• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.597-605
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity has increased in recent decades in Korea. This study was designed to examine differences in the eating habits, physical activity (PA), nutrition knowledge, and self-efficacy of children by obesity status. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Subjects were 5th-grade children from 70 elementary schools in 17 cities nationwide. Two-stage stratified cluster sampling was employed. Survey questionnaire included items related to general characteristics, eating habits, PA, nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy. Excluding incomplete responses, 3,531 data were analyzed using SPSS. Subjects were categorized into overweight obesity (OW) and normal weight (NW) groups based on body mass index percentiles for age by sex. RESULTS: A total of 21.5% of subjects was overweight or obese. There were significant differences in gender, perceived stress, perception of body shape, body satisfaction, and interest in weight control between the OW and NW groups (P < 0.001). With respect to eating habits, the OW group ate breakfast (P < 0.05) and snacks (P < 0.01) less frequently, ate bigger meals (P < 0.001), and demonstrated less desirable behaviors during meals (P < 0.05 in boys) compared to the NW group. The OW group participated in less PA than the NW group, especially boys. OW boys spent less time walking during weekdays (P < 0.05) or the weekend (P < 0.001), spent more time being sedentary during weekdays or the weekend (P < 0.001), and exercised a fewer number of days (P < 0.01). For girls, the OW group spent more time being sedentary during the weekend (P < 0.01) and exercised a fewer number of days by walking or bicycle riding (P < 0.05) than the NW group. Nutrition knowledge was not significantly different between the OW and NW groups. Self-efficacy (P < 0.01 in boys), especially PA self-efficacy (P < 0.01), was significantly lower in the OW than NW group. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed differences in eating habits, PA, and self-efficacy between OW and NW children. Obesity management programs for children need to focus on increasing self-efficacy, modifying eating habits, and increasing PA.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.524-532
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• 2010

The Na, component of salt, can increase the risk of high blood pressure and hypertension. Especially, children are exposed to an increased risk of high sodium intake, because they often consume Na-rich processed foods and commercially prepared foods in the street. However, the database for the sodium and chloride content for these children's favorite foods is insufficient. In this study, the Na and Cl contents in 89 children's favorite foods were analyzed by using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) method. The analyzed food items were presented after being classified into 33 kinds of food groups. The Na contents in 100 g children's favorite foods ranged from 0.3 mg to 35.1mg in fruits, 28.9mg to 82.5mg in milks, 127.2 mg to 602.2 mg in breads, cakes, sandwiches, and rice cakes, 2.5 mg to 1169.9 mg in candies, cookies and ice creams, 226.9 mg to 693.7 mg in commercially prepared street foods, and 103.4 mg to 875.8 mg in fast foods of westernized restaurant. Among children's favorite food groups, 100 g fried chicken, hotdog, burgers, and donuts contained an average Na of 536 mg, 553 mg, 794 mg, and 562.2 mg, respectively, so they are classified as 'high Na foods'. In contrast, 100 g fruits and dairy products contained Na an average 4.9 mg and 43.4 mg, respectively, being classified as 'low Na foods'. One serving of ramen, mandu noodle, and burger pizza can supply over 667mg Na, which is one third of the KDRI targeted intake. Likewise, the Cl contents in children's favorite foods were diverse according to food groups. The Cl contents in the analyzed foods differed from the 1.5 times of Na content, which is assumed in general. This study showed that the Na and Cl contents in children's favorite foods are very diverse. Conclusively, a strategy to reduce Na contents in the fast foods such as noodles and westernized restaurant foods is necessary for children health.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.79-93
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• 2005

The purpose of this was to present the efficient directions of nutrition education for elementary school children. We examined the problems of eating habits. nutrition knowledge, and perception and expectations on nutrition education of elementary school children in school. This study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and subjects were 562 elementary school children in Gyeonggi Province. All data in this research was analyzed through SAS program, and the frequency$(\%)$ and the $mean{\pm}S.D.$ on each question were calculated. Data for each group was analyzed according to sex and the difference among the groups were treated for significance by using chi-square test and Student t-test. About $87.6\%$ of the children have a meal over three times a day, and $76.7\%$ answered that they ate at a certain time regularly everyday. Only $69.6\%$ of subjects said that they ate breakfast everyday, showing very high levels of skipping breakfast. The most common frequency of eating snacks was 'once a day' in both sexes(male $52.2\%$, female $48.6\%$). In the perception on the eating habits, $69.3\%$ of children recognized problems on dieting habits, such as unbalanced diet. irregular eating time, and overeating. The perceived and correct knowledge of nutrition were $99.5\%$ and $86.9\%$, respectively. Most of the children$(99.1\%)$ acknowledged that nutrition education need to be carried out in school. And children want to deeply deal with 'cooking', 'growth and nutrition', 'good eating habits', 'nutrition and disease', These results indicated that elementary school children tended to have undesirable eating behaviors, but the rate of children who recognize the importance and the needs of nutrition education in school was high. Therefore, their parents and teachers need to perform continuous education through a curriculum and life instruction so that students have healthy habits by considering what the problems of nutrition habits are, as the elementary students considerably recognize problems of their own dietary habits and needs of nutrition education.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.49-59
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• 2007

Objectives: This study was designed to understand the oral health fact of high school students, search for an education method and learning goal appropriate for the subjects, and utilize them as basic data to think of effective solutions for oral health care. Methods: The samples to achieve the purpose of this research are composed of 386 students in J industrial high school, OO city, Kyounggido, the number of male students 286, and female students 100. Data were statistically analyzed by frequency analysis, cross tabulation by using SPSS WIN Ver. 12.0. Results: First, The answers in terms of oral symptoms were in the order of 31.8% for gum hurt and bleeding, 31.4% for pain in teeth by drinking or eating hot and cold drinks or food, 27.1% for broken or cracked teeth, 25.7% for aching and throbbing teeth, 20.6% for unpleasant mouth smell, and 5.7% for pain of tongue and soft oral tissues. Second, In terms of behavior for oral health, 88.4% answered that they consume cariogenic snacks, while 29.2% of them, 2.5% of male and 6.3% of female enjoy consuming them but hardly brush their teeth after consumption. Third, In terms of timing for brushing teeth, the results show that 50.0% do so before breakfast, 47.9% after breakfast, 15.2% after lunch, 36.9% after dinner, 65.5% before going to sleep, and 3.5% after consuming snacks, whereas 64.2% answered that they are not aware of fluorine mouthwash. Fourth, In terms of oral health condition. proportion of children with one or more caries in permanent teeth was 71.0%, while 51.4% have $2{\sim}3$ cariogenic teeth, and 16.8% have more than 4 cariogenic teeth. Considering sex, female students have somewhat higher ratio showing 68.5% for male and 78.0% for female, but the ratio was 53.1% for male and 46.7% for female in case of $2{\sim}3$ cariogenic teeth, and 17.5% for male and 15.8% for female in case of more than 4 cariogenic teeth. 9.3% of students turned out to have decayed teeth. Fifth, In terms of oral hygiene condition, only 7.9% of them had excellent condition, and 38.4% need to improve. More specifically, 41.1% of male students and 30.6% of female students need to improve their oral hygiene condition. Conclusions: The study results suggest that School Dental health programs increase and need to be community-incorporated and comprehensive from elementary to high school.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.247-256
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Easy access to intervention and support for certain behaviors is important for obesity prevention and management. The available technology such as smartphone applications can be used for intervention regarding healthy food choices for obesity prevention and management in elementary-school students. The transtheoretical model (TTM) is comprised of stages and processes of change and can be adopted to tailored education for behavioral change. This study aims to develop TTM-based nutrition contents for mobile applications intended to change eating behaviors related to weight gain in young children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A synthesized algorithm for tailored nutrition messages was developed according to the intake status of six food groups (vegetables, fruits, sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food and instant food, snacks, and late-night snacks), decision to make dietary behavioral changes, and self-confidence in dietary behavioral changes. The messages in this study were developed from December 2014 to April 2015. After the validity evaluation of the contents through expert consultation, tailored nutrition information messages and educational contents were developed based on the TTM. RESULTS: Based on the TTM, stages of subjects are determined by their current intake status, decision to make dietary behavioral changes, and self-confidence in dietary behavioral changes. Three versions of tailored nutrition messages at each TTM stage were developed so as to not send the same messages for three weeks at most, and visual materials such as figures and tables were developed to provide additional nutritional information. Finally, 3,276 tailored nutrition messages and 60 nutrition contents for applications were developed. CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone applications may be an innovative medium to deliver interventions for eating behavior changes directly to individuals with favorable cost-effectiveness. In addition, using the TTM for tailored nutrition education for healthy eating is an effective approach.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.271-278
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• 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of water fluoridation program(WFP) on dental caries prevention in Ulsan, Korea. Methods: The data of control group were extracted from 2012 Korean National Oral Health Survey(KNOHS). Since 1998, WFP was implemented in Ulsan. The subjects were 670 subjects including 10 to 12-years old children in 2009. The control subjects were 4,871 people in non-fluoridated metropolitan cities comparable to Ulsan. The control subjects were selected from 2012 KNOHS. A self-reported questionnaire was completed by the variables including oral health behaviors on daily frequency of toothbrushing, eating snacks and beverages. Oral health examination was carried out by two dentists who received a training in KNOHS with an inter-examiner-agreement. Caries preventive fraction was calculated by the difference of DMFT and DMFS index. The preventive effects of the WFP program were focused on gender, number of fissure sealed teeth, daily frequency of toothbrushing, eating snacks and beverages. Data were analyzed using SPSS $19.0^{(R)}$(SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) statistical package. Results: DMFT indices of 12-year-old subjects(n=670) in WFP and control population(n=4,871) were 2.11 and 1.23, respectively with an estimated prevention effect of 41.7%. Conclusions: WFP in Ulsan reduced the prevalence of dental caries. WFP should be recommended for the public oral health program in other metropolitan cities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.16-27
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of obesity and to examine the eating habits of elementary school students in Iksan dity. The study was carried out on 292 students(male: 151, female : 141)in May of 1997. The average height and weight of the subjects were 141 cm and 37kg in males and 142 cm and 36kg in females, which were similar to the average of Chonbuk. A Weight/Length Index(WLI), Broca Index, Rohrer Index(RI), Body Mass Index(BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio(WHR) were used as an obesity index to classify degree of obesity. WLI, Broca Index and RI were proper for judging child obesity and strict judgments were conducted in the order of RI, WLI and Brcoa Index. The subjects were classified as 30.8% underweight, 43.5% normal, 8.2% overweight and 17.5% obese by WLI and there were significant differences between height(p＜0.05) and weight(p＜0.01) according to obesity degree among the four groups. 50.3% of the boys and 55.3% of the girls are regularly, and the main reason they didn＇t ate regularly, and the maim reason they didn＇t eat breakfast(78.4%) was due to lack of time. The frequency of snacks were 1-2 times a week(40.4%), fruits(40.4%) from market and supermarket(68.2%). According to the survey 84.6%, 77.45, 78.1%, 69.9%, 59.9% and 86.6% of subjects didn＇t eat meat, fish, soysauce, instant food, sugar and seaweed respectively. Seaweed, meat, and soysauce showed low preferences. 69.5% and 74.75 of the subjects drink milk and ate kimchi respectively. By analyzing eating habits according to the degree of obesity, the rate of skipping breakfast(p＜0.01), and eating meat or fish(p＜0.05) were high in the overweight and obese groups of girls. In the boys case, the rate of not eating food in sugar(p＜0.05) was high in the obese group. Obese children need to correct their eating habit. This reasserts the importance of nutrition education in children though teachers, parents, and dietitions. The findings of this study may be applied to nutrition education to ensure better physical fitness for children.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.635-641
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• 2008

The purpose of study was to investigate the etiologic factors of maxillary primary anterior caries. The subjects of study were 401 preschool children, 214 boys and 187 girls, from 36 to 71 months old of randomly selected seven nurseries in Iksan city. The prevalence of maxillary primary anterior teeth was cross-analyzed with gender, age, breast feeding or bottle feeding, length of feeding, sweet snack intake frequency, beginning of toothbrushing, and toothbrushing frequency per day. The prevalence was 43.0% in boys and 26.7% in girls, and there was significant association between the prevalence and gender in cross analysis(P<0.01). The prevalences of the shorter than 2 years of feeding group, the from 2 to 3 years group, and the longer than 3 years group were 31.0%, 43.2%, and 63.2%, respectively, and there was significant association between the prevalence and the length of feeding(P<0.01). Daily intake of sweet snacks had a significant association with the prevalence(P<0.05). There was no significant association between the prevalence and the variables of age, breast feeding or bottle feeding, beginning of toothbrushing, and toothbrushing frequency per day(P>0.05).

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.74-83
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• 2009

We investigated the food service management practices in child care centers operated by various types of foundations in the Chonbuk area of Korea. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 125 child care center directors. The statistical analysis was completed using an SPSS v11.5 program. Approximately 82.4% of the directors were women with an the average age of 45 years old. The average number of children in each public and private child care center was 84.7 and 88.8, respectively (P<.001), and the difference in time of operation was significant(P<.001). Only 20.8% of the centers employed a dietitian, whereas 92.0% of the centers employed a cook, thus, food service was not managed by professionals in most centers. In approximately 99.2% of the centers, meals were prepared in a conventional manner. The difference in daily meal frequency was significant(P<.05), with approximately 85.6% of the centers serving snacks twice a day primarily to supplement the intake of nutrients(4.44 point) and to add fun to the daily lives of the children(4.12 point). Approximately 40.7% of the directors of public centers and 57.6% of the directors of private centers responded that the most difficult aspect of food service management was financial management. Overall, 56.8% of the directors responded that the details of financial management had the greatest effect on their ability to improve the quality of food service. In most centers, the center director was also the purchasing manager and half of them purchased food every day. Approximately 97% of the directors responded that they do not include instant foods in their menu plans but they would use them if the children wanted to eat them. These results indicate that the food service management in child care centers in the Chonbuk area is relatively inadequate. We strongly recommend that they hire dietitians for food service administration and focus on strengthening sanitation management.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.292-304
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• 2021

Purpose: This study investigated the association between the mothers' use of home meal replacement (HMR) in their children's meals and the diet quality of their young children. Methods: Three hundred and thirty-seven mothers with five-year-old kindergartners in Sejong city participated in the survey from June to July 2020. The questionnaire consisted of the status of HMR use in children's meals and questions for assessing the nutrition quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P). The subjects were classified into three groups according to the frequency of HMR use in children's meals: using HMR more than three times a week (high-frequency group; [HG], n = 65), one-two times a week (moderate-frequency group; [MG], n = 145), and less than once a week (low-frequency group; [LG], n = 130). Results: The mothers' mean age was 38.3 years. The average monthly cost of purchasing HMRs was highest at 200,000-300,000 won in HG, 50,000-100,000 won in MG, and less than 50,000 won in LG (p < 0.001). The consumption frequency of processed meats, fast foods, processed beverages, and sweet & fatty snacks was significantly higher in the HG group than the other groups. The mean NQ-P score was 60.5 in HG, 63.0 in MG, and 64.5 in LG, showing a significant difference (p < 0.01). In the sub-score according to the three areas, there were no significant differences in balance and environment among the three groups. In the moderation area, however, the score was 44.1 in HG, 51.3 in MG, and 57.5 in LG Group, showing a significant difference (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The increase in HMR use was related to the decreased diet quality in the overall and moderation areas of children's diet. These results support the importance of nutrition education for mothers, which aims to reduce their children's access and exposure to processed foods, such as HMR.