Ecological indicators are tools used to evaluate the state of specific environments by monitoring the ecological characteristics and changes of organisms, and they are widely utilized in environmental monitoring and management. Such indicators should be sensitive to environmental changes, maintain long-term stability, and be easy to investigate and analyze. This study aimed to evaluate whether the spraint density of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) can monitor the state and changes in river ecosystems. Using spraint density data over nine years (2014~2024), we analyzed temporal and spatial changes in otter distribution. Generalized Additive Models were applied to assess annual variability, and spatial clustering and distribution changes were examined using Hotspot Analysis and Geo-SOM (Geo-Self-Organizing Map). The results indicated stable spraint density trends in most sub-watersheds, with higher variability in developed areas. This study highlights the potential of spraint density as a cost-effective and simple ecoological indicator for long-term river ecosystem monitoring.

This study was performed to analyze dietary influences on the regulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in postmenopausal women using the 2019-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A total of 1,724 women were classified into cardiovascular risk groups based on risk factors and differentiated into high LDLC and normal groups according to the target serum LDL-C levels. The risk group distribution was as follows: Very high-risk group (6%), high-risk group (49.4%), moderate-risk group (42.3%), and low-risk group (2.3%). The high LDL-C group demonstrated abdominal obesity and prediabetes, with their carbohydrate energy intake exceeding the Korean dietary guideline recommendations of 65%. Increased fat (OR 2.67, 95% CI; 1.19-6.02) and cholesterol (OR 2.43, 95% CI; 1.02- 5.77) intake correlated with higher LDL-C risk. The high LDL-C group showed elevated saturated fat and reduced polyunsaturated fat consumption (p for trend <0.001). Thus, to regulate the LDL cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women, they maintain an appropriate weight in addition to managing abdominal obesity and continuously monitoring blood sugar levels. Furthermore, it is important to limit the intake of high saturated fat meats and consume sufficient protein from sources such as beans, fish, and eggs, which contain healthy unsaturated fats.

We performed a study to examine the association between diet quality and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our study included 3,586 women aged 40-64 years who participated in the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects were classified into the NAFLD group (n=816) and the normal group (n=2,770) using the hepatic steatosis index. The anthropometric indices, blood profiles, and dietary intake data of the subjects were obtained. The waist circumference, body mass index, and the serum levels of triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in the NAFLD compared to the normal groups (p<0.001, respectively). The intakes of protein (g/kg body weight, p<0.001), potassium (p<0.001), and vitamin A (p=0.006) were significantly lower in the NAFLD group. It was observed that the higher the total Korean Healthy Eating Index score, the lower the risk of NAFLD. A reverse relationship was shown between the NAFLD risk and the intakes of total fruits, total vegetables, vegetables excluding Kimchi and pickled vegetables, meat, fish, eggs and beans. Therefore, it is recommended that middleaged women in Korea increase their intakes of fruits, vegetables, and foods high in protein for the proper management of NAFLD.

The purpose of this study was to analyse factors related to Home Meal Replacement (HMR) use among university students and to determine the dietary quality according to its consumption. A survey on the consumption of HMR and Nutrition Quotient (NQ) was conducted from September to November 2021. The study included 232 university students (88 males, 144 females) from Chungcheong. The proportion of consumption at least once a week was 71.55% for ready-to-eat foods, 55.60% for ready-to-cook foods, 40.95% for fresh-cut products, and 21.12% for meal-kits. The preference ratings were as follows: ready-to-eat foods, 3.77 out of 5 points, meal-kits, 3.53 points, fresh-cut products, 3.52 points, and ready-to-cook foods, 3.45 points. In terms of satisfaction, convenience (4.06 out of 5 points), taste (3.71 points), variety (3.67 points), and food hygiene (3.62 points) were rated the highest. The scores in the moderation NQ were significantly lower in the groups that consumed ready-to-eat foods (p=0.0002), ready-to-cook foods (p=0.0002), and meal-kits (p=0.0068) at least once a week compared to the groups that consumed them less than once a week. In conclusion, the results will serve as basic data for nutrition education for proper consumption of HMR among university students.

This study investigated the association between dietary intake and 10-year risk for CHD predicted from Framingham risk score in Korean adults using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2020. Eight thousand subjects (3,382 men and 4,618 women) aged 30 years or older were classified into three groups according to the 10-year CHD risk (%). The sociodemographics, anthropometrics indices, blood profiles, and dietary intake were collected. After adjusting for confounding variables, the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) decreased for both men and women as the disease risk increased. The high–risk group was below the MAR criteria, indicating that the overall quality of the meal was not good. The highest consumers of legumes (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37-0.84), fruits (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48-0.93), and fish (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.87) had a 44%, 33%, and 40% lower 10-year CHD risk than lowest consumers in men, respectively. In women, there is no significant relationship between food groups and disease risk. Therefore, improving lifestyle habits such as weight control, increased activity, and adequate food intake, especially legumes, fruits, and fish rich in antioxidant nutrients and bioactive substances, appears to have a potential association with preventing coronary heart disease in Korean adults.

This study aimed to investigate the association between interest in beauty care and dietary behaviors of 581 (analysis rate 96.0%) high school girls in Incheon using a survey done in May 2019. Based on the degree of interest in beauty care, subjects were classified as “Beauty care group (n=346)”, and "Non-beauty care group (n=235)”. The mean age of the subjects was 16.5 years old. The beauty care group had significantly lower BMI than the non-beauty care group (p<0.01). The beauty care group showed a significantly higher interest in weight control than the non-beauty care group (p<0.001). The most time-consuming preschool morning activity in the beauty care group was beauty care, while that of the non-beauty care group was eating breakfast (p<0.001). The beauty care group had significantly higher frequency of exercise than the non-beauty care group (p<0.05). The number of individuals who skipped breakfast was significantly higher in the beauty care group. In addition, the beauty care group had a significantly higher frequency of taking morning snack, convenience food (p<0.01), sweet snacks (p<0.05), and processed beverages (p<0.05) than the non-beauty care group. Our result findings provide important information on the priority groups for nutrition education based on beauty care interest.

Diet is important for muscle health and offers a protective effects against the loss of skeletal muscle mass and physical functions with advancing age. We analyzed the relationship between diet, metabolic disease risk, and sarcopenia in Korean female adults using the 2009-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A total of 2038 adult women aged 50-64 years were classified into four groups based on the diagnosis of menopause and sarcopenia. The groups were the non-menopause and non-sarcopenia group (NMNS, n=249), the non-menopause and sarcopenia group (NMS, n=14), the menopause and non-sarcopenia group (MNS, n=1,653), and the menopause and sarcopenia group (MS, n=122). The socio-demographics, anthropometrics, blood profile, and dietary data of the subjects were collected. Those who were in both the sarcopenia groups were more obese (p<0.001), had greater waist circumferences (p<0.001), higher body mass index (p<0.001), and higher obesity rates (p<0.001) after adjustment for covariants. Both the sarcopenia groups also had higher plasma levels of total cholesterol (p<0.001), HbA1c (p=0.001), and vitamin D (p=0.020) than both the non-sarcopenia groups. Both the sarcopenia groups demonstrated a decreased intake of calcium (p=0.05), potassium (p=0.008), and niacin (p=0.008) than both the non-sarcopenia ones. Among the four groups, the NMS group showed the highest levels of total cholesterol, obesity, and lowest intake of micronutrients such as calcium, niacin, and potassium. Thus, muscle mass maintenance through weight control and adequate nutrient intake appears to demonstrate a potential association with preventing sarcopenia in Korean middle-aged women.

This study aimed to investigate the use of environmentally friendly agricultural products (EFAPs) in Chungcheongbuk-do and the perception and satisfaction of school dietitians with EFAPs. The study survey was conducted from April to Jun 2018. Among 195 dietitians, 54.4% were nutrition teachers and 51.3% were working in elementary schools. Of the participants, 65% answered that the percentage of EFAPS in the total food cost was 10~30%. The most used EFAP food group was grains (64.6%), followed by vegetables (26.2%). The main reasons for using EFAPs were subsidies for EFAPs from local governments (85.1%) and students’ health (52.3%). The average daily subsidy for EFAPs from the local governments was 201~500 won at 45.1%, and 200 won or less at 34.9%, which was based on one meal per student. In questions on satisfaction with using EFAPs, satisfaction with safety (3.93 out of 5 points) scored the highest, followed by nutrition (3.74), freshness (3.70), appearance (3.32), diversity (2.85), and price (2.78). Therefore, to expand the use of EFAPs in school food service, it is necessary to expand the provision of subsidies and increase EFAP production diversification.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the regular selling price and nutrient contents of foods used for special medical purposes in Korea. This study investigated the regular selling price and nutritional composition of 114 enteral nutrition (EN) foods on the manufacturer’s internet homepage. The average price of the total products was 1,156.0 won/100 mL. The price of foods used for calorie and nutrient supplementation (CNS) was significantly higher compared to that of the other EN food types (p<0.01). With respect to the nutritional content per 100 mL of the product, EN foods for CNS had significantly higher contents of energy, protein, 5 minerals, and 7 vitamins than the other EN food types. On comparing the nutritional contents of foods according to the price, the balanced nutrition foods showed significantly higher contents of energy, carbohydrate, protein, 3 minerals, and 7 vitamins in high-priced products than in low-priced foods. Summarizing these results, foods for CNS were approximately twice as expensive as the other EN foods, and the energy, protein, mineral, and vitamin contents were also high. Balanced nutrition foods had higher nutrient contents in high-priced products, which showed the relationship between the product price and nutrient content.

Dietary components can modulate stress, inflammatory indicators, and health risk. This study examined the relationship among diet, metabolic disease risk, and perceived stress in Korean adult females using the 2017-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 4,353 adult women aged 19-64 years were classified into four groups according to perceived stress level: very high stress group (VHSG, n=225), high stress group (HSG, n=1,079), moderate stress group (MSG, n=2,532), and low stress group (LSG, n=517). Data collection included the sociodemographics, anthropometrics, blood profile, and dietary survey. After adjusting for covariates, those in the VHSG had a higher body mass index (p=0.013) and obesity rate (p=0.053) with a shorter sleep time than the LSG group. The VHSG also tended to have a higher plasma LDL-cholesterol, hsC-reactive protein and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol, vitamin A, and vitamin E than the low stress group. High stress subjects demonstrated increased breakfast skipping frequency (p<0.0001), decreased fiber intake (p=0.001), potassium (p=0.041), and vitamin A (p=0.011) than the low stress ones. Therefore the perceived stress level was associated with the inflammatory indicators, obesity, and lack of anti-inflammatory or antioxidant nutrients. The dietary components may be an important mediator of stress and metabolic disease.

This study examined the dietary behaviors and dietary quality of high school students according to the number of times they skipped breakfast. A total of 474 high school students (225 boys and 249 girls) residing in Incheon participated in this survey. The subjects were divided into the three groups according to the frequency of eating breakfast; Regualr (eating breakfast everyday, n=226), Irregualar (eating breakfast 1~6 times/week, n=143, and Skipping (skipping breakfast everyday, n=105). The dietary quality was assessed using a nutrient quotient for adolescents (NQ-A). A higher monthly allowance and a higher rate of working mothers were significantly associated with a higher frequency of skipping breakfast. A higher intake frequency of processed beverages, and street food was significantly associated with a higher frequency of skipping breakfast. Students who had a higher rate of breakfast skipping had significantly lower intake frequency of fruits, white milk, bean and bean products, and fish. The high frequency of skipping breakfast among high school students was associated with lower dietary quality, as illustrated by the low total NQ-A score and sub group score including balance, environment, and practice. This information can inform efforts to provide nutrition education program to promote breakfast consumption and guidelines to students who skipped breakfast frequently.

본 연구는 국내에 진출해 있는 외국인투자기업 본사의 경영자 파견여부가 해외자회사의 성과에 미치는 영향에 대해 관찰하였다. 이에 더하여 연구개발 활동 수준, 기업 규모, 합작설립 여부와 같은 자회사 수준 변수들의 조절 효과를 규명해 보고자 하였다. 다국적 해외진출기업 총람을 통하여 획득한 338개의 외국인투자기업을 표본으로 2011년부터 2015년까지의 5개년도 패널자료를 분석한 본 연구의 실증 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 국내진출 외 국인투자기업의 최고경영자가 본사에서 파견한 외국인일 경우 성과에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하였다. 둘째, 외국인투자기업 해외 자회사의 연구개발 활동이 활발할수록 본사에서 파견된 최고경영자가 해외자회사의 성과에 미치는 영향력이 강화되는 것으로 나타났다.

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietary behavior and nutritional knowledge related to sodium intake in high school students. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 400 high school students (200 boys) in Incheon, Korea. Survey data were analyzed according to gender and degree of obesity. The distribution of the degree of obesity was the highest in 231 normal weight individuals (57.8%), followed by 89 underweight (22.3%), 41 overweight (10.3%), and 39 obese (9.8%). The sodium-related undesirable dietary behavior score was 2.9 points out of 5 points. The detailed dietary behavior scores of ‘I eat kimchi when I eat instant noodles or noodles’ and ‘I like dried fish with salt’ were significantly higher in boys than in girls (p<0.05). It was found that boys consumed more frequently high sodium foods, such as pizza, hamburger, and hotdog than girls. According to the degree of obesity, the underweight group consumed more kimchi fried rice and potato chips frequently than the other groups (p<0.05). Preference for salty taste was not significantly different among the groups by gender and degree of obesity. Sodium-related nutritional knowledge score was 5.3 points out of 10 and which was significantly higher in girls or normal weight group than in boys or obesity group. These results suggest that nutritional education on sodium intake is needed because the nutritional knowledge of adolescents is relatively low. Moreover, intensive nutritional guidance is required, especially in boys or adolescents with undesirable degree of obesity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association nutrition education experience in regards to metabolic risk and nutrition intake in Korean adult male using the 2016~2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey as the reference. The study involved a total of 1,978 male subjects aged 40~64 who were classified into the 2 groups based on their nutrition education experience: Educated group (n=88) and non-educated group (n=1,890). The household income and education level of educated group were higher than those of the non-educated group. The two groups showed no significant difference in the level of fasting blood sugar, blood lipid profile including total cholesterol and triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, and hypertension. Vitamin C intake of the educated group (127.5 mg) was higher compared to the non-educated group (88.2 mg) (p<0.05). The percentage of the subjects utilizing nutritional labels was higher in the educated group. The nutrition education experience was inversely proportional to lower Odds Ratio in hyperLDL-cholesterolemia (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.84) and HypoHDL-cholesterolemia (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.87). This result indicates that nutritional education can be used as an effective tool to avert chronic diseases and develop healthy eating habits.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education program that was designed to increase the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of Korean adults regarding nutrition labeling. The education program was 45 minutes of short-term training, which was conducted in the form of lectures and exercises. The contents of the program were as follows: in the introduction stage, talking about status and reasons for checking nutrition labels; in the development stage, explanation of nutrition labeling and their content, reading, and identifying sample nutrition labels, as well as comparing nutrition labels and selecting better foods; in the closing stage, summary of nutrition labeling and a pledge to check nutrition labels when purchasing processed food. A total of 53 adults (88.5% female) aged 30 years and over participated in this study. The nutrition labeling awareness of the subjects was increased significantly from 55.8 to 96.2% after the education. After the education, the correct recognition rate of a nutrition label was increased significantly from 26.9 to 78.8% for the amount of food, from 25.0 to 73.1% for the calorie content, from 36.5 to 69.2% for the nutrient contents, and from 30.8 to 82.7% for the percent daily value. The self-efficacy of checking nutrition labels was also increased significantly compared to that before the education. The overall satisfaction score of the nutrition education program was 4.2 out of 5. The outcome showed that the nutrition education program of nutrition labeling improved the participants’ awareness and self-efficacy towards checking nutrition labels.

This study analyzed and discussed the competition relation between various media platforms, particularly fashion magazine, the Internet portal, and social networking (SNS) that provide fashion contents. The following results were obtained through this study. First, the Internet portal ranks the highest in all factors, followed by SNS, and fashion magazine as the lowest. Second, the Internet portal was competing with fashion magazine and SNS because there is an overlap between the two platforms. By contrast, SNS has a relatively low degree of overlap with fashion magazines, and they are complementary to each other. Third, the Internet portal has a strong advantage over fashion magazine and SNS in all factors. On the basis of the results of this study, we can summarize remarkable points in strategy formulation as follows. First, the Internet portal, which is popularized by “usage accessibility,” is expected to continue to dominate the competition over other media platforms while providing greater gratification to users of fashion contents. Second, the competitiveness of fashion magazines, which has been shrinking dramatically, lies in the diversity and quality of fashion contents. Innovating ways to develop creative fashion content and improve the quality through more in-depth analysis of the reader is essential. Third, SNS is slightly behind the Internet portal as a whole; however, it is one of the emerging platforms in the fashion content market because of its competitive advantage in terms of gratification opportunities.