An Analysis of Consumers' Needs and Practice Willingness for the Health Promotion Program in Restaurant Industry among Seoul Residents

This study examined the needs and practice willingness for the health promotion program of restaurant industry among Seoul residents. Using structured self-administered questionnaires, data on subjects' general characteristics, health status, and eating out behavior characteristics, the needs and practice willingness of the health promotion program for restaurant industry were collected from 765 adults above the age of 19. The needs for nutrition labeling such as fat, calorie, sodium, fiber, and the practice willingness for consuming nutrition labeled food were high. Results showed that gender, restaurant's management status, and food quality status were significant indicators for needs for health promotion program. Education duration, food quality status, and the frequency of eating out were significant variables for practice willingness. The results imply that health promotion program for the restaurant industry should be based on the consumer's characteristics. Also, the results imply the necessity of several activities such as social marketing to inform the benefit of participation in the health promotion program for consumers, guidance to maintain the food quality and improve the ambiance of restaurant for suppliers, and the new establishment of research centers to validate the labeled information on meals and analyze the nutrients of the meals for agencies.

Factors Related to Bone Mineral Content Among Adolescents in Seoul

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to bone mineral contents (BMC) at os calcis of adolescents. The subjects were 604 students (327 boys and 277 girls) between 7th and 9th grade in Seoul, Korea. The mean age was 14.2 +/- 0.9 years. General characteristics were collected by a questionnaire, bone mineral contents (BMC) were measured in os calcis by Duel Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (PIXI, General Electronics, USA) and height and weight were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis method (Inbody 4.0, Biospace Co. Ltd, Seoul, Korea). Mean BMC of os calsis were 2.241 g. Height (p < .0001), weight (p < .0001), BMC (p < .0001) of boys were higher than those of girls. Percent body fat of girls, however, was higher than that of boys (p < .0001). Anthropometric measurement, pocket money, sibling, experience of fracture, pubertal stage, intake of supplements, physical or outdoors activity, and eating habit had significant influence on BMC of boys. Anthropometric measurement, physical or outdoors activity, and eating habit had significant influence on BMC of girls. Multivariate regression with adjustment for sex and age showed that BMC was associated positively with height, BMI, frequency of regular activity, and intake of spinach or radish leaves (all p < 0.05), and negatively with percent body fat (p < .0001) and Korean traditional diet pattern (p = 0.01). On the basis of these results, it is recommended to develop nutrition education and physical activity program for adolescents to improve BMC and prevent osteoporosis.

Awareness and perceived necessity of dietary guidelines among urban Koreans by gender

We examined an urban population's awareness of dietary guidelines to determine whether they perceived them to be necessary, and identified the factors affecting this awareness and perceived necessity. Data were collected via physical examinations and face-to-face interviews. Health indicators were collected from health examinations, and information on individual characteristics, including awareness, perceived necessity, and dietary status were obtained from the interviews. The subjects' sociodemographic, health and dietary status were examined as potential factors influencing awareness and perceived necessity. Descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and logistic regression modeling were used in the analysis. Low awareness of the dietary guidelines was displayed by the elderly and poorly educated individuals, and those without a spouse. Most people who were not aware of the dietary guidelines thought the guidelines unnecessary. Males with hypertension and lower hemoglobin levels, and females with less education had low awareness. Elderly females with lower bone density had less perceived necessity. Males and females with poor dietary status reported low perceived necessity.

Dining-out behaviors of residents in Chuncheon city, Korea, in comparison to the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey 2001

Dining-out behavior is associated not only with socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, education, occupation, residence, and marital status, but also with individual preferences, such as eating-out activities, interests, and opinions. We investigated dining-out behaviors and their associated factors. Announcements by health practioners and the Chief of Dong Office were used to recruit 739 residents (217 males and 522 females) in Chuncheon, Korea. Information on the frequency and reasons for eating out, the standards for meal selection, and the overall satisfaction with restaurants, based on taste, nutrition, amount, price, service, sanitation, and subsidiary facilities of restaurants, was obtained through personal interviews with a structured questionnaire. Among all respondents, 46.3% of subjects ate outside of the home once or twice a month, and 33.8% reported that they ate out only a few times a year, or never. This was much higher than the national average of 52.0% as reported by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHNS) in 2001. The frequency of eating out differed significantly according to age (p=0.001), family income (p<0.001), residential area (p<0.001), and educational level (p<0.001). The most common reasons for dining out were meetings (46.7%), followed by special celebrations (15.4%), and enjoyment (11.2%). Korean food (55.3%) was the most frequently selected type of meal when eating out, and food was most often selected based on personal preferences (41.4%) and taste (29.8%); only 5.5% and 7.7% of subjects considered nutrition or other factors (e.g., sanitation), respectively. The results showed that the frequency of eating out for Chuncheon residents was much lower than the national average; in addition, eating-out behaviors depended on the residents' socio-demographic and personal characteristics.

The Association between Bone Density at Os calcis and Body Composition according to Years since Menopause in Postmenopausal Women Aged 45-84 Years Living in a Rural Area / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare early postmenopausal women with late menopausal women in respect to body composition as a major determinant of calcaneal bone density. METHODS: Areal bone density was measured at os calcis with peripheral dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Soft lean mass and fat mass were measured using bioelectric impedance in 109 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 84 years. RESULTS: When age and height were adjusted, the variance of calcaneal bone density was better explained by fat mass (15%) than by soft lean mass (7%) in early postmenopausal women. In contrast, soft lean mass (17%) explained the variance of calcaneal bone density better than fat mass (11%) in late postmenopausal women. However, interaction terms between years since menopause (YSM) and soft lean mass or fat mass were not statistically significant in multiple linear regression model for total postmenopausal subject. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that fat mass is the major determinant of calcaneal bone density in early postmenopausal women, whereas fat free mass is more important determinant of calcaneal bone density in late postmenopausal women.