• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.332-343
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• 2016

Objectives: Study purpose was to investigate perception on diet, diet problems and related factors among young adult women using focus group interviews (FGI) based on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Methods: Eight groups of FGI were conducted with 47 female undergraduate or graduate students. Guide for FGI included questions regarding perception on optimal diet, diet problems and cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors of SCT. FGI were video, audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed by themes and sub-themes. Results: Subjects showed irregular eating habits (skipping breakfast, irregular meal time) and selection of unhealthy foods as the main diet problems. Regarding cognitive factors related to optimal diet, subjects mentioned positive outcome expectations (e.g., health promotion, skin health, improvement in eating habits, etc.) and negative outcome expectations (e.g., annoying, hungry, expensive, taste). Factors that promoted optimal diet were mainly received from information from mobile or internet and access to menu or recipes. Factors that prevented optimal diet included influence from friends, lack of time and cooking skills. Behavioral factors for optimal diet included behavioral capability regarding snacks, healthy eating and smart food selection. Subjects mentioned mass media (mobile, internet, TV) as the influential physical environment, and significant others (parents, friends, grandparents) as the influential social environment in optimal diet. For education topics, subjects wanted to learn about healthy meals, basic nutrition, disease and nutrition, and weight control. They wanted to learn those aspects by using mobile or internet, lectures (cooking classes), campaign and events. Conclusions: Study results might be used for planning education regarding optimal diet for young adult women. Education programs need to focus on increasing positive outcome expectations (e.g., health) and behavioral capability for healthy eating and food selection, reducing negative outcome expectations (e.g., cost, taste) and barriers, making supportive environments for optimal diet, and incorporating topics and methods found in this study.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2005

Food handling practices playa key role in the prevalence of food-borne illness. Despite the fact that pregnant women are high risk groups for food-borne disease, little is known about their actual food handling practices at home. The objective of this study was to investigate behaviors regarding food-related hygienic practices of pregnant women. The questionnaire included questions in five major areas : personal hygiene ; adequate cooking ; avoiding cross contamination ; keeping food at safe temperatures ; and avoiding food from unsafe sources. Analysis of 488 questionnaires showed the respondents were unaware of the importance of safe food handling practices. Especially, pregnant women in our study should be encouraged to be careful about either risk of adequate cooking $(2.08\pm0.66)$ and keeping foods at safe temperatures $(2.69\pm0.63)$. Residency and number of children were consistent independent predictors of food handling behaviors. Previous food safety education also was found to have significant effect on food handling practices. TV news and newspapers were considered the most usable sources of food safety information by respondents. The behaviors identified in this study represent ones of particular importance for high-risk populations, like pregnant women. These population characteristics identified in this study could be incorporated in development of food safety educational programs for pregnant women being vulnerable on food-borne illness. Our results could have implications for the design of effective food safety educational efforts. This study indicates the need for continued and improved food safety education and for enforcing systematic food safety education for pregnant women.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.75-91
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in dietary life, lifestyle factors, and stress status of Chinese students who came to study abroad to South Korea. A total of 143 Chinese students were recruited from Seoul Women's University and Wonkwang University in 2013. We used SPSS 20 for statistical analyses in this study. The mean length of residence was 2.9 years for Chinese students. Most subjects aged 20~29 years immigrated to South Korea to obtain an academic degree (bachelor, master, or doctorate). We found a significant decrease in the frequency of eating fruits and vegetables among Chinese students in South Korea after migration. Further, there was a significant increase in fast food consumption and frequency of late-night snacking and eating out. In addition, their preferred beverage changed from soft drink or tea to coffee after migration. Stress level significantly (P<0.05) increased in male students compared to female students. The high stress group watched more TV when eating compared to the low stress group. In addition, there were more students who perceived their health status as bad in the high stress group. Overall results give us useful information for targeting the most vulnerable subjects and planning nutrition intervention programs.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.535-542
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Proper nutrition intake during pregnancy and lactation is very important to both mothers and babies. Pregnant women should maintain proper nutritional status to restore decreased physical strength due to pregnancy and childbirth and produce breastmilk for the growth and development of the baby. Recently, the number of Chinese people living in Korea has increased as the exchange between Korea and China becomes active. It is important to provide proper nutrition education for pregnant women of both countries considering cultural differences. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects of this study were postpartum women in Gyeonggi, South Korea and Jinhua, China. The subjects were 20-45 years old less than six months after childbirth. A survey, using self-administered questionnaires, was conducted from October 2018 to January 2019. For data analysis, 221 Korean postpartum women (KPW) and 221 Chinese postpartum women (CPW) questionnaires were used. RESULTS: KPW had significantly higher nutritional knowledge score and dietary attitude score than CPW (P < 0.001). However, overall score for dietary habits was significantly higher in CPW compared to KPW (P < 0.001). In KPW, nutritional knowledge (P < 0.01) and dietary attitude (P < 0.001) had significantly positive correlations with dietary habits. The proportions of KPW and CPW who answered that they had experience of nutrition education were 28.5% and 80.1% (P < 0.001). The score for dietary habits was lower as the hours for watching TV and using mobile phone became longer in postpartum women of both countries, with significant differences in KPW (P < 0.001) and CPW (P < 0.05). In KPW, the score for dietary habits in postpartum women with exercise experience was significantly higher than that in postpartum women without exercise experience (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: More pregnancy-related nutrition education should be provided and various and effective nutrition education programs, which not only transfer information but can be practiced in the actual life, should be developed.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary behavior and life stress in adolescence is related to growth rate and learning ability. This study was conducted to identify the relations between dietary habits, dietary attitude nutritional knowledge and life stress among high school girls in Korea and China. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects of this study were 221 high school girls in Korea and 227 high school girls in China. The questionnaire were about dietary habits, dietary attitude, nutritional knowledge and life stress. RESULTS: The dietary habits of chinese girls were healthier than those of Korean girls with a significant difference (P < .001). There was no significant difference in dietary attitude between Korean girls and Chinese girls. Korean girls had more nutritional knowledge than Chinese girls with a significant difference (P < .001). Korean girls did less physical exercise but spent more time watching TV and using PCs, compared to Chinese girls. Korean girls' degree of confidence in nutrition information that they had learned and their performance in their real lives were low. Also, they had a low level of awareness of the need for nutritional education. There was no significant difference in life stress between the two groups. Dietary habits had a significantly negative correlation with life stress in both Korean and Chinese girls (P < .01, P < .001). As for Chinese students, dietary attitude had a negative correlation with life stress with a significant difference (P < .05). As for Korean girls, nutritional knowledge had a negative correlation with life stress with a significant difference (P < .05), which means as life stress was less, dietary habits were better. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that effective nutrition education programs should include components that encourage application of learned nutrition information to real life, increase physical exercise and reduce life stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.186-195
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the dietary behaviors and stress-related factors among male and female college students. Methods: A total of 405 college students (male-195, female-210) were recruited, of whom a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. The study investigated the general characteristics, health-related factors, dietary behaviors, and stress-related factors of the respondents. Results: The body mass index was significantly higher in males. The rates of underweight and overweight were significantly different between male and female respondents. The scores for workout frequency, health concerns and health condition were significantly higher in males, while the score for watching TV & playing computer games was significantly higher in females. The scores for meal regularity, frequency of breakfast consumption, and smoking were significantly higher in males. Eating problems showed a significant difference between males and females. The biggest source of stress was social factors, followed by college study and individual factors and the most experienced stress-induced symptom was anxiety, followed by headache and stomachache. The most popular way to overcome stress was taking a rest, followed by drinking & smoking and outdoor activity. The most preferred food under stressful conditions were alcohol or beverages, followed by hot & spicy food and sweet food, which showed a significant difference between males and females. Conclusion: These results indicate that stress affects dietary behaviors, drinking, smoking, and health status. Stress not only changes dietary behaviors, but is also related to health status. Therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate programs for emotional stability and stress relief targeting college students which provide continuous nutrition education focused on desirable dietary behaviors and nutritional aspects.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.40-52
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the length of exposure to smartphone and its association with dietary behavior toward snacks, lifestyle, and nutrition knowledge in elementary school students. Methods: Subjects were 372 5th and 6th grade schoolchildren in Cheongju, Korea, and data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. They were divided into two groups by the time spent using smartphone: moderate (< 2 hours/day) and overexposure (${\geq}2$ hours/day). Data was analyzed using frequency analysis, ${\chi}^2$-test, and independent t-test as well as analysis of covariance when necessary. Results: Approximately half of subjects (41.4%) reported spending ${\geq}2$ hours/day using smartphone. That habit was more frequent among students in the 6th grade, those who received more monthly allowance, and who has a working mother. 63.4% of the subjects reported that they consumed snacks while watching television, using a computer and/or a smartphone and 48.1% said that they consumed snacks while they use a smartphone. Both situations were most prevalent among those with overexposure to smartphone (${\geq}2$ hours/day). We also observed that a higher percentage of subjects from the overexposure group spent more money on snack foods with the preference for ice cream, fast food, and carbonated drinks. Further, those in the overexposure group consumed more ice cream, cookies, and carbonated drinks. In addition, they had less desirable dietary behavior and health-related lifestyle (sleep duration and frequency of regular exercise) compared to those with moderate smartphone usage (< 2 hours/day). However, there was no statistical difference in nutrition knowledge among children with different degrees of smartphone usage. Conclusions: Our results showed that longer smartphone use was associated with less desirable snack preference/consumption and other dietary behavior in elementary school students. Thus interest and positive attitudes towards healthy snacks and diet should be reinforced in nutrition education programs, especially for those who are prone to use smartphones.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.137-148
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• 1999

The necessity of school health promoting projects is well known to many researchers, however, there is a lack of research on the development of strategies for school health programs and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the programs. The results of our previous study in 1996 identified poor eyesight as one of the several health problems among elementary school children in urban areas. The main objective of this study is to develop, implement, and evaluate vision care for elementary school children. The research method utilized a quasi experimental design using non-equivalent group, pre-post comparison. The sample consisted of all second grade children in two elementary schools in Kyung-giProvince. In order to prevent a contamination effect of the vision care program, one school was selected as a control and the other school was selected as a treatment group. The experimental school had 467 children and the control school had 402 children. The visual acuity of children in both group was measured and a survey questionnaire was sent out to parents on the knowledge, attitude, and behavior related to vision care before the program was implemented. The children of the experimental school received the following programs; separate education on proper nutrition and care of eyesight for children and parents, daily eye exercises using video tape, and an essay and poster contest on healthy eyesight. The eye exercise program lasted from March, 1997 to November, 1997. On November, 1997, visual acuity was measured again from children in both schools. The data was analyzed by using SAS statistical package. The results indicate that the children in the experimental group had significantly (p〈0.001) better eyesight than the children in the control group. Also, some of the behavior highly related to the poor eyesight are poor maternal eyesight and watching TV from a short distance. In conclusion, one of the significance of this project is that the vision care program was developed after the need assessment. It will be encouraged in the future that more school health program should be developed after a need assessment. Also, inclusion of family members was important in health promoting projects within a school setting since healthy behavior needs to be reinforced at horne as well as at school.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.550-557
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the preferences and needs of typical Korean females adults for food and nutrition information provided by the mass media. Methods: A total of 343 females (77 in their 20s, 85 in their 30s, 88 in their 40s and 93 in their 50s) residing in the Seoul/Gyeonggido area was surveyed on general characteristics, main sources of food and nutrition information and needs for sources and contents of nutrition information. Results: The survey showed that typical Korean females obtained knowledge of food and nutrition mainly through the Internet (30.4%) and broadcasting (29.0%). Typical Korean females were interested in 'dietary management for weight control' (21.9%), 'the prevention and treatment of disease' (20.0%), 'food safety' (16.8%), 'proper dietary habits' (14.6%), 'cookery' (11.8%), 'functional foods' (9.6%), 'restaurant details' (3.5%) and 'life-cycle-specific dietary guideline' (1.6%). Needs for food and nutrition program forms on TV were 'educational programs' (34.3%), 'documentaries' (20.8), 'expert lecture-style' (13.0%), 'entertainment programs' (11.9%), 'expert conversation' (11.4%), 'news-style' (4.6%) and 'public campaign advertisements' (4.0%). On the Internet, 38.6% of the respondents preferred to get information provided by food and nutrition-related institutions (38.6%) while 26.1% preferred webtoons for nutritional information. The favored forms in mobile applications were 'monitoring their diets' (29.5%), 'data-based texts information' (21.4%), 'experts feedback' (20.6%), 'communities' (15.1%) and 'games' (13.1%). The rates of the preference to obtain information from experts such as nutritionists and dietitians and doctorsor dietitian turned reporters increased markedly with older ages. Conclusions: Since the mass media is a main source of food and nutrition information for the general public, the effectiveness and accuracy of the information provided should be enhanced by taking the needs of the public into account. The quality of information should be improved by involving more nutrition experts.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.180-190
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• 2011

This study is aimed at examining the status of seafoods intake and preference to actively use the seafoods with high nutritional values and preference. For this purpose, this study conducted a questionnaire survey. The demographic features of the respondents are as follows: male and female high school students were 50%, respectively; first graders were 33.3%, second graders were 35.0% and third graders are 31.7%; the primary dietary-care giver was mother in 80% of the respondents. The survey results on seafood intake at home showed that the most frequently responses to the question of the degree of liking seafood were 'on average' and 'like it', respectively in order. The reason for preferring seafood is 'because it tastes good' in 43.7% of the respondents. Both male and female respondents answered they like seafood for its good taste. With respect to the degree of preference for the seafood provided from the school meals, there were more students who like it than those who do not like it. The most frequent reason to ingest seafood in the school meals is because 'I want to eat it' followed by 'because parents push', 'because friends eat it', 'because health-related TV programs recommend it', respectively in order. The most preferred seafood in the school meals was fried shrimp and the most disliked one is the boiled warty sea squirt. The above results collectively suggest that the preference level for seafood is low and the most preferred one is fried seafood. It is suggested that the nutritionists need to actively develop menu for the students to ingest more various seafoods.