• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.641-648
• /
• 2009

The principal objective of this study was to analyze Swede's perceptions of Asian food using a means-end chain method, which may contribute to our understanding of new markets for a food industry interested in globalizing Korean food. With the Means-end chain method, one can determine the cognitive structures built in consumer's minds, which are developed by connecting attributes of product, consequences, and values. The attributes of Asian food that are most positively perceived by Swedes are 'fresh vegetables', 'low-fat', 'light meat and seafood', 'exotic ingredients', 'not expensive' and 'unknown food'. The consequences of eating Asian food connected to these attributes are 'healthy', 'tasty', 'good way to save money' and 'curious'. Finally, Swedes expect to enjoy a value of 'achievement' at the end. Based on the result that 'unknown food' attribute is connected to 'achievement' value, Swedes are assumed to be attracted by the fact that Korean food is 'unknown food'. However, the effect of the 'unknown food' attribute will fade away with time; therefore, stressing Korean food's status as a 'healthy' food, which can be attributed to its use of 'fresh vegetable' and 'light meat and seafood' ingredients and 'low fat' cooking method may be effective as a long-term strategy for making Korean food attractive. The 'healthy' consequence is connected to Swedes' perception of the value 'achievement' and simultaneously to their perception of the value 'belonging and love/sense of belonging'.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.33 no.10
• /
• pp.1641-1645
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese's preference and directions for improvement of Kimchi by sensory evaluation, and utilize Kimchi for the China eating habit by survey. Self administered questionnaires were collected 149 Chinese (16~25 yr) residing in Shanghai. About 89.9% of all the participants had eaten Kimchi before the survey. Overall preference about Kimchi was 3.59$\pm$0.62 (5 point: Lickertis scale) and affecting factors for overall preference were taste, appearance, texture, in that order. Chinese answered that tough texture (24.9%), spicy taste (20.5%) and fermented odor (18.1%) were the most important factors in improved quality of Kimchi. They answered that applications of Kimchi with Chinese cuisine are 'side dish with meat cuisine', 'eat with cooked rice, rice-mixed-in-soup, gruel' and 'use ingredients of cook', as similar to Korean's.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.126-136
• /
• 2020

Objectives: This study was performed to examine dietary habits, life stress, and nutrition knowledge among high school students in Gyeonggi area. Methods: A total of 431 high school students (210 males, 221 females) in Gyeonggi area participated in this study from November to December of 2011. The study was a questionnaire-based survey that included dietary habits, dietary attitudes, life stress, and nutrition knowledge. Results: Body weight, height, and body mass index were all higher in male students than in female students (P < 0.001, respectively). For dietary habits, the average score (P < 0.01) and scores for considering combination of food groups (P < 0.05), eating green and orange vegetables (P < 0.05), eating meat, fish, eggs, or beans everyday (P < 0.05), drinking milk (P < 0.001), and eating seaweed (P < 0.01) were higher in male students than in female students. For dietary attitudes, the average score (P < 0.05) and scores for the five items were significantly different between male and female students. Male students showed a significantly lower nutrition knowledge score than female students (P < 0.05). Life stress score of students largely was attributable to academic factors, and female students showed higher stress score for academic, personal, and surrounding environmental (P < 0.05, respectively) factors than male students. Dietary habit score (P < 0.01) and nutrition knowledge score (P < 0.05) in female students as well as dietary attitude score (P < 0.05) in male students were negatively correlated with life stress score. Dietary habit scores in male and female students were positively correlated with dietary attitude score (P < 0.01, respectively). Need for nutrition education was significantly higher in female students than in male students (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study provides basic information on dietary habits, dietary attitudes, life stress, and nutrition knowledge according to sex and suggests gender-specific practical nutrition education programs to address undesirable dietary habits and attitudes in students with higher stress levels.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.13
• /
• pp.5401-5406
• /
• 2014

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of mortality around the world. However, the majority of cancers occur as a result of modifiable risk factors; hence public awareness of cancer risk factors is crucial to reduce the incidence. The objective of this study was to identify the level of public awareness of cancer risk factors among the adult Omani population. Materials and Methods: A community based survey using the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) questionnaire was conducted in three areas of Oman to measure public awareness of cancer risk factors. Omani adults aged 18 years and above were invited to participate in the study. SPPSS (ver.20) was used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 384 participated from 500 invited individuals (response rate =77%). The majority of respondents agreed that smoking cigarettes (320, 83.3%), passive smoking (279, 72.7%) and excessive drinking of alcohol (265, 69%) are risks factors for cancer. However, fewer respondents agreed that eating less fruit and vegetables (83, 21.6%), eating more red or processed meat (116, 30.2%), being overweight (BMI> 25) (123, 32%), doing less physical exercise (119, 31%), being over 70 years old (72, 18.8%), having a close relative with cancer (134, 34.9%), infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) (117, 30.5%) and getting frequent sunburn during childhood (149, 38.8%) are risk factors for cancer. A significant association was found between participant responses and their educational level. The higher the educational level, the more likely that respondents identified cancer risk factors including smoking (p<0.0005), passive smoking (p= 0.007), excessive drinking of alcohol (p<0.0005), eating less fruit and vegetables (p= 0.001) and infection with HPV (p<0.0005). Conclusions: The majority of respondents in this study in Oman were not aware of the common risk factors for cancer. It may be possible to reduce the incidence of cancers in Oman by developing strategies to educate the public about these risk factors.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.274-283
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine dietary life characteristics such as knowledge, self-efficacy and dietary behavior of preschoolers in Namyangju, Kyunggi-province, Korea. Methods: The survey questionnaire was developed based on literature review. Preschoolers aged 4-5 years (n=208) responded to the questionnaire to measure knowledge, self-efficacy, food preference, and dietary behavior. After excluding incomplete responses, the data of 197 subjects were used for analysis. Results: Mean score of dietary life knowledge was 8.0 out of 12, showing a low level of knowledge. Two out of 12 knowledge items were significantly different by gender. Percentage of correct answer on items of 'foods to make bones strong' and 'kinds of fast foods' was higher in girls than in boys (p<0.05). Total score of self-efficacy regarding dietary life was 40.1 (possible score: 12~48), on average. Compared to girls, boys had more confidence in 'not over-eating', and 'eating balanced meals with meat, fish and vegetables' (p<0.05). Boys scored higher on total score of food preference than girls (p<0.01). The preference for fruits was quite high. Among food items, boys scored higher on the preference for rice (p<0.01), fish (p<0.01), pork (p<0.05), beef (p<0.05), milk (p<0.01), and ice cream (p<0.05) than girls. Boys also liked fast foods more than girls did, showing preference for chicken (p<0.01) and soda (p<0.05). Compared to girls, boys showed more desirable behavior in 'eating breakfast everyday' (p<0.01). Dietary behavior was significantly correlated with self-efficacy (r=0.52, p<0.01), food preference (r=0.35, p<0.01), and knowledge (r=0.25, p<0.01) of subjects. Conclusions: In this study, we observed differences in food preference by gender. Dietary behavior of preschoolers was correlated with several factors, including dietary life related knowledge, self-efficacy and food preference. Thus, it is needed to develop nutrition education programs focusing on increasing dietary life related knowledge and self-efficacy, and consider the differences in food preference of preschoolers by gender.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.57 no.1
• /
• pp.88-104
• /
• 2024

Purpose: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is primarily synthesized in the liver upon stimulation of infectious disease cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and is used as a biological marker of systemic inflammation. Previous studies reported that hs-CRP is closely related to diet and abdominal obesity. Furthermore, a dietary score favoring the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains over meat and saturated fat reduced inflammation and decreased the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity. Nevertheless, no studies have examined whether hs-CRP mediates the relationship between dietary scores and abdominal obesity, and research on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) is lacking. Therefore, the present study examined the association between the KHEI and abdominal obesity and the mediating effect of hs-CRP. Methods: In total, 17,770 adults aged ≥19 years were included in the study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2018. KHEI was developed to assess the overall diet quality of Korean adults. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between KHEI, hs-CRP, and abdominal obesity. The mediation analysis with the bootstrapping method was performed using SAS MACRO. Results: Among women, the odds ratio (OR) of abdominal obesity prevalence was lower in the highest KHEI compared to the lowest KHEI after adjusting for age, body mass index, educational level, income level, occupational status, marital status, household type, region type, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, total energy intake, and hsCRP (OR 0.744, 95% confidence interval 0.598-0.926). The association between KHEI and abdominal obesity was partially mediated via hs-CRP, and the mediated proportion was 68.7% in men and 38.1% in women. Conclusion: A substantial relationship was observed between the KHEI and abdominal obesity among females. Moreover, according to the KHEI, abdominal obesity may be mediated partially by hs-CRP.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.36-49
• /
• 1973

This study was carried out for the objectives to collect the basic informations on the health behaviors of the elementary school children in an urban area in Korea. Seven hundred students were drawn to fill in the designed questionnaire which carries variety of Questions on health re-lated behaviors in general, eating habits, disease history, mental health, and sex education. Questionnaire were filled in by their parents. Major findings are as follows: ① 55.7% had habits of washing the hands before eating whereas 59.8% trashing their hands after toilet. The others had no idea of washing hands before eating and after toilet. ② 26,5% had habits of brushing the teeth twice a day 54.7% only once in the morning, and 2.6% once only in the evening. Thus, the idea of prevention from decayed teeth seems to be lacking among the school children. ③ Bathing habits were also inquired to get 40.3% of bathing more than once a week, 43.1% once every two weeks, and the rest of 16.6% once every one to three months. ④ 41.7% keep the regular bedding time whereas 58.3% irregular. Physical exercises were con-ducted by 76.6% on the ground while 23.5% did not practice any physical exercises at all. Of those physical exercises, rope skipping occupied 37.5%, and the other 66.9% consisted of 14 different kinds of individual type physical exercises such as gymnastic exercise. The main reasons for not enjoying exercises were different by sex; boys largely complained the inadequacy and lack of gymnastic facilities and girls felt in short of friends who could join the exercises. ⑤ 31.9% of the school children had been taking not much of food while 28.3% had unbalanced diets. Of these unbalanced diets, meat occupied 33.2% to be the priority to have an order of the following items such as vegetables, bread or noodle, and fishes as next to each. For eating habits, 88.5% take simple snack such as bread (38.4%, cookies, fruits, and candies in order. 25.8% of the children were provided such snacks or their parents regularly. Breakfast was sufficiently taken by 45.0% whereas 8.4% had never sufficiently. As to the lunch, 63.6% had sufficiently while 16.8% insufficiently. 70.6% take breakfast with all family members together and 30.4% separately. Correlation of sufficient taking of breakfast and eating together of tile family member's seems to be significant when we compare 72.5% of sufficient takers who enjoy breakfast together with the family members with 55.6% of insufficient takers who enjoy it with the family. This finding allows the investigator to point out the importance of table circumstances for children's eating. ⑥ The most common disease was catching a cold (38.8%), and the second was stomach trouble to be followed by the frequency of car sickness, headache, and skin infection. Doctors are consulted only by 23.9% when they are sick whereas 59.7% resorted to the drug stores. The lower the educational attainment of the parents, the lower the rate of visiting clinics. ⑦ 36.7% of their parents pointed out the problems of personality guidance as the most difficult thing at home 71.3% of their parents worried about and unsatisfied with their children's personality traits. Of these complains of the parents, impatience stood at the top to be tabulated at 24.1%, and 21.1% indicated narrow-mindedness. In line with this primary socialization at home, the most crucial problem seems to be related with the lack or recognition of the parents'own role when we find only 43.1% of the parents understood the importance of their own role for the home education of children; the latter group attributed tile responsibility of personality formation to the children themselves. ⑧ As to the sex educational aspects, 30.9% of children have ever asked about the physiology of reproduction or sexual matters to their parents, of those parents only 17.0% could give the constructive responses to the inquiries of the children. In companies on with these data, 25.6% recognized their own role in sex education for their own children while the large segments of the parents (51.1%) attributed the responsibility of sex education to tile low level of 38.3% who recognized the importance of sex education in the school curriculum and 25.1% of the parents insisted to wait until they get to know naturally about sex. 38.1% of the parents said they had some knowledge on sex from books while 16.9% through mass media. The next groups had common senses of sex from their own parents, school friends and other sources.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.428-435
• /
• 2008

This study was conducted to provide the information necessary for the development of native local foods associated with the "2008 World Insect Festival in Hampyeong" and to contribute to the efforts to market the festival as tourist attraction and increase the income of the local community. To assess the local foods and restaurants, we investigated the principal products, inclination for sightseeing and recognition of the "Butterfly festival" by distributing questionnaires to local restaurant operators, employees and general tourists. The result was as follows: 1. The general tourists chose scenery as the most important factor in a sightseeing tour, followed by food, lodging, and transportation. 2. The tourists enjoyed eating native local foods, and they indicated that the taste was important. 3. Regarding the cost of food, 53.6% of the respondents answer that 10 to 20 thousand won was a resonable price, and they also reported wanting to eat seafood in Hampyeong. Thus the Menu of seafood to be served at the Hampyeong festival needs to be developed first followed by that of the healthy food. This result showed that individuals prefer fish to meat and healthy food to high-calorie foods.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.545-549
• /
• 2014

Sparganosis is an infection with a parasitic tapeworm larva that occurs by eating infected foods or drinking contaminated water. The larvae can migrate to a tissue or muscle in the chest, abdominal wall, extremities, eyes, brain, urinary tract, pleura, pericardium, spinal canal, or scrotum. Herein, we report a 5-month old infant with scrotal sparganosis who was initially suspected to have a scrotal inflammatory mass with a history of applying raw frog meat into the umbilicus. Preoperative ultrasound examinations and computed tomography (CT) scanning misdiagnosed the mass as a scrotal teratoma. The scrotal mass was surgically removed, and the histopathology proved it to be scrotal sparganosis. This case displays the youngest patient ever reported with scrotal sparganosis, and the first description of CT characteristics of scrotal sparganosis. A detailed medical history is necessary for patients with scrotal masses suspected of sparganosis. In addition, ultrasound and CT examinations are helpful to rule out other causes of a scrotal mass.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.29-33
• /
• 2010

Recently some negative opinions on milk, for instance, 'don't drink, if you want to live long' 'people who drink milk life-long, they suffer from arteriosclerosis' or 'milk is not helpful to osteoporosis, because it's acid food' etc. are confusing the regular consumers who believe milk is one of the best food, although milk has been used for a longtime since it was proved as the most nutritionally perfect food by many scientific researchers and medical doctors. According to the contents of negative assertion, experiments were carried out mostly targeting western people who are eating bread with butter everyday and taking large quantity of meat & milk, probably 2~3 times more than asian people. So, the probability of suffering from many diseases like obesity, hypertension, arteriosclerosis etc. is naturally high. Therefore, comparison itself between westerner and asian is not reasonable because of quite different food culture and fat intake far less. Milk has been contributing to the health of human for hundreds years supplying many nutrients, and this kind of contribution will last as long as humankind exist on the earth. However, milk is good source of many functional components, there are some people who can not drink milk. As a nutritionist said, milk is a kind of food, the only problem is quantity, people who can not digest milk can choose another and who want to drink milk, drink it as much as they need. That's all.