Screen time, mealtime media use, and dietary behaviors in Korean preschoolers : a cross-sectional study / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Objectives@# Screen time refers to the time spent using screen media, such as televisions, smartphones, computers, or tablets. Excessive exposure to screen media has been reported to negatively impact young children’s health and development, including overweight, short sleep duration, and language delays. This study examined the association of screen time and mealtime media use with dietary behaviors among preschool children. @*Methods@# A cross-sectional survey was conducted on parents of children aged three to five years using the online questionnaires of the Nutrition Quotient for Preschoolers (NQ-P) and the Dietary Screening Test (DST). Data from 261 children’s parents were analyzed. @*Results@# Of the 261 children, 96.9% used screen media, 55.6% used screen media for two hours or more daily, and 30.7% were exposed to screen media during meals. The NQ-P scores were significantly lower in the children with longer screen time and mealtime media use. Children who used screen media for two hours or more and those exposed to screen media during meals consumed kimchi less frequently and confectionery and sugar-sweetened beverages more frequently than children who used less than two hours and were not exposed to screen media during meals. In addition, they were more likely to be picky about food, refuse to eat, and less likely to feed themselves than children with shorter screen time and no mealtime media use. @*Conclusions@# This study reported an association between unhealthy dietary behaviors, feeding difficulties, and screen time and mealtime media use among preschool children. Further research should explore effective strategies for reducing children’s screen time.

Relation between the Total Diet Quality based on Korean Healthy Eating Index and the Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome Constituents and Metabolic Syndrome among a Prospective Cohort of Korean Adults / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association of the total diet quality with the incidence risk of metabolic syndrome constituents and metabolic syndrome among Korean adults.METHODS: Based on a community-based cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) from 2001 to 2014, data from a total of 5,549 subjects (2,805 men & 2,744 women) aged 40~69 years at the baseline with a total follow-up period of 38,166 person-years were analyzed. The criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel was employed to define metabolic syndrome. The total diet quality was estimated using the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for risk of metabolic syndrome constituents and metabolic syndrome in relation to KHEI quintile groups was calculated by multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model.RESULTS: After adjusting for age, energy intake, income, education, physical activity, smoking, and drinking, the incidence of abdominal obesity and high blood pressure was significantly lower, by approximately 29.7% (P < 0.01) and 25.2% (P < 0.01), respectively, in the fifth KHEI quintile compared to the first quintile in men. A significant decreasing trend of the metabolic syndrome incidence was observed across the improving levels of KHEI (HRq5vs.q1: 0.775, 95% CIq5vs.q1: 0.619~0.971, P for trend < 0.01). In women, the incidence of abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome was significantly lower, by approximately 29.8% (P < 0.01) and 22.5% (P < 0.05), respectively, in the fifth KHEI quintile compared to the first quintile adjusting for multiple covariates. On the other hand, the linear trend of metabolic syndrome risk across the KHEI levels did not reach the significance level.CONCLUSIONS: A better diet quality can prevent future metabolic syndrome and its certain risk factors among Korean men and women.

Association between Total Diet Quality and Metabolic Syndrome Incidence Risk in a Prospective Cohort of Korean Adults

The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the relation between total diet quality and metabolic syndrome in Korean adults. A community-based cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) provided basis for this study. During the total follow-up period of 38,171 person-years of 5,549 subjects, a total of 1,891 metabolic syndrome incident cases were identified. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel. Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, and Recommended Food Score (RFS) were used to assess total diet quality. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for metabolic syndrome associated with total diet quality. In men, the incidence of metabolic syndrome in the 5th MDS quintile group decreased by approximately 25% compared to the 1st quintile group (p for trend < 0.01) after adjusting for age and energy intake. In women, significant decreasing trend of metabolic syndrome incidence risk was observed across the quintiles of RFS in an age and energy intake-adjusted model (HR [95% CI] of Q5 vs. Q1; 0.662 [0.521–0.842], p for trend < 0.01). However, such associations did not reach at a significance level when additional covariates were included. In this first study looking at prospective relation of metabolic syndrome with total diet quality in a Korean population, study findings suggest some protective role of better diet quality in preventing future metabolic syndrome. But no convincing evidence was observed in this study.