This study examined dietary habits and mental health according to generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) and caffeine consumption in adolescents. The data were collected from the 18th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey with a sample of 51,850 students. The proportion of students in the GAD High-Risk · Caffeine consumption group (GHRCC) who consumed sweet drinks (p< .001), fast food (p< .001), and midnight meals (p< .001) every day was 15.6, 21.9, and 22.4%, respectively. These proportions were higher than those of students who consumed sweet drinks, fast food, and midnight meals 1-2 times a week, 3-4 times a week, or not at all. In addition, the proportions of GHRCC among students who responded “yes” to experiencing sadness and despair (p< .001), suicidal thoughts (p< .001), suicide plans (p< .001), suicide attempts (p< .001), and loneliness (p< .001) were higher than students who responded “no.” The GAD High-Risk group (GHR) had higher odds with the consumption of midnight meals (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 2.10-2.99), caffeine consumption (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 2.21-2.74), and fast food (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.75-2.55) than GAD Low-Risk group. Based on the above results, the risk of GHR was higher among students who consumed midnight meals, caffeine, and fast food daily than those who did not.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutrition quotient and the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 393 adolescents were surveyed to evaluate their Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) scores and dietary intake. The average age of the survey subjects was 15 years and the average NQ-A score of the subjects was 49.11±13.35. There was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to gender and age. The average dietary diversity score was 3.77±0.85, and it was significantly higher in boys than in girls (p< .05) with the scores of 12-14-year-old students being significantly higher than those aged 15-18 years (p< .01). The results of comparing the percentage of recommended intake or adequate intake and the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) according to the NQ-A grade, showed that the ‘High’ grade had a significantly higher intake percentage of vitamin B1, B12, folate, phosphorus, iron and a significantly higher MAR (p< .05). From a long-term perspective, efforts to improve dietary habits are deemed necessary to meet an individual’s nutritional requirements. Adolescents themselves should develop proper eating behaviors and acquire suitable dietary management skills to enhance their nutritional status, ultimately contributing to an improvement in their quality of life.

A checklist of dietary behavior items for the elderly was developed based on Korean dietary guidelines. First, a literature review was conducted, and 63 preliminary items, including 30 items on food intake, 12 on eating habits, and 21 on dietary culture, were obtained to evaluate the dietary guidelines. The preliminary items were evaluated by experts using Lawshe’s method to verify the content validity. They were then revised, resulting in 52 items: 25, 11, and 16 in the food intake, eating habits, and dietary culture domains, respectively. A face-to-face survey was conducted on 331 people over 65 years of age in the metropolitan area, and their one-day food intake was surveyed using a 24-hour recall method in August 2022. The 48 items, including 24, 11, and 13 items on food intake, eating habits, and dietary culture, respectively, correlated significantly with the evaluation indicators of nutrient intake, such as mean adequacy ratio, dietary diversity score, and nutrient intake density. These items were considered suitable for evaluating the elderly's compliance with dietary guidelines.

Considering that the number of middle-aged single-person households is increasing, this study investigates dietary behaviors, nutrient intake, and mental health according to household type. Data were procured from the 2015-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Totally, 5,466 participants aged 50-64 years were classified into 2 groups: a household with one member was defined as a single-person household, and households with two or more members were described as multi-person households. Single-person households comprised 10.63% of the total, with a higher average age, and lower income and economic levels than multi-person households. Compared to multiperson households, single-person households had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast, eating alone, and dining out, the moderately and severely food insecure group was more than 5 times, and nutrient intake and dietary quality were poorer. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms were 2.35 times (95% CI: 1.39-3.96), and suicide ideation was 1.95 times (95% CI: 1.35-2.82) in single-person compared to multi-person households. Our results lead us to conclude that poor dietary intake in middle-aged single-person households affects the mental health, and the above factors should be considered when framing the dietary policy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between household economic changes by COVID-19 and dietary habits in Korean adolescents. The study analyzed data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2021. A total of 54,848 middle and high school students, 28,401 males and 26,447 females, participated in this study. COVID-19 lead to deterioration of household economy in the lower level of household economic status (p<0.001). The deterioration of household economic status by COVID-19 was associated with dietary habits such as lower breakfast intake, and higher fast food, soda drinks, and sweet drinks consumption (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that deterioration of household economic status was significantly decreased in frequency of breakfast intake (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.67~0.80). The deterioration of household economic status by COVID-19 was also significantly associated with increased frequency of fast food (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.16~1.41), soda drinks (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.30~1.56) and sweet drinks (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.24~1.46) consumption (p<0.001). In conclusion, it was confirmed that the change in household economy caused by COVID-19 was associated with dietary habits in adolescents. As the household economy deteriorated, there was an increase in undesirable dietary habits including skipping breakfast and fast food consumption.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutrition education on dietary knowledge, dietary attitudes, and dietary behavior of elderly by analyzing changes before and after nutrition education. This study was conducted in Seoul from March 2022 to December 2022 for 50 elderly (6 male, 44 female) who participated in nutrition education for 8 weeks at three senior welfare centers (Seodaemun, Seongbuk, Jongno). A total of 35 responses were used in the final analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon’s signed rank test by age, hypertension, and dislipidemia to find effect of nutrition education on their nutritional knowledge, dietary attitudes, and dietary behavior. Results showed that nutrition education had a significant effect on the elderly. In particular, for those with chronic diseases such as hypertension and dislipidemia, the difference after education was significant, indicating significant changes in dietary habits. This study is expected to provide basic data for the development of a systematic nutrition education program for the elderly in the future.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the five senses activities involving food ingredients on the eating behavior of infants. The study was carried out four times over 6 months. We surveyed 65 nursery school infants and teachers who were registered at the 2020 Guro-gu Center for Children’s Food Service Management in Seoul. They participated in the five senses education specialization project. The results of the study showed that the scores relating to unbalanced diet, hygiene management, dietary attitude, and dietary manners were visibly higher than those before participating in the five senses educational activities. In addition, there was a significant difference in the perception of the food ingredients used in the five senses education activities. Finally, as a result of investigating the types of education used before, during, and after the five senses education activities, and the need for education by type, cooking activities were observed to rank higher than other activities in all questions. Based on this, if dietary guidance is provided through a variety of five senses education activities over a long period rather than as a one-time event, it will be beneficial to the children's healthy eating habits.

This study aimed to assess the association between the weight status and dietary behavior of preschool children. The survey included 412 preschool children aged 2-5 years in 31 childcare facilities in Gwangju. General characteristics of children and their mothers, weight, height, feeding type, complementary feeding, food allergy, and dietary behavior of children based on the Nutrition Quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P) questionnaire were considered. Children were classified into 4 groups by weight status; underweight, normal, overweight, and obese, based on the 2017 Korean National Growth Charts. The percentage of children in the respective groups was 5.3, 70.9, 10.7, 13.1%. Weight status was not related to breast feeding duration nor the starting time of complementary feeding. The NQ-P scores of underweight, normal, overweight, and obese groups were 55.4, 60.0, 60.8, 60.0. Among the three factors covered by the NQ-P, ‘balance’ and ‘environment’ scores of the underweight group were lower than that of other groups. Underweight children consumed beans, fish, and white milk less frequently. The ‘moderation’ scores of the overweight/obese group were lower than those of the normal or obese groups. Obese children more frequently ate processed meat and fast foods. Proper nutrition education is thus needed for not only obese children but also underweight children based on their age, along with their parents, and caregivers.

본 연구는 여대생의 체질량지수와 다이어트 인식 및 다이어트 행동에 관해 알아보기 위해 시행된 서술적 조사연구이다. 연구 대상자는 일 지역 여자대학교에 재학 중인 학생 165명으로 자료수집은 2018년 10월 29일부터 11월 9일까지 진행되었다. 수집된 자료의 분석은 SPSS/WIN 21.0 프로그램을 이용하여 기술통계, t 검정, 일원분산분석, 교차분석을 하였다. 전체 다이어트 인식은 3.44점이었고 요인별로는 ‘실행’이 4.00점으로 가장 높게 나타났고, 그 다음으로 ‘정보 및 교육’이 3.58점, ‘필요성’은 3.32점, ‘자가인식’은 2.84점으로 가장 낮게 나타났다. 다이어트 횟수는 ‘3회 미만’이 65명(43.0%)으로 가장 많았으며 방법은 ‘음식조절’이 65명(43.0%), ‘운동’이 62명(41.1%) 순이었다. 일주일간 운동시간은 3시간 미만이 99명(65.6%)으로 가장 많았고 ‘전혀 하지 않는다’가 32명(21.2%)으로 그 다음 순이었다. 다이어트로 인한 피해경험은 22명(14.6%)이 있다고 응답했고, 종류로는 위장병, 생리불순, 탈모 등이었다. BMI에 따른 다이어트 인식 전체 점수는 저체중군이 정상체중 및 과체중군보다 점수가 낮게 나타났다(p<.001). 하부 요인별로 보면 다이어트 ‘실행’은 저체중군이 정상체중 및 과체중군보다 점수가 낮게 나타났고(p<.05), 다이어트 ‘정보 및 교육’은 과체중군의 점수가 가장 높았고, 그 다음이 정상체중군, 저체중군 순이었다(p<.001). 다이어트 ‘필요성’과 ‘자가인식’은 저체중군이 정상체중 및 과체중군보다 점수가 낮게 나타났다(p<.001). 다이어트 인식에 따른 다이어트 행동은 다이어트 횟수와 방법에서 차이가 있었다(p<.001). 본 연구 결과를 토대로 여대생의 올바른 다이어트 인식 형성과 건강한 생활유지를 위한 관심과 교육이 필요하다고 사료된다.

This study examined the eating habits and preferences of foods according to the age of children with autism spectrum disorders and identified the nutritional needs of parents to support their healthy eating habits and provide basic data for the development of educational programs. A survey of 100 parents of children with autism spectrum disorders was conducted on their children’s snack intake, food preferences, and parents’ nutrition education needs. As a result, there were four times more boys than girls, and the body mass index differed according to age (p<0.001). Most children ate snacks more than once a day, and parents found that they wanted to develop nutritious snacks that could replace high-protein, low-calorie meals with the minimal use of additives. For the food preference, there was a significant difference in grains and starches, vegetables/seafood and fruits, milk and dairy products (p<0.05), fats and sugars, and Korean fermented pastes (p<0.01) between the two age groups. Regarding whether nutrition education was required, many parents had a high demand for nutrition education (4.24±0.70), and the intention to participate was 3.62±1.09. The most important content to be dealt with in parent education was ‘Inducing a change in bad eating habits and behaviors’, which was the highest (63%), and mostly face-to-face education was preferred. In conclusion, young children require diet education, and older children need to focus on weight control and obesity.

This study examined the difference of dietary intake behavior between groups of adults aged >20 years with or without dyslipidemia, and comparing the various types of dyslipidemia, based on the Seventh (2016) KNHANES. Men showed higher rate for triglyceridemia and LDL-cholesterolemia than women and subjects in the age group 50-59 years exhibited the highest incidence of triglyceridemia, total cholesterolemia and HDL-cholesterolemia. The ratio of obese people was higher in most types of dyslipidemias. The top five foods in each group of cereal & grain, meat, vegetable, and fruit were selected for analysis, based on the food frequency. The dyslipidemia group showed higher intake frequencies for mixed grains, cabbage kimchi and leafy vegetable than the no-dyslipidemia group, and the group with high blood total cholesterol for mixed grains, apple, and cutlassfish-croaker. Group with high blood triglyceride showed higher intake frequencies of rice and mackerel-mackerel pike than the other groups of high blood triglyceride. No food showed significant difference in the frequencies between groups of LDL-cholesterol. Group with high blood HDL-cholesterol showed higher intake frequency of bibim-fried rice, deep fried chicken, stir fried chicken, apple, tangerine, banana and butter-margarine. These results indicate that people with high levels of blood total cholesterol are more concerned with food having health benefits than those with abnormal levels of other blood lipid. More information on dietary benefits need to be provided to patients having high levels of triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol.

This study analyzed consumers’ recognition and demand for probiotic products and dietary and living habits according to their probiotics ingestion experience to provide information on the development of probiotic products and marketing strategies in the health functional food-related industry. A total of 280 consumers living in Seoul, Incheon and Kyeonggi-do area were enrolled in this study. The consumers expected mostly intestinal health (80.4%) after ingesting probiotics. The appropriate price level for purchasing probiotics was between 20,000-50,000 won (58.2%), preferring a price range of 50,000 won or less (77.1%). There was a significant difference in the dietary habits depending on the experience of probiotics ingestion, but there was no difference in the living habit. Consumers took Vitamin C, red Ginseng and Ginseng the most instead of probiotics as health functional foods. Based on the results, a marketing strategy could be established to meet the consumer’s needs, such as focusing on the effects of probiotics, building up various price policies and the development of new products mixing with other commonly consumed health supplements.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary habits of smokers and non-smokers among a few male university students residing in Changwon-si and factors that affect their smoking behavior. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted for a duration of one month in June 2015 (n=367). The results of this study showed that the breakfast skipping rate of the smoking group was significantly higher compared to the non-smoking group (p<0.001), and the smoking rate was significantly higher among those with more serious smoking problems (p<0.001). Compared to the non-smoking group, the smoking group showed significantly higher BMI (body mass index) (p<0.05) and demonstrated significant drinking habit of more liquid type yogurt among milk and dairy products and significantly more coffee mixes among fat, oils, and sugars (p<0.05). The results of multiple regression analysis showed the necessity to prepare smoking systems in school (t=－2.87, p<0.05), encumbrances to studies due to smoking (t=－3.59, p<0.001), and variables that affect smoking such as the number of close friends who smoke (t=4.17, p<0.001), BMI (t=3.08, p<0.05), and the level of problematic drinking (t=3.67, p<0.001). The results of this study suggest factors that must be considered in establishing smoking prevention education programs, anti-smoking policies, and strategies for university students.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional knowledge and dietary behaviors of middle school students according to their mother’s employment status. Of all 453 subjects, 52.1% were boys, and 67.5% of the mothers were employed. The total score of nutritional knowledge was 8.0 out of 10 for students with a non-working mom and 7.7 for those with a working mom, showing no significant difference. Among the 20 nutritional knowledge questions, correct answer rates for “lots of fruits may be eaten because of not gaining weight” (72.6% vs. 81.6%, p<0.05) and “eating raw carrots is better than eating fried ones with oil” (34.6% vs. 44.9%, p<0.05) were significantly higher in students with a working mom. The regularity of meals showed a significant difference according to the mother’s employment, indicating that responses of “very regular” (62.4% vs. 72.1%) were high among students with a non-working mom and responses of “skipping breakfast” (31.4% vs. 19.7%) were higher in students with a working mom (p<0.05). The number of snacks a day was also significantly different according to the mother’s employment, showing that 12.8% of the students with a working mom and only 3.4% of them with a non-working mom did not eat snacks at all (p<0.05). These results reveal no significant difference in middle school students’ nutritional knowledge according to their mother’s employment status; however, the students whose mother had a job were more likely to have more undesirable dietary behaviors such as irregular meals and snacking.

This study was conducted to analyze the dietary lifestyle of local Chinese consumers and to classify dietary characteristics according to their dietary lifestyle factors and dietary behaviors. This investigation was conducted for 1 month from 1 January 2017 targeting 300 adult males and females living in China using the online survey company surveymonkey. Four factors relating to dietary lifestyle were identified, gourmet factor, healthy factor, convenience factor and economic factor, and these were grouped into 4 clusters according to their dietary lifestyle factor scores. Group 1, the gourmet economy group, showed a high percentage of living alone and a high frequency of eating out, but a relatively low percentage of three regular meals per day. Their dietary lifestyle was sensitive to gourmet factors and economic factors, but less sensitive to health and convenience factors. Group 2, the wide interest group, contained a high percentage of individuals in their 30s, as well as more highly educated individuals and a higher income than other groups. Because their dietary lifestyle scores tended to be higher than those of other groups, they sought a variety of new foods and gourmet meals for enjoyment of dining and life, as well as well-being food materials and foods related to health. Group 3, the health economic group, constituted a family-type consumer group with lower income level than the other groups. Members of this group were seeking health food and natural food in their dietary lifestyle and tended to pursue a high economic profit ratio when purchasing food. Finally, group 4 showed a relatively higher percentage of women over 30 and individuals with a college level or higher education than the other groups. This group was more interested in health and taste than price and convenience, and showed the highest LOHAS orientation among middle aged Chinese women. Moreover, members of this group directly utilized their knowledge regarding nutrition in real life.

The purpose of this study was to analyze University student’s dietary behavior for processed foods and recognition on food nutrition labelling according to the degree of health concern. For this study, 302 University students in Gyeonggi region was surveyed by questionnaire from May in 2016 and it included the questions about general matters, dietary behavior on processed foods, and the food nutrition label system. It was analysed by SPSS win 23.0 program. And the results are as follows. According to the result of the factor analysis, the preference of processed foods were showed 3.21~3.97. There were significant differences in milk and milk products preference according to health concern (p<0.05). Also frequency of processed foods was shown significant differences in milk and milk products, noodles, beverage, and fast food (p<0.05), whereas no significant differences were found in meat products, snack, bread and frozen food (p>0.05). Also, the processed food purchase consideration according to health concern was shown significant differences in nutrition, origin, manufacturing company (p<0.05), whereas no significant differences were found in taste, price, exterior, brand, and shelf life (p>0.05). Thus, it is necessary to do continuing public relations and to provide more opportunities for nutrition education so that the University students may obtain right dietary behavior on processed foods and the system of food nutrition indication be established properly.

The purpose of this study is to investigate 5th grade elementary school girls’ effort to recognize and use nutritional labels on processed foods and restaurant meals to encourage dietary behavior. The subjects (n=976) were divided into three groups (effort group, n=711; normal group, n=193; and no-effort group, n=72) depending on level of effort for the healthy dietary behavior such as eating balanced meals, eating three meals regularly, and eating meals slowly. In the effort group, the frequency of food intake for breads, ramen, noodles and fast foods was significantly lower, while frequency of food intake for fruits and vegetables and salad was significantly higher than in the other two groups. In the effort group, the ratio of the respondents that perception of nutrition labeling on processed foods and restaurant meals was 80.5% and 31.4% and the ratio of girls who checked the nutrition labeling at their point of purchase was 71.1% and 24.7%, respectively. Reasons given for not reading nutrition labeling for restaurant meals were ‘not interested’ for 34.6% of the effort group, and 52.2% of the no-effort group. Therefore, it is necessary to create an educational program on healthy dietary behavior, including how to read nutrition labeling and establishment of proper body image perception for elementary school girls.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the eating of breakfast by female middle school students in Seoul, the perception of the school breakfast program (SBP), and determine the factors affecting the intention to participate in SBP. Out of 340 questionnaires distributed to the female middle school students, 334 were returned (98.2% response rate) and 323 were analyzed. The subjects were categorized into two groups by the intention to participate in SBP. Subjects were classified as participating and non participating groups. As a result of analyzing the breakfast intake frequency, 'hardly eat' showed the highest with 18.5% in the participating group and 10.3% in non participating group, while 'eat every day' showed 38.2% in the participating group, and the highest with 65.5% in non participating group (p<0.001). For the reason for skipping breakfast, 'no time' showed the highest with 30.0% in the participating group, 'over sleep' and 'no appetite' showed the highest with 24.8% in non participating group. For the reason for not participating in SBP, 'breakfast should be eaten at home' showed the highest with 47.2% in non participating group and 'may get up early in the morning' showed the highest with 46.2% in participating group (p<0.01). To determine the factors affecting the intention to participate in SBP, logistic regression analyses were conducted for female middle school students. According to the logistic regression analysis, father's education level was independently associated with the intention to participate in SBP in female middle school students [Odds Ratios (OR) 2.38, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.03~5.52]. Frequency of eating breakfast on weekdays (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01~1.81), Level of need for school breakfast (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.35~0.76) and whether to approve school breakfast (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.18~0.41) were independently associated with the intention to participate in SBP in female middle school students. In conclusion, proper educational efforts for importance of school breakfast could be useful plan to develop school breakfast program.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary behavior and temperament & character in preschool children, and to offer basic data that can be applied for nutrition education and counseling. A total of 211 parents of preschool children aged 3~5 years performed the Korean version of Preschool Temperament and Character Inventory (K-psTCI), a questionnaire based on Cloninger's seven-factor model of personality, along with a questionnaire about the dietary behaviors of their children. K-psTCI represented seven factors such as harm avoidance (HA), novelty seeking (NS), reward dependence (RD), persistence (P), self-directedness (SD), cooperativeness (CO), and self-transcendence (ST). The subjects were divided into either the high rank group or low rank group based on the mean score of each factor. The high rank group of HA showed significantly less physical activity and less appetite than the low rank group of HA. The children in the high rank of NS were more likely to have picky eating and a late night snack. The children in the low rank of SD or CO were more likely to have undesirable dietary behaviors, such as picky eating, too much snacking, and lower appetite than those in the high rank of SD or CO. In conclusion, individual temperament & character in preschool children may be associated with their dietary behavior, and understanding temperament & character in children may be important facts to screen and to develop an effective nutrition education program for children.