• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.459-467
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to suggest the strategies for improvement of home-delivered meal services for the elderly, to identify reasons for recipients to get started with the services and to evaluate the attitude, acceptability and adaptation of recipients to the services from the perspective of life context. Methods: The data was collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with eighteen low-income elderly recipients of home-delivered meals and analyzed using a qualitative research method. Results: The results were deduced as four themes which comprised of long-term vulnerable socioeconomic contexts resulted in entry to the services, conflicting acceptability to the services, passive adaptation to taking the services, and positive practices to cope with supplement free meals or other services. The service participation was initiated because of a combination of prolonged, vulnerable socioeconomic contexts, including poverty and unexpected life events such as diseases, disability, living alone, aging and unemployment. With regard to taking the services, conflicting acceptability was observed: positive aspects including saving living cost and good quality of meals, and negative aspects including lack of a tailored service and feeling of stigma. Although the recipients needed an individualized service, they did not express their needs and demands for the services and they accepted the unavailability as an accustomed, prolonged vulnerable socioeconomic context. With regard to lack of tailored services, either self-solution such as modification of eating patterns or community-based network and services were used. Conclusions: We suggest that a system to concretely identify recipients' attitude, acceptability and adaptation for home-delivered meal services should be developed in the establishment of a tailored nutrition support system for the low-income elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.136-146
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• 2014

A study was performed on the consumption of prepackaged meals (Dosirak) sold by food service providers through Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA) to determine the factors that consumers seek in quality Dosirak. According to the analysis, food service providers need to concentrate on food freshness and temperature while maintaining food taste. As for food packaging, consumers were found to prefer microwaveable plastic containers the most (29.3%). Nonetheless, they found that packaging needed improvements in securing food content during transportation and in food labeling, especially for expiration dates. The study also investigated which factors, including menu selection and advertising, affected the sales of food service provider Dosirak the most. The most important factor was determined to be price. Regarding menu selection, the quality of food seasoning and ingredients, daily specials and the variety of combination sets were found to be important. Availability of delivery (3.83/5.00), advance ordering (3.82/5.00) and discounts (3.75/5.00) were important factors in advertising. The conclusions of the study point to a consumer base that recognizes the ease and benefits of Dosirak but desires high quality food items at low cost. To expand the consumer base, food service providers must continually develop new menu items that satisfy consumer tastes and trends, maintain sanitary conditions and improve food labelling.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.621-634
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• 1996

This study was conducted to investigate the eating patterns of Korean men by analyzing the relation among their socio-demographic characteristics, value toward food and nutrition, and eating behavior. Nine hundred twenty nine Korean men were selected by the stratified random sampling method. The socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects had a significant influence on their value toward food and nutrition. After in their sixties had meals for physiological needs rather than for nutrition or preference. Highly educated people, professional workers, office workers and people in the higher incomes, placed a higher value toward food and nutrition. In addition, rural inhabitants had a significantly lower value toward food and nutrition. They mainly ate to satisfy their hunger. The subjects' eating behavior had a significant difference according to their socio-demographic characteristics. The aged and the less educated valued breakfast the most, and showed a preference for rice as the staple food. The rate of skipping meals for this group was low. The higher their income, their eating behavior score was equally high, while the primary industrial workers and rural inhabitants had a low eating behavior score. Value toward food and nutrition had a significant influence on eating behavior. Those that placed a high value toward food and nutrition showed a marked tendency to choose bread or noodles rather than rice. In addition, those who placed a high value on food and nutrition skipped fewer meals and had a higher eating behavior score.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.479-486
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Timing of almond intake during a day may result differently in the perspectives of body composition and changes of lipid profile. The current study was conducted to compare the effects of daily almond intake as a preload versus as a snack on body composition, blood lipid profile, and oxidative and inflammation indicators among young Korean adults aged 20-39 years old. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a pre-meal almond group (PM), a snack almond group (SN) in which participants were instructed to consume 56 g of almonds either as a preload before meals or as a snack between meals, respectively, and a control group (CL) in which participants were provided high-carbohydrate iso-caloric control food. Measurements were performed at baseline, weeks 8 and 16. RESULTS: A total of 169 (M 77 / F 92) out of the 227 participants completed the study between June 2014 and June 2015 (n = 58 for PM; 55 for SN; and 56 for CL). A significant decrease in body fat mass was observed in the PM group at both weeks 8 and 16 compared with the CL. There were significant intervention effects on changes of body fat mass (P = 0.025), body fat percentages (P = 0.019), and visceral fat levels (P < 0.001). Consuming almonds as a daily snack reduced the levels of total cholesterol (P = 0.043) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P = 0.011) without changing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol compared with the CL. CONCLUSION: Almond consumption as a preload modified body fat percentages, whereas snacking on almonds between meals improved blood lipid profiles. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03014531.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze the operators' perception of the allowable price range and the optimal price of kindergarten meals by using the PSM (price sensitivity measurement) technique and provide basic data on calculating kindergarten meal costs reflecting realistic meals. From April to May 2021, 779 kindergartens in Seoul were surveyed, based on 246 (31.6%) of the respondents. According to the survey, kindergarteners spent 3,506 won for meals on average, followed by 3,822 won for kindergarten attached to elementary school, 3,316 won for public kindergartens, and 2,896 won for private kindergartens (p<0.001). The allowed price range for the kindergarten meal service workers was estimated at 3,447~3854 won, 3,447 won for PMC (Point of Marginal Cheapness), and 3,854 won for PME (Point of Marginal Expensiveness). The appropriate cost of the kindergarten meal service provider was 3,950 won for kindergartens attached to elementary school, 3,425 won for public kindergartens, and 3,546 won for private kindergartens.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.129-141
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• 2019

This study was conducted to determine parents' recognition of the Center for children's foodservice management (CCFSM) and to compare preschoolers' satisfaction for meals served by childcare centers and some aspects regarding the vegetable intake according to the parents' recognition of CCFSM. The subjects were 255 parents, whose children were 2~5 year old and attended a childcare center, were grouped according to the recognition of CCFSM (high recognition, HR, 27.5%; medium recognition, MR, 47.4%; low recognition, LR, 25.1%). Information was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire and data were analyzed by SPSS 25.0. Only 58.6% of HR and 10.7% of MR answered the they had participated education/event held by the CCFSM. More parents in the HR group (88.6%) acknowledged the helpfulness of CCFSM on the children's food habits compared to those in the MR group (63.6%) (P<0.001). Compared to the MR and LR groups, more parents in the HR group answered not only that they were 'satisfied'/'very satisfied' with the meals served by childcare centers (P<0.05), but also they tended to think that their children were also satisfied (P=0.061). Up to 31.2% of parents in the LR group answered that there was no need for education to increase the vegetable intake of their child compared to 14.3% and 17.4% in the HR and MR groups, respectively (P<0.05). Moreover, up to 26.6% of parents answered that school cook planned menus compared to 5.7% and 13.2% in the HR and MR group, respectively (P<0.001). In conclusion, the results provided the association between parents' high recognition of CCFSM and preschoolers' satisfaction for meals from childcare centers as well as a better chance for a desirable food life regarding vegetable intake.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.474-488
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• 2021

Purpose: Malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is a significant factor affecting their adequate growth and development. This study aimed at conducting surveys and evaluating the dietary intake of children with CP according to their BMI classification and to thereby highlight the dietary factors affecting the nutritional status of these children. Methods: A total of 16 children were enrolled between the age of four and twelve. These subjects were further classified into three groups, namely underweight, normal and obese, with 6, 8, and 2 children in each group, respectively. The general characteristics, motor disturbances, body composition, feeding problems, eating habits, nutritional intake, dietary variety, and food frequency for children with CP were evaluated. Results: It was observed that motor disturbances tended to increase in underweight children with CP. A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in disturbances related to oral feeding was observed with an increase in obesity. The pattern of eating habits revealed that subjects in the underweight group consumed unbalanced meals, while those in the obese group tended to consume larger meals at a faster pace. The feeding disturbance data revealed that those in the underweight group could not prepare their meals while the obese group had the problem of overeating and consuming an unbalanced diet (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It is necessary for both children with CP, who have a high degree of disability, and their caregivers to take lessons on adequate nutrient intake to prevent malnutrition. Moreover, it is necessary for the caregivers and children with CP having a low degree of disability to take lessons on providing and consuming a balanced diet and to focus on the intake of sufficient calcium in order to prevent obesity.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between meal regularity (i.e. breakfast intake and meal-times), and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among generally healthy Korean single-person household adults (≤60 years, n=594) based on the Seventh Korean National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) (2016~2018). Among men (n=325), the breakfast intake frequency was not significantly associated with the pervalence of MetS. However, men consuming a regular meal at least once a day showed a lower prevalence of MetS compared to those whose meals were irregular. These patterns remained after adjusting for age, smoking and drinking habits, individual income, education level, exercise, and total calorie intake. An association between meal regularity and MetS risk was observed in post-menopausal women (n=84), but not in pre-menopausal women (n=185). More specifically post-menopausal women with irregular breakfast eating habits or eating no breakfast at all showed a significantly higher risk of MetS than those eating breakfast regularly after the adjustment. The analysis revealed an odds ratio (OR) of 8.46, confidence intervals (CIs): 1.149~62.199, P<0.05 in irregular breakfast eaters, and an OR of 13.377, CIs: 1.665~107.511, P<0.05, in those who ate no breakfast. Furthermore, post-menopausal women who had irregular meals daily showed a higher risk of MetS than those consuming one or more regular meals/day after the adjustment (OR: 16.888, CIs: 1.258~226.655, P<0.05). In conclusion, the results from this study may be used for formulating optimal dietary guidelines for the prevention and the management of MetS in adults in single-person households.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1030-1051
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• 2020

Objective: This study investigated the measurement interval in the ultrasonographic gastric emptying test for patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and the correlation between gastric emptying and the findings of various questionnaires. Methods: In total, 119 patients (59 patients with FD and 60 healthy controls) were recruited from July 2018 to June 2020. Gastric volume (GV) and gastric emptying half-time (T1/2) were measured by ultrasonography at fasting and again at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after meals (apple juice, 500 mL, 224 kcal), and the average half-time (average T1/2) was calculated. Questionnaires on food retention (FRQ), phlegm pattern e (PPQ), cold and heat (CHQ), deficiency and excess (DEQ), and spleen-qi deficiency (SQDQ), stomach qi deficiency pattern (SSDQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Nepean dyspepsia index-Korean version (NDI-K) were completed by all participants. The differences in GV and T1/2 were analyzed in participants whose maximal GV occurred at 0 min versus after 0 min. The correlation of the average T1/2 with the questionnaire scores was also analyzed after excluding erroneous data. Results: Patients with FD who took a certain amount of time to reach maximal GV after meals had a greater gastric volume up to about 30 minutes after meals, and the PPQ, DEQ, and NDI-K scores, especially for upper gastrointestinal symptoms and general weakness-related symptoms, showed statistically significant correlations with average T1/2. Conclusions: Ultrasonography can be a quantitative evaluation tool for FD. However, further studies on measurement methods based on FD physiopathology are required.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.598-606
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• 2010

Kimchi is the most well-known Korean traditional food, but it is also the main leftover of school lunch and dinner menus. This study aimed to familiarize teenagers with kimchi through school meals and to increase their daily kimchi intake, ultimately by appealing to the young generation's taste. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the Ansan area to examine student's acceptability of kimchi and their attitudes toward kimchi. Approximately 65% of males and 67% of female students liked the moderately fermented and pungent taste of kimchi. Kimchi served in school meals was regarded as nutritional but cheap. Approximately 72% of male and 82% of female students responded that they liked menu items using kimchi. Approximately 48% of students responded that menu items using kimchi in schools are not diverse. Students preferred meat as an ingredient in kimchi. The preferred cooking methods were stir-frying and frying, whereas boiling was the least favorite. Based on the survey results, ten kimchi menu items had been developed. The suitability of the menu was evaluated by students and cooks. Six kimchi items, including Kimchi mixed with rice, chicken, soybean sprouts, Kimchi cheese rice, stewed beef ribs with kimchi, rice topped with kimchi curry, kimchi cheese meat roast, and kimchi udong were considered appropriate for school meals, whereas kimchi kangchong, kimchi topokki, kimchi stew with surimi, and frozen Pollack kimchi soup were not suitable as menu items. Kimchi topokki was not accepted by students, while kimchi kangchong was not accepted by cooks. Cooks judged the suitability of a menu item by the cooking process and cooking times, whereas students judged an item by its sensory preference. Approximately 63% of students responded that kimchi intake has increased by participating in the development of kimchi dishes.