• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.330-339
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• 2018

Purpose: This study examined the dietary habits and nutritional status of young children in Korea. Methods: Data were collected from the 2013 ~ 2015 KNHNES (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) by health behavior interviews and the 24-hour dietary recall method. This study included 1,214 (445 aged 1 ~ 2 years, 769 aged 3 ~ 5 years) young children aged 1 ~ 5 years. To analyze the dietary status of young children, the general characteristics of young children and their mothers, their dietary behaviors and health factors, and nutritional status and frequently consumed foods were analyzed. Results: The starting time of bovine milk and weaning were 14 ~ 15 months and 6.2 months, respectively. Eighty two percent of young children ate breakfast 5 ~ 7 times per week while only 2.3% of them skipped breakfast. The highest percentage (35.8%) of the frequency of eating-out was 5 ~ 6 times per week. The prevalence of asthma, atopy, and allergic rhinitis was significantly higher in young children 3 ~ 5 years old than in those 1 ~ 2 years old. The subjects with lower recommended energy intake were 44.1% and 57.4% of young children 1 ~ 2 years old and 3 ~ 5 years old, respectively. Most nutrients except calcium and potassium were taken enough. For the intakes of calcium and potassium, 51% and 64% of young children 1 ~ 2 years and 3 ~ 5 years old, respectively, were taking less than the recommended calcium intake, and 79.5% and 75.5% of young children 1 ~ 2 years and 3 ~ 5 years old, respectively, did not meet the recommended potassium intake. The frequently consumed foods of young children 1 ~ 2 years old were milk, white rice, apple, curd yogurt, and egg, and those of 3 ~ 5 years old children were milk, white rice, apple, egg, and mandarin. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to provide basic data for the nutritional education of mothers and teachers and assist in the development of sustainable dietary programs for young children.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.603-614
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the health and nutritional status of Korean adults according to food security by age group. Methods: The subjects were 20~79 year old adults (n = 16,595) who participated in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010~2012). Subjects were divided into three groups based on food security such as secure, mildly insecure, and moderately/severely insecure groups. Dietary intake was estimated by 24-hour dietary recall. As for mental health status, the data on mental stress, sleep hours, depression symptoms, and suicide ideation were used. Results: Korean adults who were exposed to high food insecurity typically had low income levels, lived alone, and were recipients of basic welfare. In the 20~39y group, people with higher food insecurity had lower concentrations of hemoglobin and higher iron-binding capacity. In the 40~59y group, people with higher food insecurity had lower HDL-cholesterol. In the 60~79y group, people with higher food insecurity had higher total cholesterol levels, more stress, more experiences of depression symptoms, and were more suicidal. Mean intakes of energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, carotene, vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, niacin, and vitamin C were lower in the food insecure groups. Amounts of vegetables, fruits, and seasoning intakes tended to be lower in people with higher food insecurity. The effects of food security on nutrition intake were greater in the 40~59y and 60~79y groups than the 20-39y group. Conclusion: Food insecurity was related to certain health indicators such as anemia and cholesterol levels and affected mental health. The effects of food insecurity on health and nutritional status were different by age group.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.702-713
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• 2023

Purpose: Depression is a prevalent mental health concern globally including South Korea. Given the growing interest in the relationship between diet and mental health, this study aimed to investigate the association between seafood consumption and depression among Korean adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2014-2020). The study included 18,149 participants (7,541 men and 10,608 women) aged 19 years and older who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Seafood intake levels were assessed using a oneday 24-hour dietary recall, and participants were categorized into three tertiles by gender. Depression status was determined using the PHQ-9 scores and the self-report of the doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between seafood consumption and depression in both genders. Results: Participants with a higher seafood intake had a significantly lower nutritional density of total fat, while the nutritional density of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly higher. The prevalence of depression was significantly lower in the highest tertile of seafood consumption compared to the lowest tertile in both men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest tertile of seafood consumption demonstrated a decreased risk of depression compared to the lowest tertile in men (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.99; p-trend = 0.020) and women (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91; p-trend = 0.004). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that consuming seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids may potentially reduce the risk of depression in the adult population.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.667-682
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the changes in health behavior, mental health, and nutritional status of Korean adolescents before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. Methods: A total of 800 adolescents (12~18 years old) who participated in the 2019-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were included as study subjects and divided into four groups (204 middle school boys, 172 middle school girls, 219 high school boys, and 205 high school girls). The 2019 and 2020 KNHANES data were classified into data collected before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, respectively. Results: After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, middle school boys showed an increased tendency toward becoming overweight and obese, with significantly increased levels of diastolic blood pressure and insulin. While there was no major change in the subjective health status among adolescents, the high school boys showed a significantly decreased physical activity after COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the proportion of middle school students feeling a little stressed significantly increased after the COVID-19 outbreak. The rate of skipping breakfast significantly increased in middle school girls, but the rate of having lunch with companions significantly increased among all adolescents after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the intake of milk, vegetables, fruits, seaweeds, and pulses significantly decreased, although the intake of sugars, beverages, and seasonings significantly decreased as well, during this period. These changes may lead to an increased proportion of adolescents with insufficient intake of nutrients, including potassium, vitamin C, and riboflavin. Conclusion: These results highlight the impact of COVID-19 on comprehensive changes in physical and mental health status, lifestyle behavior, and nutritional status in adolescents, suggesting the need for targeted prevention and intervention for physical and mental well-being during the pandemic.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.42-55
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• 2008

Purpose: A new health policy, referred to as the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children, was launched in November 2007 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and National Health Insurance Corporation in Korea. We have developed a nutrition-counseling program that was incorporated into this project. Methods: We reviewed the nutritional guidelines published by The Korean Pediatric Society and internationally well-known screening programs such as Bright Future in the United States. We also reviewed the recent Korean national surveys on nutritional issues, including the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the 2005 National Survey of Physical Body and Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. The development of questions, pamphlets, computer programs, and manuals for doctors was carried out after several meetings of researchers and governmental officers. Results: We summarized the key nutritional issues according to age, including breastfeeding in infants, healthier complementary feeding, and prevention of iron deficiency anemia, establishment of healthier diets, as well as dietary prevention of overweight children with an emphasis on physical exercise. We have constructed a new Korean nutrition questionnaire and an anticipatory guidance program based on the primary care schedule of visits at 4, 9, 18, 30, and 60 months of age. Five to eight questions were asked at each visit and age-matched pamphlets for parents and guidelines for doctors were provided. Conclusion: We developed a nutrition-counseling program based on recent scientific evidence for Korean infants and children. Further research on this national program for screening the nutritional problems in detail and setting the therapeutic approaches may help identify areas of success as well as those that need further attention.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.223-244
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between metabolic risk factors, Index of Nutrition Quality, and the dietary quality index score of Korean adults. Methods: The subjects were 18,652 Korean adults aged 19 years or older (7,899 males, 10,753 females) who participated in the 2016-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects were divided into normal, pre-metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) groups according to the number of their metabolic risk factors. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Results: About 44.7% of men in the MetS group were at least college graduates (P < 0.001), whereas 52.0% of women in the MetS group were middle school graduates or lower (P < 0.001). The frequency of fruit and dairy products intake tended to decrease as the number of metabolic risk factors increased in both men and women (P for trend < 0.001). As the number of metabolic risk factors decreased, the frequency of grain intake tended to decrease in men (P for trend < 0.001) while the frequency of intake of red meat (P for trend = 0.001), poultry (P for trend < 0.001), and eggs (P for trend < 0.001) decreased in women. The total scores of Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) (men P < 0.001, women P < 0.01) and Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) (men and women P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the MetS group compared to the other groups, and the total score of DQI-I and KHEI tended to decrease as the number of metabolic risk factors increased. Conclusions: Dietary quality evaluation using various indices can provide more information on the dietary problems related to metabolic risk factors. Nutrients and foods that have been confirmed to be related to metabolic risk factors can be used to develop dietary guidelines for the nutritional management of metabolic diseases.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.3368-3373
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk factors of self-reported voice problem. Data were from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2008. Subjects were 3,600 persons (1,501 men, 2,099 women) aged 19 years and older. A prediction model was developed by the use of a exhaustive CHAID (Chi Squared Automatic Interaction Detection) algorism of decision tree model. In the decision tree analysis, pain and discomfort during the last 2 weeks, age, the longest occupation and thyroid disorders was significantly associated with self-reported voice problem. The findings of associated factors suggest potential ways of targeting counseling and prevention efforts to control self-reported voice problem.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.257-268
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate nutrient intake and meal variety with breakfast eating in Korean adolescents using data from the 2008-2009 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The analysis included 1245 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. The subjects were divided into two groups according to breakfast skipping (BS: breakfast skipping, n = 235, BE: breakfast eating, n = 1110). The BS group was significantly higher in its frequency of eating soda drinks, instant noodle, and ice cream than the BE group. The BS group consumed significantly lower quantities of plant calcium and plant protein per 1,000 kcal compared to the BE group. Also the intake of cereal and vegetables in the BS group was significantly lower than those in the BE group, however, the intake of beverage in the BS group was significantly higher than that in the BE group. The average number of foods of the BE and BS groups were 29.50 and 25.85, respectively and revealed a statistical significance (p < 0.0001). The snack intake and % energy from snack intake of the BS group were significantly higher than those of the BE group. Also, the fasting blood glucose concentrations were significantly higher in the BS group compared to the BE group. In conclusion, adolescents who skip breakfast may have lower meal variety and higher blood glucose concentrations. Therefore, in support of proper dietary management, it is necessary to promote and encourage breakfast eating.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1246-1254
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• 2012

The South Korea has the highest overall smoking rates of male among the thirty member-countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This study was performed to determine the association between amount of smoking and self-reported voice problem in Korean adult population using national survey data. Data were drawn from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2008. Subjects were 3,600 persons (1,501 male, 2,099 female) aged 19 years and older living in the community. Adjusting for covariates (age, sex, education, income, longest occupation, alcohol drinking, pain and discomfort during the last 2 weeks), Severe smoke (>40.5-55.5 pack year), more than 20 cigarettes per day were independent risk factors for self-reported voice problem. It was found that the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) the proportional increased in risk of voice disorders. These findings suggest that the investigation of CPD are required for effective screening of voice disorder.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.99-108
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• 2012

Recent research has identified that self-reported voice problems are a risk indicator for voice disorders. However, previous studies concerning the general population did not take into account the influence of gender on self-reported voice problems. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to determine the gender differences in risk factors of self-reported voice problems in the Korean adult population using national survey data. This study utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2008. Subjects inclued 3,622 people (1,508 male and 2,114 female) aged 19 years and older living in the community. Data were analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple logistic regression. The prevalence of self-reported voice problems was 5.9% in males, and 8.1% in females Females had higher incidents of self-reported voice problems than males. Adjusting for covariates, in males, age (OR=2.47, 95% CI: 1.07-5.70), pain and discomfort during the last two weeks (OR=3.64, 95% CI: 2.20-6.01) were independently associated with self-reported voice problems (p<0.05). In women, age (OR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.18-3.26), education (OR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.06-4.12), smoking (OR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.48-4.93), thyroid disorders (OR=2.58, 95% CI: 1.47-4.53), pain and discomfort during the last two weeks (OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.21-2.54) were independently associated with self-reported voice problem (p<0.05). Self-reported voice problems related risk factors differed according to gender. These findings suggest that there needs to be different program strategies that reflect gender differences in self-reported voice problems.