{12}$, folate, C-reactive protein) were examined relation to nutritional risk index. Based on literature review and data analyses, three NRIs were categorized (NRI I, NRI II, NRI III) and used for further analysis. NRI I was related to having metabolic syndrome, NRI II was related to serum albumin and body weight, and NRI III was related to food habit and health concerns. Abdominal fat (%) of elderly was correlated with each NRIs. NRI II was correlated with nutritional deficiency and higher tendency of inflammatory response, and NRI III was correlated with nutritional status which tend to be lower on aging (protein, folate, Vit $B_{12}$). NRI can serve as a useful tools in assessing health risk and nutritional status. Some modification of items in NRI and validity study are need to apply to Korean elderly.