The aim of this study was to investigate the change in women’s somatotype with aging. The subjects were 1,123 women aged 40~69. Their anthropometric data were from the 6th Size Korea. The data were analyzed by factor analysis and cluster analysis. Seven factors were extracted: body mass, body length, back shoulder, arm length factor, front interscye factor, body rise factor, and shoulder angle. The upper body types of middle-aged and elderly women were classified into five types: skinny, short stout body type with forward posture, composite, tall & full body type, and short & skinny. The skinny and composite body type appeared more often than the short stout body type in the early 40s of Korean women. Starting in the mid-50s, composite body type was less often found. However, the number of women with short stout body type increased. In the 60s, the number of women with short stout and tall & full body types decreased. These results reveal that the body types of middle-aged and elderly women changed with some pattern with aging. And women in their early 40s, mid-50s, and 60s women had different body shapes and postures.

This study was conducted to investigate bone density and food behavior of middle-aged (〈65-years-of-age) and oldaged women (≥65-years-of-age) in the Seoul area of Korea. Average height and weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist-hip ration (WHR) of the middle-aged participants were 158.0 cm, 58.4 kg, 23.3, 29.7%, and 0.88. Corresponding measurements for old-aged participants were 152.6 cm, 56.3 kg, 24.1, 33.1%, and 0.93. T- and Z-scores for middle-aged women were -1.20 and -0.21, and those of old-aged women were -2.02 and -0.49. Osteopenia and osteoporosis percentage of middle- and old-aged women were 41.2% and 14.7%, and 45.2% and 37.1%, respectively. Significant differences were evident concerning between-meal, overeating, exercise, and nutritional supplementation among the two groups. Middle-aged women displayed a positive relationships between bone density and the parameters of height (p〈0.05), weight (p〈0.05), exercise (p〈0.05), consumption of soybean and soybean-processed food (p〈0.05), and negative relationships between bone density and the parameters of WHR (p〈0.001), consumption of meat and meatprocessed food (p〈0.05), and tea drinking (p〈0.05). In old-aged women group, positive relationships were evident for bone density and the parameters of height (p〈0.05), weight (p〈0.05), exercise (p〈0.05), nutritional supplementation (p〈0.05), and consumption of soybean and soybean-processed food (p〈0.05). The results reveal a link between healthy bones and desirable food behavior, indicating the importance of a practical and systematically organized food behavior education program for middle- and old-aged Korean women.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of Korean traditional food use in the households of middle aged women living in Kyunggido and Incheon area Four hundred eighty seven housewives whose children were in middle school answered the questionnaire about Korean traditional food use patterns in ordinary days, national festive days and in private celebration or memorial days. Most households have used Korean traditional table setting called Bansang as daily meals(96.7%) and have used home-made Kimchi(97.3%). However, the use of home-made Jang such as soy sauce, soybean paste and red pepper soybean paste was not very high(64.3%). Most households have celebrated New Years day(99.6%) with Ddukguk and Manduguk, Chusuk(95.1%) with Songpyun, and fruits, Full-Moon day(95.1%) with Ogokbap, Namul and Brum. Dongji was celebrated with Patjug by 73.3% of households. However, Samjitnal and Danho were celebrated with Whajeon and Ssukjulpyun by only 18.9% and 43.8% of the households respectively. The households using Korean traditional food to celebrate the birthday, the 1st birthday of child, the wedding or to memorize the passing day of ancestors were 96.0%, 80.7%, 81.3% and 86.7% respectively. Compared to households of urban and nuclear family, households of rural and extended family tended to use significantly more Korean traditional foods in many occasions and showed significantly higher rate of using home-made Kimchi and Jang.