Development of Evaluation Indicators for a Children's Dietary Life Safety Index in Korea

This study was performed to develop a children's dietary life safety index required by the Special Act on Safety Management of Children's Dietary Life enacted in 2009. An analytical hierarchy process was used to obtain initial weights of dietary life safety evaluation indicators. The Delphi method was applied to develop the weights along with 98 food and nutrition professionals. Three representative policy indicators, nine strategy indicators, 11 main evaluation indicators, and 20 detailed evaluation indicators were selected for the children's dietary life safety assessment. Three policy indicators and nine strategy indicators were the following: children's food safety indicator (support level of children' safety, safety management level of children's favorite foods, and safety management level of institutional food service), children's nutrition safety indicator (management level of missing meals and obesity, nutrition management level of children's favorite foods, and nutrition management level of institutional food service), and children's perception and practice level indicator ("Dietary Life Law" perception level, perception, and practice level for dietary life safety management, perception, and practice level for nutrition management). Weights of 40%, 40%, and 20% were given for the three representative policy indicators. The relative importance of nine strategic indicators, which were determined by the Delphi method is as follows: For children's food safety, support level of children's safety, safety management level of children's favorite foods, and safety management level of institutional food service were given weights of 12%, 9%, and 19%, respectively. For children's nutrition safety, the missing meals and obesity management level, nutrition management level of children's favorite foods, and the nutrition management level of institutional food service were given weights of 13%, 11%, and 16%, respectively. The "Dietary Life Law" perception level, perception and practice level of dietary life safety management, and perception and practice level of nutrition management were given weights of 4%, 7%, and 9%, respectively.

Statistical Approach to Test Construct Validity and Obtain Weights for the Children's Dietary Life Recognition and Practice Index

Constructs with seven latent evaluation indicators and 18 observable survey questions were developed by food and nutrition experts to calculate a food safety recognition and practice index for children. The purpose of this study was to suggest statistical approaches to test construction validity on the constructs, obtain weights of the evaluation indicators, and develop questionnaires to calculate a children's food recognition and practice index. Survey data of 2,400 elementary fifth grade students were used as empirical results. Test validity was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis and confirmed to be highly significant by confirmatory factor analysis [i.e., linear structural relations (LISREL) analysis]. Standardized path coefficients of the LISREL analysis were suggested based on weights, and the weights were compared using the AHP and Delphi methods.

Selenium Status and Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in Korean Infants

We investigated the selenium (Se) nutrition status in Korean infants. The mean serum Se concentration in infants was 66.9 microg/L, and it increased with increasing in infant age: 57.6 microg/L at 0-5 months, 71.8 microg/L at 6-11 months, and 75.5 microg/L at 12-24 months. Serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity also increased with infant age. Serum Se concentration in infants was positively correlated with serum GPx activity (r = 0.565, p < 0.01). At 0-5 months, human milk-fed infants tended to have higher Se concentrations and GPx activity than those of formula-fed infants, but the result was not significant. With the introduction of supplemental feeding at 6-24 months of age, serum Se concentration was not different between the groups. Therefore, human milk feeding seemed to be more appropriate for infant Se nutrition than infant formula feeding during the first 6 months of life, but supplemental feeding became more important later to maintain good Se nutrition status.

Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Self-Efficacy and Eating Habits According to Student's Stage of Regular Breakfast or Exercise / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study has been performed to analyze nutrition knowledge, dietary self-efficacy and eating habits of the elementary- and middle- school students (n = 342) according to student's stage of regular breakfast or exercise. Middle school students had higher nutrition knowledge than primary school students. Total dietary self-efficacy and dietary habit scores were not different by school year and gender. Nutrition knowledge, dietary self-efficacy and dietary habit scores were positively correlated each other. By the stage of regular breakfast, the pre-contemplation stage comprised 13.6%, contemplation 2.1%, preparation 15.7%, action 11.5% and maintenance stage 59.1%. By the stage of regular exercise, the pre-contemplation stage comprised 20.9%, contemplation 7.3%, preparation 45.6%, action 9.8% and maintenance stage 16.4%. According to the stage of change, movement from the pre-contemplation and contemplation to upper stage increased the dietary self-efficacy score. Dietary habit score increased significantly across the five stages of changes. The results of this study indicate differences in stages of changes in breakfast intake and regular exercise and indicate the need for taking these phases of change into account in nutrition education.

Relationships among Personality Preferences, Psychosocial Factors and Dietary Habits of Middle School Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the association of personality preferences and food behavior factors in middle school students. The subjects were 319 boys and girls in a middle school located in Kyunggi province. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess demographic factors, dietary habits and psychosocial factors including self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers. The MMTIC (Murphy-Meisgeier Type Inventory for Children) test was used to assess the personality preferences of the students. Sixty-seven percent of the subjects were extrovert, 53.9% were the sensing type, 76.8% were the feeling type and 81.8% were the perceiving type in personality preferences. The extrovert had higher self-efficacy than the introvert. The feeling type perceived more benefits and fewer barriers than the thinking type. The education levels of the parents, especially mothers, were positively related with self-efficacy and dietary habit scores of the students. The self-efficacy and perceived benefits and barriers were significantly associated with dietary habits of the students (explained variance: 17.9%). Results of this study presented the relationship of character types and parents' education levels on psychosocial food behavior factors and a need for the development of tailored nutrition education program considering these factors.

Effects of Different Kinds of Korean Soybeans on Body Lipids and Lipid Peroxidation in Rats

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different kinds of traditional Korean soybeans on blood and liver lipids and lipid peroxidation. SD male rats (n =48 )were assigned to six different groups and provided expe-rimental diets for 28 days. The protein source of the diet was casein, isolated soy protein (ISP ), or casein plus traditional soy powders (yellow bean, huktae, jinuni or seorietae ). The ISP, jinuni and seorietae diet decreased blood triglyceride compared to casein group. The ISP groups had lower hepatic total lipid and triglycerides than casein groups. The yellow bean and seorietae group had hepatic lipid lowering effects, but the effect was not found in huktae and jinuni group. The glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase activity was significantly decreased in ISP and jinuni groups than in casein group. The glutamate-pyruvate transaminase activity was also decreased in ISP group. The results of this study suggest that jinuni, yellow bean and seorietae groups are more effective in lowering body lipids than huktae group.