• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 2008

Improved nutritional intake contributes to maintaining health and quality of life in elderly population and also reducing individual and social medical costs. Most of nutrition assistance programs for elderly, such as congregate or home-delivered meal programs, are not currently serviced in rural communities mainly due to low cost efficiency of program operation. However, the needs and necessity of such programs are presumed to be higher in rural area where the population density of elderly at nutritional risk is relatively high. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a community-based meal program for the rural elderly. In 2007, four rural communities located in Jeon-Nam province were selected and the pilot meal program was applied for three months. Following are key features of the meal program model developed in this study: 1) meal production and service are operated by elderly participants to overcome the voluntary personnel shortage 2) utilization of locally-produced foods is maximized to reduce the meal cost, 3) traditional cooking methods are applied to adjust the food preference of elderly, and 4) foods are serviced on site to minimize the food safety problem possibly caused by delivery process. The pilot programs resulted in high satisfaction with the programs of participating elderly. The community-based meal program model developed in this study is expected to be used as an effective nutrition and health intervention model for the rural elderly.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 1999

The increased number of elderly in Korea presents great challenges for community nutrition programs. Strategies to enhance elderly nutrition are needed, as well as dietary advice that are reality-based and tailored to the need of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall effectiveness of an elderly nutrition improvement program(ENIP), by assessing changes in nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behavior after program completion. ENIP was conducted in Suwon for 4 months in 1998 at 5 centers for the elderly. The program provided individual nutrition counseling and brief biweekly group education sessions. To stimulate participation and motivation, the elderly in two centers were served free milk packs(200ml) three time a week during the program(milk＋education group), and the elderly in 3 other centers were served yoghurt on the program day(education group). Altogether, 102 subjects finished the program(milk＋education group 67 ; education group 35). Data about nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes, diet records(24 hour recall) and dietary habit was collected before(baseline) and after the program(follow-up). The Drop-out rate for the milk＋education group(2.9%) was significantly lower than that for the education group(30.0%)(p<.001). The Nutrition Knowledge fo females milk＋education group increased significantly after the program, but no significant differences were observed in other groups. Over 60% of all the elderly showed positive responses to the healthy eating attitudes. Energy, protein, vitamin A, riboflavin, Calcium and Potassium intakes improved in the male milk＋education group. The Vitamin C intake improved in the male education group. Energy and vitamin A intakes improved in the female milk＋education group and energy, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Ca nad P in the female education group. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of food intake changes on overall nutrient quality. For all elderly, the fish intake explained 12.6% of the variance, followed by candy intake and vegetable intake(model $R^2$=19.6%). Dietary habits such as meal time regularity and salty food reduction were markedly improved in both groups. Sixty-one percent of the milk＋education subjects stated their participation was voluntary and active, while 51% of education subjects did. Sixty four percent of the subjects stated their interest on diet increased remarkably through program participation. Considering the results, it is conjectured that ENIP had a great impact on nutrient intake, dietary attitudes and habits. Milk supplement showed no direct effects on elderly nutrition improvement, but it encouraged the program by reducing drop-out rates and inducing voluntary participation. Therefore milk supplement could enhance the community nutrition education program. Moreover it is strongly suggested that the ENIP be expanded to other communities.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.86-95
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• 2020

Objectives Meal and nutrition are important lifestyle factors that affect maintenance and promotion of health status and are also associated with chronic diseases. In Sasang constitutional medicine, dietary behavior according to the characteristics of Sasang constitution (SC) types is a key component in health management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and quality of meals according to the SC. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 1,947 subjects surveyed in a community-based cohort called the Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort study. Data were collected including demographic characteristics, Korea Sasang Constitutional Diagnostic Questionnaire, and nutrition quotient (NQ) for adults. We analyzed the differences in NQ grade and scores among three SC types: Taeeumin (TE), Soeumin (SE), and Soyangin (SY), by conducting chi-square and ANCOVA tests. Results The distribution of SC into TE, SE, and SY types was 43.1%, 25.2%, and 31.8%, respectively. The mean NQ score of all subjects was 53.4±8.6. There was a significant difference in the distribution of NQ grades and mean of NQ scores among SC types, including total and four sub-factors: balance, diversity, moderation, and dietary behavior. The TE type had the lowest score for the moderation factors in the crude model. The SE type showed lower NQ scores than the TE and SY types in all domains except moderation after adjusting for variables. Conclusions We found that dietary behaviors had to be distinct according to the SC types. These results elucidate why it is important to develop a customized dietary habit management program considering the SC types.