Determinants of restaurant consumers' intention to practice COVID-19preventive behavior: an application of the theory of planned behavior

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions to practice COVID-19 preventive behaviors using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). @*SUBJECTS/METHODS@#A total of 519 restaurant customers' responses was collected in this study through an online self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on socio-demographic factors. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were conducted to determine differences in the constructs from the TPB according to age and sex.The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). @*RESULTS@#SEM revealed the positive effect of knowledge about COVID-19 on attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in restaurants. Attitude, subjective norm, behavior intention, and knowledge positively affected COVID-19 preventive behavior intentions in restaurants. @*CONCLUSIONS@#The results of this study confirmed that the TPB is helpful in elucidating the determinants of consumers' intention to practice COVID-19 preventive behavior in restaurants. These findings can help policy makers and professionals provide material for further public health interventions and inform them about awareness-raising, guidelines, and health education programs.

Customers' perception of the attributes of different formats of menu labeling: a comparison between Korea and the U.S

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#This study compared the perception of customers from Korea and the U.S. on the attributes of different formats of menu labeling The specific objectives were 1) to compare the customers' perceived usefulness, ease-of-understanding, clarity, and attractiveness of different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S.; and 2) to compare the customers' use intention to different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. @*SUBJECTS/METHODS@#A survey was conducted in Korea and the U.S. The participants were allocated randomly to view 1 of the 7 restaurant menus that varied according to the following types of menu labeling formats: (type 1) kcal format, (type 2) traffic-light format, (type 3) percent daily intake (%DI) format, (type 4) kcal + traffic-light format, (type 5) kcal + %DI format, (type 6) traffic-light + %DI format, and (type 7) kcal + traffic-light + %DI format. A total of 279 Koreans and 347 Americans were entered in the analysis. An independent t-test and 1-way analysis of variance were performed. @*RESULTS@#Koreans rated type 4 format (kcal + traffic light) the highest for usefulness and attractiveness. In contrast, Americans rated type 7 (kcal + traffic light + %DI) the highest for usefulness, ease-of-understanding, attractiveness, and clarity. Significant differences were found in the customers' perceived attributes to menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. Americans perceived higher for all the 4 attributes of menu labeling than Koreans. @*CONCLUSIONS@#The study is unique in identifying the differences in the attributes of different formats of menu labeling between Korea and the U.S. Americans rated the most complicated type of menu labeling as the highest perception for the attributes, and showed a higher use intention of menu labeling than Koreans. This study contributes to academia and industry for practicing menu labeling in different countries using different formats.

Association between Coffee Consumption and Bone Mineral Density in Korean Men Aged 50 Years and Older: A Cross Sectional Analysis of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011

Background@#Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage worldwide and has a variety of health benefits. However, the relationship between coffee consumption and bone mineral density (BMD) is still controversial. This study aimed to assess the associations between coffee consumption and BMD in Korean men aged 50 years and older. @*Methods@#The study included 271 Korean men aged 50 years and older from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011. Coffee consumption frequency was assessed using a questionnaire and categorized as follows: none, ≤1 cup/day, 2 cups/day, or 3 cups/day. The BMD of the total femur, femur neck, and lumbar spine were compared based on coffee consumption frequency. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between coffee consumption and impaired bone health (osteopenia or osteoporosis). @*Results@#The BMD of the total femur and femur neck significantly increased with higher coffee consumption (P<0.001). Participants with the highest coffee consumption had the lowest odds ratio for osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur and femur neck (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). After adjusting for all confounding factors, this trend remained consistent in the femur neck (P<0.05); drinking 2 cups of coffee per day was found to be associated with the lowest risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur. @*Conclusion@#Coffee consumption was found to decrease the risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur and femur neck in Korean men aged 50 years and older.

Relationship between Coffee Consumption and Dry Eye Syndrome in Korean Adults: 2010–2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BACKGROUND: Dry eye is a common disease, and coffee is a popular beverage that is heavily consumed in Korea and worldwide. We examined the correlation between coffee consumption and dry eye.METHODS: This study was performed using data from the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was a cross-sectional study of the Korean population conducted from 24 months. We included adults aged ≥19 years who underwent ophthalmologic examination and excluded those who had comorbid conditions with dry eye. The subjects were divided into dry eye and control groups. The dry eye group consisted of those who had been clinically diagnosed with dry eye. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between coffee consumption and dry eye.RESULTS: An inverse correlation was found between coffee consumption and dry eye in the group that consumed 3 cups of coffee a day (P=0.001). However, after multivariate adjustment, the statistical significance of the correlation disappeared (P=0.283).CONCLUSION: Consumption of 3 cups of coffee a day in comparison to non-consumption group was negatively correlated with dry eye in an univariate analysis model, but the correlation was not statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, binge drinking, sun exposure time and history of eye surgery.

Evaluation of the Quality Attribute and Satisfaction on School Foodservice in 2010 / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purposes of this study were to analyze the quality attributes, quality factors and customer satisfaction in school foodservice and to provide suggestions for improving school foodservice environments. The survey was distributed to different respondents (5,771 students, 2,045 parents, and 1,981 faculty members) at different types of schools (elementary school, middle school, and high school) on September 2010 in 16 cities and provinces. The data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive analysis, one-way ANOVA, t-test and multiple linear regression analysis. First, all foodservice quality attributes were significant different by respondents and the faculty had higher scores than parents and students. A comparison of scores by respondents and distribution place demonstrated that classroom of student and parents had a higher score for quality attributes. The overall satisfaction with school foodservice was significant different by respondents and higher for classroom than for dining hall for student and parents. In comparison of annual data, there was decreased overall satisfaction and quality attributes in student and parents. Second, in the regression results, which showed the effects of the foodservice quality attributes on overall satisfaction by respondents and distribution place, improvements of 'food taste', 'pleasant foodservice environment', and 'kindness of employee' would increase satisfaction in most of the respondents. Third, the overall satisfaction with school foodservice was higher for nutrition teachers than dietitians for students and faculty. Therefore, the operators will need to make different efforts based on each customer needs to improve the overall satisfaction on school foodservice.