• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2010

It is suggested that evaluation of diet quality may be a great indicator of nutritional assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diet quality of children and adolescents based on nutrient and food group intake and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I). This survey was conducted through questionnaires and diet record survey to 477 students (elementary school students; n = 131, middle school students; n = 136, and high school students; n = 210). The results showed that high school students were significantly more often to skip breakfast compared with the other groups. The middle and high school students consumed significantly higher intakes of food and energy compared to the elementary school students. Also the number of nutrients in Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) < 1.0 of high school students were significantly higher than that of elementary and middle school students. The Korean's dietary diversity score (KDDS) of elementary school, middle school and high school students were 4.1, 4.4 and 4.3 respectively. The average DQI-I of elementary school, middle school and high school students were 66.7, 65.5, and 63.7, respectively and there was significant difference. Also, middle school students showed to have higher score in variety and adequacy category compared with the other groups, and elementary school students appeared to have higher score in moderation category. In conclusion, high school students appeared to have unhealthy dietary habits in terms of high frequency of skipping breakfast and lower INQ and DQI-I score compared to the elementary school and middle school students. Therefore, the proper dietary management should be needed for high school students.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.453-463
• /
• 2009

This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the weight control program for female college students. The program was composed of diet and behavioral modifications for 8 weeks. A total of 78 participants enrolled the weight control program. Upon completion of the program, 53 participants experienced weight loss and 25 did not. The intakes of carbohydrate and fat were significantly decreased in both groups. However, the total diet quality index-international (DQII) scores as well as individual scores such as variety scores for protein source and adequacy scores for vegetable, fiber, calcium and vitamin C and moderation scores for empty calorie food were increased significantly in weight loss group only. In the weight loss group, weight, BMI, body fat, percent body fat and waist-hip ratio were decreased significantly. In addition, compared to the weight gain group, the weight loss group had higher changes in weight (weight loss group: -2.6% vs weight gain group: 1.5%, p < 0.001), body fat (-6.0% vs 0.0%, p < 0.001), percent body fat (-3.1% vs -0.3%, p < 0.001), waist-hip ratio (-1.0% vs 0.5%, p < 0.001) and BMI (-2.6% vs 1.3%, p < 0.01). There was no difference in blood profiles between the two groups. The changes in DQI-I scores were significantly correlated with the changes in body weight (r = -0.239, p < 0.05) and BMI (r = -0.224, p < 0.05), indicating that effective nutrition education could help improve diet quality leading to successful weight management among female college students.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.406-415
• /
• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional intake and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) of gynecological cancer survivors and normal women. Methods: This study compared the anthropometric indices, dietary behavior, nutritional intake, and DQI-I in women with previous history of breast or uterine cancer [Gynecological cancer survivors group (GCSG, n=126)] and normal women [Normal control group (NCG, n=7,011)] using the 2013~2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Results: Body mass index and waist circumference were lower in the GCSG compared the NCG. The frequency of skipping breakfast and eating out was higher in the NCG compared to GCSG. Energy and fat intake were significantly higher in the NCG than in the GCSG, whereas intake of all minerals and vitamins (excluding thiamine), and dietary fiber intake were higher in GCSG. It was observed that the fatty acid intake of the GCSG was significantly lower than that of the NCG. The diet quality evaluation using DQI-I results showed that GCSG was higher in the "within-group" diet variety and adequacy of vegetable group than the NCG, whereas the intake level of the fruit group was higher in NCG. Besides, protein, calcium, and vitamin C intake were higher in the GCSG than in the NCG. The GCSG showed higher levels of total fat and saturated fat moderation than the NCG, whereas cholesterol moderation showed the opposite results. The results of DQI-I comparison according to the cancer survival years showed that the overall score and scores related to diet adequacy and balance were higher in the below 5-year group, whereas the over 5-year group scored higher in terms of moderation of diet. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that a chronic disease based management approach is needed in cancer survivors. The study provides important data which can help in the preparation of guidelines for long-term lifestyle and diet management, in these patients.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.269-283
• /
• 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.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To examine the levels of physical activity (PA) and diet quality, socio-demographic and clinical correlates, and identify associations with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among breast cancer survivors. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional study design. A total of 74 breast cancer survivors who had completed their primary cancer therapy were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center in Korea. Measurements used included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Diet Quality Index, and the EORTC QLQ-C30. Results: Only twenty-six women (35.1%) met the American Cancer Society criteria of weekly PA, while most participants (93.2%) displayed good or excellent diet quality. Those less likely to meet the PA criteria were older women, women who had a lower economic level, and women not receiving anti-hormone therapy. However, there was no significant factor associated with diet quality. Women who met the criteria for PA displayed significantly better global QOL than women who did not meet the criteria. No significant differences were found in HRQOL between women who did and did not meet the diet quality criteria. Conclusion: Nurses should be aware of breast cancer survivors who are older and who have a low economic status when assessing and screening the level of PA to improve HRQOL.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.491-501
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dietary behavior, nutrient and food intake status and dietary quality based on nutrient and food group intake and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) according to breakfast eating status in female university students. The survey was conducted using questionnaires and 3-day dietary records for 181 female university students residing in Seoul, Gyunggi, and Gangwon. The subjects were divided into two groups by frequency of breakfast eating: skipping breakfast (frequency of eating breakfast under 4 times/week, n=69) and eating breakfast (frequency of eating breakfast over five times/week, n=112). The skipping-breakfast group was significantly lower in its frequency of having lunch than that of the eating-breakfast group. There was no significant difference of energy intake between the two groups; however, the intake of carbohydrate, fiber, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, Ca and Fe in the skipping-breakfast group was significantly lower than those in the eating-breakfast group. There was no significant difference in Korean's Dietary Diversity Score (KDDS) between the skipping-breakfast group ($4.65{\pm}0.56$) and eating-breakfast group ($4.73{\pm}0.50$). The average DQI-I of the skippingbreakfast group ($56.96{\pm}9.04$) was significantly lower than that of the eating-breakfast group ($61.32{\pm}7.99$). In conclusion, female university students with a high frequency of skipping breakfast may have a lower diet quality and DQI-I score. Therefore, in support of proper dietary management, it is necessary to promote and support breakfast eating.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.513-526
• /
• 2014

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of low sodium diet education program on dietary habits, diet quality, and measures of obesity in overweight or obese middle-aged women. Methods: Subjects were 81 individuals aged 45 years or over, who completed an 8-week nutrition education. The subjects were divided into a normal group (N = 30) and an overweight-obese group (N = 51) according to the BMI. The effects were evaluated by anthropometric measurement, biochemical analysis, questionnaire, and diet records before and after the program. Results: Overweight-obese group showed significant decreases in weight (p < 0.0001), BMI (p < 0.0001), percent of body fat (p = 0.0087), waist circumference (p < 0.0001), systolic (p = 0.0003) and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.0261). Nutrients intakes were not different between the two groups and only sodium intake was decreased after education. Total score of general dietary habits, dietary behavior related to sodium intake, dietary diversity score (DDS), diet variety score (DVS), and diet quality index-international (DQI-I) were improved in both groups compared to the baseline. Overweight-obese group showed significant improvement in 'having fruits everyday', 'having fish everyday', 'trying to eat many kinds of food', 'eating less broth when eating soup, stew, and noodles', 'eating less kimchi and salt-fermented vegetable', and 'propensity to think that dishes should be pretty seasoned'. In addition, moderation of empty calories food (p = 0.0064) and macronutrient ratio (p = 0.0004) were improved in the overweigh-obese group, but in the normal group, the results did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: These results suggested that low sodium diet education program may contribute to obesity management by improving diet quality and dietary habits in middle-aged women.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.263-273
• /
• 2017

Numerous studies have investigated quantifying dietary intake according to the weight status of children and adolescents. However, studies on differences in quality among diets remain scarce. This study compared diet quality by weight status and examined correlations between quality of diet and obesity in children and adolescents. Two hundred fourteen children and adolescents aged between 9 and 18 years participated in this study (Normal weight n=104, Obesity n=110). The data related to food intake were investigated by dietary records, Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and then compared with Dietary Reference Intakes for Korean (KDRIs). In DQI-I, moderation factor (control of unhealthy foods) score was 21.7 in the normal weight group and 19.5 in the obesity group. The normal weight group showed a higher score for moderation factor than the obesity group (P<0.001). Compared with KDRIs, vitamin $B_6$, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and zinc intakes were insufficient in both groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that DQI-I moderation was negatively associated with obesity (OR=0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87) after adjustment for age, gender, income, and total energy intake. Our results suggest that children and adolescents require nutritional education to understand the importance of vitamin and mineral consumption. Especially, education for children and adolescents with obesity needs to emphasize moderation of nutrient intake that can cause diseases with hyper-ingestion such as sodium and high calorie-low nutrition foods.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.284-292
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study compared the differences of postmenopausal women's bone mineral density in relation to the degree of obesity, metabolism index and dietary factors that affect bone mineral density. Methods: The subjects included in the study are 39 postmenopausal women of normal weight with body mass index less than $25kg/m^2$ and 32 postmenopausal who are obese. Anthropometry and biochemical analysis were performed and nutrient intakes and DQI-I were assessed. Results: Normal weight women were $56.03{\pm}3.76years$ old and obese women were $58.09{\pm}5.13years$ old and there was no significant difference in age between the two groups. The T-score of bone mineral density was $0.03{\pm}1.06$ in normal weight women and $-0.60{\pm}1.47$ in obese women and this was significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). Blood Leptin concentration was significantly lower in normal weight women ($6.09{\pm}3.37ng/mL$) compared to obese women in ($9.01{\pm}4.99ng/mL$) (p<0.05). The total score of diet quality index-international was $70.41{\pm}9.34$ in normal weight women and $64.93{\pm}7.82$ in obese women (p<0.05). T-score of bone mineral density showed negative correlations with percentage of body fat (r = -0.233, p=0.05), BMI (r = -0.197, p=0.017), triglyceride (r = -0.281, p=0.020) and leptin (r = -0.308, p=0.011). The results of multiple regression analysis performed as the method of entry showed that with 22.0% of explanation power, percentage of body fat (${\beta}=-0.048$, p<0.05), triglyceride (${\beta}=-0.005$, p<0.05) and HDL-cholesterol (${\beta}=0.034$, p<0.01), moderation of DQI-I (${\beta}=-0.231$, p<0.05) affected T-score significantly. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that obese women have less bone density than those with normal weight women. In addition, the factor analysis result that affect bone mineral density showed that intake of fat is a very important factor. Therefore, postmenopausal women need to maintain normal weight and manage blood lipid levels within normal range. They also need to take various sources of protein and reduce consumption of empty calorie foods that have high calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.614-624
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 3-month nutrition education (First Time Intervention, FI) + additional 3-month nutrition education (Repeated Intervention, RI) which was performed after the 8-month followup. FI was conducted during 0-3 months and RI for 11-14 months. Ninety-two subjects completed FI program, and 38 out of 92 subjects who received FI finished the RI. Anthropometric data, dietary assessment (24hr recall) and fasting blood analysis were measured at 0 month, 3 months, 11 months and 14 months time points. After FI (3 mo), waist circumference, triglycerides, total cholesterol were significantly decreased. At 11 month follow-up, body weight, BMI, hip circumference, SBP, DBP were significantly rebounced and HDL cholesterol was significantly decreased. Therefore, the effect of short-term nutrition education was not being sustained. After the secondary nutrition intervention (14 mo), waist circumference and hip circumference were again significantly decreased. Total diet quality index-international (DQI-I) score was significantly increased in both FI group and RI group. The changes in DQI-I scores were significantly correlated with the changes in body weight (r = -0.129, p < 0.05) and counts of nutrition education (r = 0.159, p < 0.05), indicating that effective nutrition education helps improve the diet quality leading to a possible role in CVD prevention among male workers. Although a short-term intervention seems to be a success, the effect was not retained in this study. Therefore, we suggest incorporating nutrition education as a routine program for male worker at worksite.