• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Backgrounds: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the university students population is one of the high risk and vulnerable groups. This study analyzed the status of student's mental health, including anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19, and its related factors among a university students in Korea. Methods : Our study subjects included university students in Korea. The survey items included general characteristics, teaching methods, physical activity, eating habits (SDBQ-L), weight-related questions, general anxiety disorder-7(GAD-7), and depression symptoms checklist. Frequency analysis, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were performed and data was analyzed using R version 4.1.2 program. Results : The prevalence of anxiety complaints was 5.5%, while the prevalence of depression complaints was 30.8%. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors influencing anxiety, anxiety occurred 19.081 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.352-154.807) in the group with unhealthy diet (p<0.01). While in the multivariable analysis to identify factors affecting depression, women were 2.607 times significantly higher (95% CI: 1.255-5.415) than men, 0.407 times (95% CI:0.197-0.840) for residents of the metropolitan area, 3.418 times higher (95% CI:1.633-7.198) for unhealthy dietary people, and 2.225 times higher (95% CI: 1.080-4.582) for weight gainers (p<0.05). The type of class had no effect. Conclusions: COVID-19 and its associated interventions had negative effects on the mental health status including anxiety and depression in university students in Korea. Based on our results we recommend developing mental health interventions and prevention strategies for students in all universities in Korea.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.154-168
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• 2023

Background: Legal regulations and fees have been established in Korea to provide visiting oral health care services to individuals with long-term care insurance (LTCI). However, beneficiaries of this service are very limited. Therefore, to improve the Korean system we propose a comparative analysis with the Japanese system. Methods: This study is a descriptive analysis based on secondary data, such as statistics, laws, and service record forms from Korea and Japan. The most recent institutional documents were obtained through a Google search. The variables investigated were financial resources of LTCI, co-payment structure, monthly limit of LTCI benefits, care levels of LTCI, service providers, service costs, contents of service, and the number of cases of service. Results: In both Korea and Japan, LTCI is financed through a combination of taxes and insurance premiums. However, the monthly limit for receiving LTCI services in Japan is about 2.4 times higher than in Korea. Visiting medical and dental treatment is also possible in Japan. Furthermore, nursing staff can provide daily oral health care services according to dental hygienists' instruction unlike Korea. Oral health care services in Korea are focused on oral hygiene and prevention of oral diseases, while Japan additionally provides oral function screening, patient education for oral health management, and training for nursing staff to enhance oral function, eating, and swallowing of the patients. Conclusion: We concluded that the possibility of visiting dental treatment, differences in monthly limit of LTCI benefits, oral function assessment and guidance, as well as collaboration with other healthcare professionals contributed to the difference in the frequency of utilization of visiting oral health care services between Korea and Japan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.283-292
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• 2023

Considering that the number of middle-aged single-person households is increasing, this study investigates dietary behaviors, nutrient intake, and mental health according to household type. Data were procured from the 2015-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Totally, 5,466 participants aged 50-64 years were classified into 2 groups: a household with one member was defined as a single-person household, and households with two or more members were described as multi-person households. Single-person households comprised 10.63% of the total, with a higher average age, and lower income and economic levels than multi-person households. Compared to multi-person households, single-person households had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast, eating alone, and dining out, the moderately and severely food insecure group was more than 5 times, and nutrient intake and dietary quality were poorer. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms were 2.35 times (95% CI: 1.39-3.96), and suicide ideation was 1.95 times (95% CI: 1.35-2.82) in single-person compared to multi-person households. Our results lead us to conclude that poor dietary intake in middle-aged single-person households affects the mental health, and the above factors should be considered when framing the dietary policy.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.132-148
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the current mean daily intake of 10 food groups, analyze the sociodemographic factors associated with food consumption, and determine the associations between food consumption/dietary intake and the prevalence rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension (HTN) in Jakarta, Indonesia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 600 participants aged 20-85 yrs were included in this cross-sectional study. Food consumption and dietary habits were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. To determine the association between food consumption/dietary habits and the abovementioned diseases, logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The average vegetable and fruit intake was lower, while sugar and salt consumption were higher than that recommended by Indonesia's national dietary guidelines. A high intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) was associated with young age, men, "single" status, a high education level, and employment with a high monthly income. Obesity and T2D were positively correlated with high intakes of cereals and tubers, UPFs, sugars, fats, and oils. Conversely, an inverse association was found between legume, vegetable, and fruit consumption and obesity risk. An inverse correlation was also observed between vegetable consumption and T2D risk. Moreover, a high salt intake was inversely correlated with fruit consumption in terms of HTN risk. Non-indulgence in habitual late-night snacking and refrainment from consuming more than one dish at each meal were also negatively related to the prevalence of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Inverse correlations were also observed between the prevalence rates of T2D and HTN and abstaining from adding sugar to beverages. CONCLUSION: Foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium were strongly associated with the risks of obesity, T2D, and HTN. Additionally, poor eating habits were also associated with disease development.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2024

Obesity and overweight pose a significant public health problem, as they are associated with an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Several studies have shown that diet quality is associated with the development of MetS risk factors. Analyzing dietary patterns may be more helpful in determining the relationship between eating habits and chronic diseases compared to focusing on single foods or nutrients. In this study, our objective was to evaluate the association of food quality score (FQS) with risk factors for MetS in individuals with obesity and overweight. The participants in this cross-sectional study were 340 adults with overweight and obesity. Participants' food intake was measured using a Food Frequency Questionnaire, then the FQS was calculated. A fasting blood sample assessed serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum insulin levels. Fat-free mass, height, basal metabolic rate, socio-economic score, and waist-to-hip ratio significantly differed among FQS tertiles. TC, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose were significantly lower in the highest tertile of FQS. After multivariable adjustment, our results showed that individuals in the third tertile of FQS had reduced risk of higher levels of TC (odds ratio [OR], 0.982; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.970-0.984) and higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR, 0.974; 95% CI, 0.974-0.999). Our findings demonstrate an inverse relationship between diet quality, as measured by FQS, and MetS risk factors. However, further experimental and longitudinal investigations are warranted to elucidate the causal nature of this association.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.108-120
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• 2024

The study aimed to investigate the basic data to derive plans for snack provision to improve the nutritional status of older adults living in long-term care facilities (LFs) or long-term care hospitals (LHs). The 252 respondents (118 from LHs and 134 from LFs) were included in the study. The questionnaire of nationwide cross-sectional survey was developed by the authors and registered dietitians. The written questionnaire was sent to the food service managers across 800 LFs or LHs. The online survey was introduced using the online platform and network site for dietitians. More than 70% of live-in and non-live-in LFs provided snacks, which were mainly provided one to two times a day. Most institutions provided fruits one to three times a week. The main considerations when providing fruit were in the order of residents' preference, cost, and ease of consumption. The reasons for not serving fruit included cost and differences in the residents' eating and mastication abilities. Most institutions also provided dairy products at a frequency of one to three times a week. The reasons for not serving dairy products included cost and the lack of awareness of the need to provide them. To improve the quality of life and the offer benefits of fruits and dairy products to older people, efforts are needed to propose a plan to expand the provision of snacks in appropriate quantities and varieties.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.591-601
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between allergic diseases and digestive discomfort symptoms using a dataset for the traditional Korean medicine examination. Methods: The study included 389 subjects in the allergy group, diagnosed with allergic diseases by either a Korean medicine doctor or modern medical doctor, and there were 4,160 subjects in the control group. Propensity score matching was used to control the factors affecting the allergic disease and digestive discomfort symptoms. These factors included age, sex, medication history, obesity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, meal frequency, meal quantity, eating speed, sleep quality, stress level, and physical activity, matched at a ratio of 1:1. Logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of digestive discomfort symptoms in the allergy group compared to the control group. Results: Compared to the control group, subjects in the allergy group had a significantly higher risk of having abdominal distention 1.62 times (OR=1.62, 95% CI: 1.13-2.32, p-value=0.008) and postprandial fatigue 1.41 times (OR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.02-1.95, p-value=0.037). Conclusion: The study suggests that allergic diseases were associated with certain digestive discomfort symptoms. The findings of this study can serve as a basis for managing both allergic diseases and digestive discomfort symptoms together.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 2011

Assessing human exposure to food-borne hazards requires standardized assessment tools. The objective of this study was to validate a newly developed dietary assessment questionnaire to assess human exposure to food-borne hazards, which include dietary behavior and food consumption patterns such as eating frequency, types of food containers and cooking methods. A total of 216 adults were recruited for two questionnaire surveys (questionnaire 1 and 2) about 1 week apart with a 3 day diet record. Reproducibility was evaluated by comparing responses from questionnaires 1 and 2, and validity was checked by comparing responses from questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record. Comparisons were based on the percent agreement and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The mean exact agreement of food containers at purchase between questionnaires 1 and 2 was 73.5%, for storing containers it was 71.9%, and for cooking methods it was 83.0%. The mean correlation coefficient for food intake frequency between questionnaires 1 and 2 was 0.71 (range, 0.50-0.83). The mean correlation coefficient of the food intake frequency between questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was 0.21 (range, 0.04-0.48). The exact and adjacent agreement of food intake frequency quartile assessed by questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was 65.4% (range, 51.0-82.1%). Although the correlation coefficient for food intake frequency between questionnaire 2 and the 3 day diet record was low, the exact and adjacent food intake frequency agreement was higher than 50% and reproducibility of the dietary behaviors exceeded 70%. Therefore, the questionnaire developed in this study could be applied to assess diets for the human exposure to food-borne hazards as a qualitative assessment in a large population.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.957-964
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• 2000

To assess trans fatty acids (tFAs) intake of a girls' high school students in Pusan, dietary history and quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were surveyed and analyzed with a total subjects of 274, 268 in summer and winter respectively. It was shown that 38.0% of subjects which was the highest percentage, had snack twice a day in frequency of snack intake. The most favorite snack of subjects was ice cream (46.4%), the preference for milk and dairy products was considerably high. 43.4% of subjects responded to once a month in frequency of dining out. They preferred grilled pork (39.1%), hamburger (36.9%), grilled beef (26.6%) in order. It was also appeared that they preferred fast food. In the case of eating bread, 8.0% of subjects ate bread and margarine, 7.1% butter. Generally, the subjects preferred margarine to butter. tFAs intake for each person per day was $4.24{\pm}0.18\;g$. There was significant difference in tFAs intake according to parents income (p<0.05), frequency of snack intake (p<0.001) and that of dining out (p<0.05). tFAs intake produced naturally (N-tFAs) was $0.86{\pm}0.00\;g$ which corresponded to 20.3% of total tFAs intake per day. tFAs intake produced artificially (H-tFAs) in the process of hardening oil was $3.38{\pm}0.14\;g$, equaled to 79.7% of total tFAs intake per day. There was significant difference between H-tFAs intake for each person per day (p=0.000)

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.1244-1255
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to compare the perception of meals and nutrition knowledge among high school students in Seoul. A survey was carried out on 548 male/female students in general and vocational high schools. The general high school students showed higher frequency of breakfast than the vocational high school students (p<0.001). As for the reasons for eating alone, the general high school students showed high frequency of 'busy', whereas the vocational high school students revealed high frequency of 'irregular meal times' (p<0.001). Concerning the habit of eating alone, 'irregular meal times (25.0%)', 'unbalanced diet (22.4%)', and 'instant food (16.6%)' were observed in that order (p<0.01). The percentage of high school students who regarded family meals as meals eaten with every member of their family was 70.6% (p<0.05). The percentage of general high school students who ate family meals was 61.8% and that of vocational high school students was 50.0% (p<0.01). When agreement with attitudes, environment, and participation in family meals was evaluated using a Likert scale (strongly agree 5 points, strongly disagree 1 point), the general high school students showed a higher level of agreement than the vocational high school students, and the results showed a significantly higher level of agreement as the frequency of family meals increased. Likewise, the groups who scored a higher level of nutrition knowledge had positive attitudes, environment, and participation in family meals with significant differences.