• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.123-139
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to search how to promote health and improve nutrition and health care of the elderly people in rural area. Behaviors for health promotion and habits against health risk were surveyed. Dietary management was analyzed for surveyed nutrient intake by 24 hr -recall method. 242 subjects were collected in 12 cities or counties in Gyeonggi Province and 20 elderly people (10 male and 10 female) were selected out of 1 village in each district. Questionnaire for health behavior and dietary management was carried out by trained interviewers. Statistical analyses were made by SAS (version 8.1) and Chi-square tests and General Linear Models were used. Characteristics of the elderly people were 61-74 year-olds (68.2%), elementary school educated (78.4%), with spouse (51.7%), monthly living cost of 500-1,000 thousand won(43.4%), and monthly pocket money of 50-100 or 100-200 thousand won(33.5%, 26.5%). 41.4% of the subjects checked up medical examination regularly. The alcohol drinking status was significantly different according to gender: high no-drink rate of female (52.5%) and low no-drink rate of male (25.6%). Kinds of disease were different according to gender: higher proportion of cardiovascular disease(46.3%) and diabetes mellitus(8.1 %) in male and joint lumbago neuralgia(44.4%) and osteoporosis(8.6%) in female. Gastrointestinal complaints were nausea (69.0%) and chronic indigestion (17.8%). Constipation (12.0%) and vomiting (4.3%) were more frequent in female. Dietary management was good (3 meals per day: 93.4%., dining with family: 72.4%, regular mealtime: 72.4%, and 3-4 times of snacks per week: 44.9%) except side dish taking of 3-4 kinds only. However, almost one-third of the female elderly ate alone (30.6%) which was well compared with one-fifth of the male (19.7%). And food and nutrients intake were not significantly different according to gender except that male elderly's intake of energy and protein was lower than that of female's. The surveyed subjects had no difficulties in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), but some female elderly had some difficulties with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) like working at home, using transport, and going shopping. These results suggest that low quality of life linked with low economic status of the rural elderly and that congregate meal at village hall would be required for the female elderly eating alone. For the undernourished male elderly, it would be needed to provide snacks and to establish nutrition and health surveillance system.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.583-591
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• 2008

The principal objective of this study was to assess the demands of the development program of silver health care professionals for elderly individuals residing in the Northern Gyeonggi-do area. To this end, a survey was conducted to investigate college students and employees related with elderly individuals in the area regarding their recognition, interest, and involvement in the labor training program. In the case of college students, the health education they had received was only 1 to 2 hours, from a school lecture(35%). The content of health education they desired was exercise(34%) and stress management skills(28%). The sources of health information they received included mass media(77%) and the internet(12%), and they trusted the information they received from health professionals(45%), and the mass media(34%). In the case of health professionals who were working at silver care facilities, the sources of health information to which they had access were mass media(51%), internet(14%), reliable health professionals(56%), mass media(22%), and books related to health (18%). The principal issues they reported as being relevant to the elderly were dementia(39%), hypertension(14%), arthritis (11%), and they reported that the most important personnel for elderly in the future would be care managers(44%), and care helpers(21%). 88% of subjects believed that there was a need for a silver welfare integrated information system. 43% of subjects used the internet, 77% of them required in-service training programs for the welfare of the elderly. Via this developmental program of silver health care professionals, a variety of new job opportunities can be provided in the future, and a program related to the silver service industry must be established as soon as possible.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the diet and health status of elderly women according to the family type. Methods: A total of 307 elderly women participated in this study were divided into one of three groups according to their family type: residing with spouse (RSP; n=88), residing with son or daughter (RSD; n=119), and residing alone (RAL; n=100). Chisquare test was used to assess dietary habits and health status of the subjects by the family types. Results: Results demonstrated significant associations between eating regular meals, person preparing meals, coffee intake, and bone fracture experience and family type. Among the three groups, the RSP and RAL groups had a higher percentage for preparing meals by themselves (p<0.001) than the RSD group. The RAL group had a lower percentage for eating regular meals (p<0.01) but a higher percentage for bone fracture experience (p<0.05) than the other groups. There were no significant differences in monthly allowance, self-estimated health status, physical activity, exercise, drinking, and dietary habits such as frequency of consumption of dairy, beans, eggs, fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables among the three groups. Conclusions: The results showed that elderly women residing alone without a son, daughter, or spouse had more diet-related and health problems such as irregular meals and high bone fracture experience. These findings suggested that elderly women residing alone need more attention and support.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.592-605
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• 2007

Undernutrition could be a significant deterrent to healthy aging and could negatively affect health outcomes in elderly. This study aimed to assess health-related factors which are associated with nutritional risks in middle-aged and elderly individuals by a cross-sectional study. Interviews were conducted with 2660 subjects (847 males, 1813 females), aged 50 years and over, in 15 cities in Korea. Data on food intake were obtained through a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires. Nutritional status were analyzed according to health-related factors including cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, stress and depression level. Less regular exercise was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition [odds ratio (OR) 1.94; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.43-2.65] of middle-aged and elderly male subjects. Cigarette smoking (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.24-2.71), less exercise (OR 2.58; 95% CI 2.07-3.21), stress (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.36-2.22), and depression (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.08-1.67) of middle-aged and elderly female subjects was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that less exercise proved to be the strongest predictors for the poor nutrition, followed by stress, smoking, and depression (model $R^2= 9.0%$). It suggests that guidance to promote regular exercise, to quit smoking, to minimize stress and depression level might help to improve nutritional status of middle-aged and elderly in Korea. These findings also suggest that having recommendable health behaviors are beneficial to the good nutrition of subjects aged 50 years and over.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.382-395
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined the nutritional status according to frailty status in the elderly at home. Methods: The participants were a total of 76 elderly at home living in Seo-gu, Gwangju, Korea. The nutritional status and frailty status were analyzed using the Nutrition Quotient for Elderly (NQ-E) and the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses and Loss of weight Scale (K-FRAIL), respectively. Results: The distribution of frailty status was robust (17.1%), pre-frailty (38.2%) and frailty (44.7%), and its distribution was significantly different in genders, age groups and the number of medications. The mean NQ-E score was 47.0 for total subjects, indicating a low grade. The scores of balance, diversity and dietary behavior factors were within the low grade, while the score of the moderation factor was within the medium-high grade. According to the frailty status, pre-frailty and frailty showed significantly higher scores for sugar-added beverages intake in the moderation constructs than robust. Robust showed significantly higher scores for the exercise hours and perception level for one's health than pre-frailty and frailty. Conclusions: These results suggest that nutrition status is associated with frailty status. Regular nutrition education and visiting nutrition service should be established to improve the balance and diversity of food intake and improve the dietary behavior of the elderly at home.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.749-761
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• 2002

This study investigated the anthropometric and biochemical indices, and the health and nutritional factors influencing the two indices among 194 middle-aged and elderly subjects (108 middle-aged and 86 elderly) residing in a medium sized city for more than 10 years. In the examination of their dietary habits, 8.3% of the middle-aged subjects and 14.0% of the elderly subjects had two meals a day, and more female subjects had two meals per day. Of the subjects who ate meals at regular times, 75.0% were middle-aged and 79.1% were elderly, and the degree of irregularity of meals was greater for female subjects. The study of the dietary behavior of the subjects indicated that 71.3% and 66.3% of the middle-aged and elderly, respectively responded that the amount of food in each meal was sufficient. The subjects ate alone comprised 19.7% of the middle-aged females and 31.5% of the elderly females. The prevalence of smoking among the subjects was 28.1% for the middle-aged, 18.8% for the elderly male and 7.4% for the elderly females. The percentage of the subjects who drank alcohol was 34.4% of the middle-aged males and 13.2% of the middle-aged females. Slightly less than half of the subjects exercised more than once a week, with the male subjects showing a higher rate than the female subjects. The average body mass indices (BMI) were 24.5 and 24.6 for the middle-aged male and female, respectively, and 22.6 and 24.0 for the elderly male and female, respectively. BMI assessment showed that underweight subjects (BMI ＜ 20) comprised 3.7% of the middle-aged, 14.0% of the elderly, and that 40.7% of the middle-aged and 24.4% of the elderly were overweight (25 ＜ BMI ＜ 30) , and 0.9% of the middle-aged and 1.2% of the elderly were classified as obese (BMI $\geq$ 30) . A waist/hip ratio (WHR) greater than 0.8 was found in 89.5% of the middle-aged females and 90.7% of the elderly females, showing high abdominal fat deposition in the majority of females. The average systolic blood pressure of females was 121.1 $\pm$ 17.1 mmHg for the middle-aged and 129.6 $\pm$ 21.3 mmHg for the elderly subjects. The systolic blood pressures showed a significantly difference between the two age groups. Those defined as anemic subjects based on hemoglobin values comprised 13.0% of the middled-aged group and 16.3% of the elderly group. There was a tendency for higher fasting glucose levels among the elderly subjects. An increase in total plasma cholesterol levels with age was shown. The female subjects had higher cholesterol levels than the males'The study of the correlation between the daily habits and health status showed that the amount of food eaten at each meal, the frequency of eating out, and the use of dietary supplements appeared to influence BMI, WHR, the plasma triglyceride and plasma cholesterol levels; omitting one meal had a positive correlation with the systolic blood pressure and plasma cholesterol. These results suggest that desirable dietary habits and concerns for health are contributing factors for maintaining good health, as indicated by normal blood lipid levels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.1362-1372
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• 2009

This study was carried out to broadly profile the dietary pattern of elderly who consumed a higher amount of sodium compared to lesser sodium consumers. Na index 14, an instant food frequency questionnaire (IFFQ) of 40 items characterizing a high amount of sodium and a food frequency questionnaire of 63 food items that were used in nationwide surveys were adopted for the assessment of dietary characteristics of the subjects. The Na index 14 consisted of food items such as kimchi stew, bean paste stew, cooked spinach dish, seaweed soup, fish stew, roasted anchovy, and seasoned vegetables. Also, the survey constructs included nutritional knowledge and anthropometric measurements of the subjects. Out a total of 135 participants, 58 elderly were determined as the high sodium intake group (HSIG) and the other 77 were the control group, via a formerly validated Na index and sodium-associated dietary habits scale (SDH). Dietary habits of "add salt or soy sauce to foods", "drink up the broth of soups and stews", and "brined fishes and vegetables daily" were among the most significant differences between HSIG and control group in SDH assessment. In addition, the HSIG were less likely to have regular meals, adequate amount of meals, and nutritionally balanced meals than the control, with the differences manifesting more in females than males. Additional findings included that the HSIG possessed a poorer nutritional knowledge and obtained much higher scores on the IFFQ. Taken together, the study urges the needs of nutrition education for the elderly who habitually salt their foods and maintain a less desirable dietary style.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.72-80
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• 1986

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary-intake and that of health by mean of questionarie and interview for male and female old persons living in Seoul area. The contents of study included general aspects, physical status and health, nutrient intake, and food intake frequency. The results from the above survey are summarized as follows ; 1. The age group in the range of 60 to 79 years old was 71%, and the average number of family was 4.9. The educational level was 56% of elderly persons were elementary or middle school graduates . 42.8% of elderly persons had an average monthly income of \490,000 to 300,000. 2. The aged average height, weight, and physical index were 164.9cm, 55.8kg and 20.4 in male, 152.7cm, 46.0kg and 20.3 in female which were lower than the Korean average standard. (male; 167.0cm, 61.0kg, female; 156.0cm, 55.0kg) In the degree of health self-consciousness, percentage distribution of poor and very poor was 29% in male, 59% in female. Among the condition of disease, neuralgia was 23.8%, hypertension was 17.2%, diabetes was 5.4%. 3. Average daily calorie intake was $63.9{\sim}70.4%$ for male and $76.4{\sim}83.9%$ for female which were lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowances for Koreans. Protein intake was $42.9{\sim}57.3g$ (which was $72.8{\sim}82.6%$ RDA) for elderly person, the proportion of animal protein to total protein intake were $24.3{\sim}28.2%$($12.9{\sim}16.2g$). Iron, Vitamin $B_1$, $B_2$ Niacin intake exceeded the RDA, but the intake of Calcium, Vitamin C were far less than that of RDA. 4. In the correlations between nutritional intakes and environmental factors and health, economic living situations and educational level as the factors which might influence the condition of nutritional intake was significant(P<0.01). 5. Food intake frequency of meats, fishes, eggs, for average of $1{\sim}2$ days per week were $44.8{\sim}50.5%$, that of milk and milk products for scarecely week were 42.9.% Correlation of food intake frequency was divided three levels-good, fair, poor. Food intake frequency as the factors which might influence the condition of nutritional intake was significant(P<0.01). The results of the survey reveal that many of elderly show evidence of general nutrient intake deficiency, it requires first of all importance of nutrition to improve nutritional level through to promotion of elderly health.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.541-541
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• 2018

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.28-36
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• 2015