• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.135-142
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study assessed household food security status and determined its association with diet quality and weight status among indigenous women from the Mah Meri tribe in Peninsular Malaysia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity Instrument and the Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (HEI) were used to assess household food security status and diet quality, respectively. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and 24-hour dietary recall data were collected through face-to-face interview, and anthropometric measurements including weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were obtained from 222 women. RESULTS: Majority of households (82.9%) experienced different levels of food insecurity: 29.3% household food insecurity, 23.4% individual food insecurity, and 30.2% fell into the child hunger group. The food-secure group had significantly fewer children and smaller household sizes than the food-insecure groups (P < 0.05). The mean household income, income per capita, and food expenditure significantly decreased as food insecurity worsened (P < 0.001). The food-secure group had significantly higher Malaysian HEI scores for grains and cereals (P < 0.01), as well as for meat, poultry, and eggs (P < 0.001), than the food-insecure groups. The child-hunger group had significantly higher fat (P < 0.05) and sodium (P < 0.001) scores than the food-secure and household food-insecure groups. Compared to the individual food-insecure and child-hunger groups, multivariate analysis of covariance showed that the food-secure group was significantly associated with a higher Malaysian HEI score while the household food-insecure group was significantly associated with a higher BMI after controlling for age (P < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of indigenous households faced food insecurity. Food insecurity at the individual and child levels was associated with lower quality of diet, while food insecurity at the household level was associated with higher body weight. Therefore, a substantial effort by all stakeholders is warranted to improve food insecurity among poorer households. The results suggest a pressing need for nutritional interventions to improve dietary intake among low income households.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제35권6호
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• pp.481-490
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• 2022

The influence of the food value consumption type of MZ generation on food choice attribute and sustainable food consumption behavior was studied using structural equation modeling. A survey was conducted on April 11~17, 2022, among panels aged 20 to 39. A total of 350 valid replicates (100%) were analyzed using statistical program SPSS The validity of the measurement instrument was verified through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The data reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The hypothesis was verified by performing path analysis through structural equation modeling using AMOS. Regarding the influence of food choice characteristics on sustainable food consumption behavior, health has a significant positive (+) effect on the selection consumption behavior of certified food and local food. Among food value consumption categories social value consumption has a significant negative (-) influence on the consumption behavior of certified food and the choice of local food. Ethical value consumption has a significant positive (+) influence on the selection consumption behavior of certified food and local food. This study is significant because it has identified sustainable food consumption behaviors that domestic consumers can adopt daily. It can use as baseline data for preparing political and institutional measures.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.269-283
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the food security status of urban poor adolescents and its association with diet quality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 188 adolescents aged 13-18 yrs living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Household food insecurity and dietary intake data were collected using the Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity instrument and 2-day 24-h dietary recalls, respectively. Diet quality was determined using the Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Weight and height were measured and body mass index-for-age, as well as height-for-age z scores were calculated. RESULTS: The present study revealed that 47.9% of the adolescents experienced household food insecurity, 24.5% experienced individual food insecurity, 18.6% household food security, and 9.0% child hunger. The mean score of diet quality was 56.83 ± 10.09, with a significantly lower HEI score among food insecure adolescents (household food insecure, individual food insecure, and child hunger) than household food secure adolescents (P = 0.001). The differences between food secure and food insecure households were found to be significant for energy (P = 0.001) and nutrients including proteins (P = 0.006), carbohydrates (P = 0.005), dietary fiber (P = 0.001), folate (P < 0.001), and vitamin C (P = 0.006). The multiple linear regression showed that adolescents who experienced food insecurity (β = -0.328; P = 0.003) were found to be significantly associated with poor diet quality (F = 2.726; P < 0.01), wherein 13.3% of the variation in the diet quality was explained by the food security status. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing food insecurity contributed to poor diet quality among urban poor adolescents. Further longitudinal studies are needed to comprehensively understand this association to improve food insecurity and diet quality among urban poor communities.

• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.455-462
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• 1990

The purpose of this study were to investigate relationships between the franchisors and franchisees in terms of management, satisfaction and cooperation, and to establish a model for improvement of the foodservice management structure of fast food franchise system. Data were collected from 4 hamburger and 7 noodle franchisors, and from 21 hamburger and 38 noodle franchisees. Surveyed chains were composed of 10 franchisor-owned units and 49 franchised units. The instrument used in this study was Liker type 5-scale guestionnarie. Hypotheses concerning relations between management practices by franchisor and satisfaction of franchisee, cooperation of franchisee were tested using path analysis. Unit management practices by franchisors were significantly different according to the operation style. Franchisor-owned hamburger chains rather than franchised noodle chains were better managed by franchisors in terms of QSC and management support. Management practices by franchisors in the whole showed a significant relationship with the satisfaction, cooperation, and the implementation of standardized recipes by franchisees. Franchisees' satisfaction had a significant positive relation with the cooperation and the implementation of standardized recipes. QSC management practices and management support by franchisors, had no direct relevance to the general cooperation of franchisees, and management practices in the whole had a little relevance to it, but franchisees' satisfaction in terms of QSC and the whole had a strong effect to their QSC Cooperation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.26-34
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• 2008

This cross-sectional study assessed household food insecurity among low-income rural communities and examined its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as coping strategies to minimize food insecurity. Demographic, socioeconomic, expenditure and coping strategy data were collected from 200 women of poor households in a rural community in Malaysia. Households were categorized as either food secure (n=84) or food insecure (n=116) using the Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument. T-test, Chi-square and logistic regression were utilized for comparison of factors between food secure and food insecure households and determination of factors associated with household food insecurity, respectively. More of the food insecure households were living below the poverty line, had a larger household size, more children and school-going children and mothers as housewives. As food insecure households had more school-going children, reducing expenditures on the children's education is an important strategy to reduce household expenditures. Borrowing money to buy foods, receiving foods from family members, relatives and neighbors and reducing the number of meals seemed to cushion the food insecure households from experiencing food insufficiency. Most of the food insecure households adopted the strategy on cooking whatever is available at home for their meals. The logistic regression model indicates that food insecure households were likely to have more children (OR=1.71; p<0.05) and non-working mothers (OR=6.15; p<0.05), did not own any land (OR=3.18; p<0.05) and adopted the strategy of food preparation based on whatever is available at their homes (OR=4.33; p<0.05). However, mothers who reported to borrow money to purchase food (OR=O.84; p<0.05) and households with higher incomes of fathers (OR=O.99; p<0.05) were more likely to be food secure. Understanding the factors that contribute to household food insecurity is imperative so that effective strategies could be developed and implemented.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.771-781
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of food security measures, which was developed based on the US household food security survey module (US HFSSM) with content validity in the Korean population. The reliability and validity were assessed by internal consistency, construct validity and criterion-related validity. The study included 446 households. Among those, 46.2% were households with children. The proportion of food insecure households was 33.3%. Among those, 35.4% and 64.6% households were food insecure with hunger and without hunger, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.84 and the infit value by the Rasch model analysis ranged from 0.68 to 1.43. The scale item response curves by food insecurity severity explained well the nature and characteristics of food security, indicating the highest proportion of "yes" for the items on diet quality, followed by those with diet quantity. The result of criterion-related validity showed that food insecurity status was significantly related in a dose-response manner with the household income level, food expenditure, subjective health state, subjects' educational level. Household food security status was also related to dietary diversity regarding protein foods, fruits and fruit juice, and milk and dairy product. These findings suggest that the food security instrument is reliable and valid and would be used to assess food security status in the Korean population.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.760-775
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate the validity of food photographs for estimating individuals' dietary intakes and compare it with other dietary assessment methods. Subjects were 7 professors, 2 researchers, 12 dietitian and 16 graduate students majoring in food and nutrition. Among the subjects, 20 subjects had research experiences in the dietary intake survey more than one year while 17 had not. Each subject estimated 50 food portions displayed in computer monitor by comparing with standard food photographs, which were weighed portions of 28 foods from typical Korean diet. No significant differences between the estimated value and the weighed value of 17 (34%) food portions were shown in research-experienced group and those of 14 (28%) food portions were shown in no-researchexperienced group. 24-hour recall was the most frequently-used method for dietary assessment followed by in the order of food frequency questionnaire, dietary record, diet history and weighing method. After estimating food portions by photographs, 30 subjects (81%) were willing to use the method for dietary assessment because of its convenience and easy communication between researcher and subject. This study suggests that digital photography method would be a useful and convenient new instrument for estimating individuals' dietary intake. However, it is necessary to create standard database for food portions and carry out systematic education for food estimation in order to apply this method in the fields.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.286-294
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• 2009

This study investigated the correlations of five constructs - health concerns, healthy eating practices and attitudes, food choice motives, attitudes toward organic foods - in the formation of behavioral to the purchasing intentions of organic foods. An instrument encompassing health perception, attitudes, habits and personal traits was developed through the comprehensive reviews of the literature and the assured validity and internal reliability of the contents. The questionnaire was administered to the students of three universities at Daegu, Kyungpook province. A total of 288 questionnaires were collected for a response rate of 96.0%. The correlations of five constructs and purchasing intention were tested simultaneously using structural equation modeling. Healthy eating practices and attitudes toward organic foods were found to be the determinants which directly influence the intention to purchase organic foods. Health concerns didn't show direct relation to the purchasing intention of organic foods. The hypothesized path from the health concerns to the purchasing intentions was not supported. The results indicated that food choice motives and healthy eating attitudes should be managed to achieve higher behavioral intention to purchase organic foods.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.240-248
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• 2016

Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) adversely impacts food security in households of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Little research has focused on food insecurity among PLWHA in India. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of and factors relating to food security in households of PLWHA in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was carried out among 173 PLWHA residing in Siliguri and registered at the Anti-retroviral Therapy Centre of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital. Data was collected at the household level with interviews of PLWHA using a food security survey instrument. We analyzed the associations using logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of household food security among the participants was 50.9% (88/173). Five years or more of schooling, higher socioeconomic class and males were found to be significantly associated with a higher likelihood of food security. A later stage of the disease and the presence of other family members with HIV/AIDS were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of food security. The major coping strategies to deal with food insecurity in the acute phase HIV infection included borrowing money (56.1%), followed by spousal support, loans from microfinance institutions, banks, or money lenders, borrowing food, or selling agricultural products. Conclusions: The present study revealed that only about half of households with PLWHA were food secure. Prior interventions relating to periods of food and economic crisis as well as strategies for sustaining food security and economic status are needed in this area.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.304-311
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between household food insecurity and nutritional status of children in low-income households. A cross sectional study involved a survey of households (n = 223) receiving the financial assistance. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eligible mothers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria such as non-pregnant, non-lactating mothers, aged 18 to 55 years with their youngest children aged 2 to 12 years, were purposively selected. The Radimer/Cornell hunger and food-insecurity instrument was administered and children's height and weight were measured. RESULTS: About 16.1% of the households were food secure, while 83.9% experienced some kind of food insecurity. Out of food insecure category, 29.6% households were food insecure, 19.3% women were individual food insecure and 35.0% fell into the child hunger category. Education of the mother (P = 0.047), household size (P = 0.024), number of children (P = 0.024), number of children going to school (P = 0.048), total monthly income (P < 0.001), income per capital (P < 0.001), number of household members contributing to the income (P = 0.018) and food expenditure (P = 0.006) were significant risk factors for household food insecurity. The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting in children were 61.0%, 61.4% and 30.6% respectively. Based on multinomial logistic regression, children in food-insecure households were 2.15 times more likely to be underweight and three times to be stunted than children in the food-secure households. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that household food insecurity is associated with the nutritional status of the children in the rural area of Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia.