• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.137-140
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• 2004

Parents play an important role in the development of their children's nutritional knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP). This study was conducted to investigate and assess the nutrition KAP status related to prevention of childhood obesity for parents of preschool children. 1828 subjects were selected cluster-randomly from 6 kindergartens in the urban of Chengdu, China and were surveyed by questionnaire. The results showed that the rate above $80\%$ of total score were $64.3\%(K),\;89.6\%(A),\;19.5\%(P)$ respectively. The nutrition KAP score of subjects was influenced by their education, gender and age. K, A and P scores were positively correlated with each other. The most expected approach obtained nutritional information for subjects was from newspaper, magazines, lectures and TV. It is concluded that the parents of preschool children in Chengdu indicated the limited nutrition knowledge, imperfect nutrition practice and better nutrition attitude. It is suggested that more nutritional education programs on childhood obesity prevention should be given mainly by newspapers, magazines and lectures in this population.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.230-238
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• 2003

Television is a powerful and persuasive teacher. It has the potential to influence perceptions, knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors, thus nutritionists need to be aware of the nutrition-related information (NRI) in television programming and the effect this information has on viewers. The purpose of this article was to review research published in peer-reviewed journals between 1988 and 2003 that examined the NRI embedded in American television programming, which is exported to over 125 nations, and its impact on nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors. This review revealed that, for the past 15 years, NRI was commonly included in both television advertisements and shows. Advertised foods were mainly high in fat, sodium, and/or sugar. In addition, the NRI embedded in food advertisements tended to be misleading or inaccurate. Prime-time television shows included numerous NRI containing scenes every hour, with situation comedies having the most and real-life re-enactment shows the least. Overall, low nutrient density foods accounted for approximately 40 percent or more of all food references on prime-time television shows. In television shows, foods were mostly consumed as snacks rather than meals and children often ate more nutritious foods than adults. Although relatively few studies have examined the impact of television programming on viewers, those that do exist indicate that as children watch more television, nutrition knowledge and understanding declines while misconceptions about nutrition increase. Advertising influences children's food purchase requests and subsequent purchases by adults, with the most requested and purchased foods being high in sugar, fat, and/or salt foods. Existing research indicates that television must be acknowledged as a major source of NRI and a potentially powerful influence on dietary practices.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate weight control attempts and related factors among 209 middle school female students in Daejeon. Variables examined were body satisfaction, beliefs regarding weight control, body image, nutrition knowledge, nutritional attitudes, dietary behavior and dietary intake. A cross-sectional survey was employed, and data was analyzed using t-test and chi-square teat (at $\alpha$=0.05). The average height, weight, and body fat (%) of subjects were 160.2cm, 52.4kg, and 25.9%, respectively. Those who attempted weight control were 61.7% of the samples, suggesting that weight control was quite popular among adolescents. Students in the weight control attempt group were more satisfied with their body size (p<0.001), and showed more distorted body image than those in the no weight control attempt group (p<0.001). Most of beliefs regarding weight control were also different in the two groups. The attempt group believed more strongly in the advantages of weight control, and believed less strongly in the harmful effects or difficulties associated with weight control. Although there were no differences in nutrition knowledge in the two groups, nutritional attitudes were slightly more favorable in the attempt group (p<0.01). In contrast, eating behaviors, such as those related to caloric intake (p<0.001), body image (p<0.001), and specific situations (p<0.01) were more desirable in the no-attempt group than in the attempt group. In addition, dietary intake of the attempt group was less adequate than that of the no-attempt group for nutrients such as iron (p<0.01), vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin C(p<0.05). This study suggests that adolescents who attempt control weight have a more distorted body image and inadequate diet and showed more undesirable eating behaviors. Students should be taught and practice desirable methods of weight control. Educational programs should also include strategies for changing beliefs regarding weight control, as well as modifying diets and eating behaviors.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.479-492
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• 2004

The objectives of this study were to investigate 1) the foods intake as well as nutrients intake, 2) the nutritional knowledge, and 3) the relations between the foods and nutrients intakes and nutritional knowledge in adolescent rhythmic gymnasts (RGs). The results are summarized as follows. Average daily intakes of energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B$_1$ vitamin B$_2$ and niacin were in 45-74％ of the RDAs for Koreans. Average daily energy intake was only about 50％ of energy expenditure by physical activities. Average daily intakes of each food group were generally lower, but intakes of breads and confectionaries, sugar and sweets, milks and dairy products, and instant foods were higher in the RGs compared to the nonathletic students of the same age from the National Health and Nutrition Suvey. The contribution of empty-calorie foods such as breads and confectionaries, beverage and instant foods to the major energy nutrients were high. Mean of total nutritional knowledge score of RGs was 28.4 of total score 50. In categorical score of nutritional knowledge, the RGs make a best score on food sources and they get the lowest marks for food exchange. Among the nutrients, intakes of crude fiber, animal Fe, Na, K, vitamin A, carotene, vitamin B$_1$ niacin and vitamin C and, among the food groups, intakes of mushrooms, fruits and meats had relations with one of the total or categorical nutritional knowledge scores in the RGs. In conclusion, nutritional status of adolescent RGs was poor due to their unbalanced diet composed of empty-calorie foods, and their undesirable food intake pattern was supposed to be related to the low nutritional knowledge score of them. These results indicate that the RGs should be given more nutritional knowledge to improve their nutritional status and the exercise performance.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.526-537
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to compare the anthropometry and nutrition knowledge, food behaviour and lifestyle of women college students with different obesity indexes. The subjects were 251 women college students who were randomly selected from Kunsan National University. The height, body weight, soft/lean mass, fat mass, percentage of body fat, and fat distribution were measured, and health-related lifestyle habits were evaluated based on questionnaires. The subjects were assigned to one of the following groups based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) : underweight, normal weight and overweight. The results were as follows. Their body weight, soft/lean mass, fat mass, percentage of body fat, and fat distribution were significantly higher in the overweight subjects when compared to the underweight or normal weight subjects. Standard of living, self-recognition of health status and duration of exercise were significantly correlated with their BMIs. Self-satisfaction with body weight decreased as the BMI increased. Most subjects had poor habits such as skipping meals and lack of exercises. The overweight and the underweight groups skipped meals more frequently than the normal weight group. There were no significant differences in the scores on the nutritional knowledge and the dietary behaviour of the subjects with different BMIs. Therefore, proper nutritional education on regular meals and intervention are required if women college students are to have normal weights and healthy lifestyles. (Korean J Community Nutrition 8(4) L: 526∼537, 2003)

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.413-422
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• 2000

This study was undertaken to investigate meal pattern, nutrition knowledge and food preference of 438 rural middle school students living in ChunNam area. As far as nutrition knowledge is concerned, most subjects did not answer correctly on the items of basic five food groups, animal fat and vegetable oil, empty source of soft drink, nutrient requirement and water's role in energy metabolism. However they responded well on the item of iron deficiency and dietary source of Ca. Male students were significantly better in the answering the items of dietary source of energy and nutrient requirement than females, while female students were significantly better on the items of water's role in energy metabolism related to obesity. Generally the respondents did neither consume oil often nor consider consumption of salty food. Furthermore, only 38.6% of subjects drink milk daily in spite of understanding dietary source of Ca, which suggested that they should incorporate nutrition knowledge into dietary behavior. The preferred foods for most subjects were fruit, kimbab and ice cream. Contrastingly the food that they did not prefer was fermented vegetable probably due to strong flavor.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2003

This study was intended to collect the baseline information on dietary behavior of adults to develop nutrition education program in the context of health promotion at community level. Nutrients intake of 135 housewives were assessed by 24 hour recall methods. Also food habits, nutrition knowledge and attitude were investigated by self-administered questionnaires. Our results indicated dietary intake of calcium and vitamin $B_2$ were insufficient when they were compared to Korean recommended dietary allowances(RDA). Among five food groups, intakes of milk and dairy product was inadequate as compared to the recommended amount. When we compared the fatness indices to self-evaluated meal problems, overeating and speedy eating were significantly related to fatness indices. Fatness indices such as relative body weight(RBW) and body mass index(BMI) were significantly higher in the subjects who self-evaluated their unsound food behavior as overeating. However, there were no significant differences of food habit score and nutrition knowledge among groups classified by fatness or meal problem. Body fat ratio, frequencies of night snack and skipping meal significantly increased with age. Food habit score was positively related to health-concerned attitude and active attitude toward change. We concluded that nutrition education program for housewives should include detailed strategies to modify unsound food behaviors for healthy weight.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 2010

The purpose of this research was to determine barriers that prevent participation in an employee wellness program, Wellness Wednesdays: "Eat & Meet" About Healthy Living, conducted at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina. All ECU ARAMARK employees (n = 481) over the age of 18 were eligible to participate in the wellness program. Weekly 30 minute classes, taught by a Registered Dietitian, on various nutrition- and health-related topics were conducted for 10-weeks. Five question knowledge quizzes were administered to participants at the end of each class to determine the comprehension of material presented. Qualitative interviews (n = 19) were conducted with employees (participants and non-participants) and the program organizer after the completion of the 10-week program to identify barriers to program participation. A total of 50 (10.4% of the total number of potential participants) ECU ARAMARK employees, managers, and leadership team directors attended Wellness Wednesdays at least once during the 10-week program. Employees, on average, scored 71-100% on the weekly knowledge quizzes administered at the end of each class. The most common barriers to participation reported included (most often to least often reported): insufficient incentives, inconvenient locations, time limitations, not interested in topics presented, undefined reasons, schedule, marketing, health beliefs, and not interested in the program. Results showed that employee wellness programs can be effective in increasing knowledge of employees on nutrition- and health-related topics. However, program planning that addresses identified barriers including insufficient incentives, inconvenient locations, and time limitations may facilitate higher participation in future worksite wellness opportunities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.361-372
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education program on the use of specific food groups in improving nutrition-related knowledge and attitude, dietary behavior, creative problem solving, and STEAM attitude. Methods: We selected two classes at a kindergarten in Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. A total of 44 kindergarteners from the two classrooms participated in this study. The experimental group and the control group were formed with 22 students each. The experimental group attended 11 STEAM classes on the use of the grain, fruit, and milk food groups. First, we performed the paired t-test to examine changes from pre-to-post classes for both groups. Then, we used ANCOVA to compare post-test scores between the experimental and control groups with the adjustment of pre-test scores. Results: The results demonstrate that the STEAM education program on the use of the food groups significantly improved (1) nutrition-related knowledge and attitude, and dietary behavior (P < 0.001), (2) creative problem solving (P < 0.001), and (3) STEAM attitude (P < 0.001) in the intervention group when compared with the control group. Conclusions: The STEAM education program on the use of food groups is effective in enhancing nutrition knowledge and attitude, dietary behavior, creative problem solving, and STEAM attitudes among kindergarten students.