Effect of nutrition education by childcare teachers on food serving sizes / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#Adequate nutrition is to be provided for normal growth and development during early childhood. Currently, childcare teachers provide lunch to most children in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the portion size provided by teachers and examine the effect of education on food serving size. @*Methods@#The subjects were childcare teachers (n = 120) in charge of children aged 3–5 years at a daycare center in Hanam-si. The survey was conducted through questionnaires which included questions on the general characteristics of the teachers, their nutritional education status, and the source of nutrition information. In addition, the portion sizes of items on the menu currently provided to children were measured and the data were analyzed. To assess the effectiveness of education in determining serving size, the subjects were randomly equally divided into two groups. In the first group (n = 60) theoretical education on nutrition and serving sizes was given, whereas in the second (n = 60), practical education on these topics was provided. @*Results@#The difference between the actual portion size of rice and the serving size announced on the menu was observed to decrease along with the increase in the experience of the teacher, although the differences in the main dish and kimchi were higher. The gap between the serving size mentioned in the menu and the portion size distributed widened as the age of the teachers increased. Notably, the difference between the portion size and the serving size of food decreased after both practical and theoretical education. Furthermore, the effect of education on the serving size of the main dishes (p < 0.001), side dishes (p < 0.01), and kimchi (p < 0.01) was observed to be greater in the practical education group than in the theoretical education group. @*Conclusion@#Regular education should be provided to teachers on the serving sizes mentioned in the menu, as the quantity of food served depends on the experience and age of teachers. In the case of rice, theoretical education alone sufficed to ensure a proper serving size. However, hands-on training on the main and side dishes, and kimchi would be much more helpful.

Qualitative Study of Compliance with Nutritional Management in Colorectal Cancer Patient Undergoing Chemotherapy / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Methods@#In this study, five subjects with colorectal cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy were interviewed in-depth using the Giorgi study method. The contents of the nutrition education visits and in-depth interviews were transcribed in the language of the subject after recording, and the appropriateness of the data was improved by reflecting the subject’s actions and facial expressions. @*Results@#After conducting the in-depth interviews for each subject, the experience of the subject’s diet and adjuvant chemotherapy was drawn into two domains, six elements, and 26 sub-elements. In the cognitive domain, the patients experienced physical and psychological changes, and the need for nutrition management was recognized by analyzing the dietary causes of the diseases. In the domain of practice, a knowing-doing gap was formed, unlike the patient’s will. Factors that inhibited compliance with nutritional management included digestive problems, sensory changes, loss of appetite, and social interaction stress. @*Conclusions@#Dietary management is very important for patients receiving periodic anticancer therapy, and step-by-step training and personal monitoring based on the chemotherapy order is necessary to maintain the patient’s will and social and environmental support.

Recognition of Environmentally-friendly Agricultural Products for School Foodservice of Nutrition Teachers and Parents in 2018 at Seongnam in Gyeonggi province / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the nutrition teachers' and parents' recognition of environmentally-friendly agricultural products (EAPs) used in school foodservice. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was given to 128 school foodservice nutrition teachers in Seongnam and 189 parents from Oct. 16 to Oct. 31, 2018 at Seongnam in Gyeonggi province. The survey included information on the recognition, satisfaction, and improvement of EAPs, and the results of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: A comparison of the recognition of EAPs showed that nutrition teachers knew more about the EAPs and local government support in school foodservice than the parents. On the other hand, the parents were more aware than the nutrition teachers in that children have a higher affinity for EAPs than for general agricultural products in the school foodservice. A comparison of the level of satisfaction with the EAPs by nutrition teachers and parents revealed the nutrition teachers to be significantly more satisfied than parents in terms of the color, taste and nutrition of EAPs. Among the items that should be provided with EAPs, more than 50% of each group of nutrition teachers and parents answered that vegetables must be provided first. Some 70.9% of nutrition teachers and 84.5% of parents were aware of the certification standards of EAPs. The nutrition teachers had showed a slightly higher score than the parents in the certification system (3.51 vs. 3.25). In terms of improving the EAPs, 36.2% of nutrition teachers answered a reasonable price preferentially, whereas 56.4% of parents answered maintaining quality. In the expected effects of using EAPs, 57.9% of nutrition teachers answered an improvement of parents' satisfaction on the school foodservice. On the other hand, 38.0% of parents answered an improvement of children' satisfaction on school foodservice. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition teachers and parents need to be educated on the certification systems that would enhance the trust in EAPs.

Analysis of the Participation Reasons and Deterrents on Welfare Facility Dietitians for the Elderly / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the education participation reasons and deterrents of dietitians who work in welfare facilities for the elderly. METHODS: The survey was completed by 144 dietitians working at welfare facilities for the elderly in Korea. The survey was conducted in October, 2018, both on-line and off-line, based on the demographic characteristics, work status on welfare facilities for the elderly, Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) and Deterrents to Participation Scale (DPS-G). The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, regressive analysis using SPSS ver. 25.0. RESULTS: The reason for participation were divided into three factors: ‘Responsibility of professional and self-development (5.76 ± 1.04)’, ‘Job stability and personal benefits (4.98 ± 1.28)’, and ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies (5.85 ± 1.00)’. ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies’ was the highest motivation factor. Also, the deterrents for participation were divided into four factors: ‘Dispositional barrier (2.70 ± 1.29)’, ‘Dissatisfaction of education usability (3.39 ± 1.38)’, ‘Institutional barrier (4.21 ± 1.45)’, and ‘Situational barrier (2.36 ± 1.30)’. ‘Institutional barrier’ showed the highest deterrents factor. In addition, ‘Responsibility of professional and self-development’ and ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies’ were negative attributes for ‘Dispositional barrier’ (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide basic data to promote participation in education and contribute to the improvement of their job ability and education capacity of the food and nutrition management of welfare facilities for the elderly

Analysis of the Participation Reasons and Deterrents on Welfare Facility Dietitians for the Elderly / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the education participation reasons and deterrents of dietitians who work in welfare facilities for the elderly. METHODS: The survey was completed by 144 dietitians working at welfare facilities for the elderly in Korea. The survey was conducted in October, 2018, both on-line and off-line, based on the demographic characteristics, work status on welfare facilities for the elderly, Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) and Deterrents to Participation Scale (DPS-G). The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, regressive analysis using SPSS ver. 25.0. RESULTS: The reason for participation were divided into three factors: ‘Responsibility of professional and self-development (5.76 ± 1.04)’, ‘Job stability and personal benefits (4.98 ± 1.28)’, and ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies (5.85 ± 1.00)’. ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies’ was the highest motivation factor. Also, the deterrents for participation were divided into four factors: ‘Dispositional barrier (2.70 ± 1.29)’, ‘Dissatisfaction of education usability (3.39 ± 1.38)’, ‘Institutional barrier (4.21 ± 1.45)’, and ‘Situational barrier (2.36 ± 1.30)’. ‘Institutional barrier’ showed the highest deterrents factor. In addition, ‘Responsibility of professional and self-development’ and ‘Interaction and development of professional competencies’ were negative attributes for ‘Dispositional barrier’ (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide basic data to promote participation in education and contribute to the improvement of their job ability and education capacity of the food and nutrition management of welfare facilities for the elderly

Survey on Foodservice Satisfaction and Dietary Education needs for Improvement of School Foodservice in Middle School Students in Seoul / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine the satisfaction of school cafeterias among the surveyed group at two middle schools located in Seoul. METHODS: 574 out of 600 middle school students in Seoul (95.7%) completed the study. RESULTS: Satisfaction rate of school meals was significantly higher among girls (73.2%) compared to boys (45.1%). The reasons for satisfaction factors of school meals were with the taste of school meals (55.1%), menu (19.3%), nutrition (14.2%), and food hygiene safety (7.0%). Students who had a double-income family, well-educated mother and higher happiness in their life reported a higher satisfaction with school meals. Both boys and girls who consumed milk frequently showed significantly higher satisfaction with school meals. Factors that were related to satisfaction of school meals were food temperature, the amount of food (especially among boys). Variety in the menu and food distribution speed were less related to the satisfaction of meals. In the case of girls, waiting time, food distribution speed were more important to them while the kindness of school staff was a less important factor. Improvements that were needed to increase the satisfaction for the school lunch meals, from the most important to least important were as follows: variety of meals (36.6%), food distribution speed·waiting time (24.6%), taste of food (15.7%), amount of food (7.7%), hygienic management (5.1%), food quality (4.7%), kindness (3.0%), temperature of the food (2.8%). Students preferred to broadcast on campus and cooking practice for the dietary education. CONCLUSIONS: To improve school meal satisfaction, it is necessary for food distribution facilities to make improvements with regard to variety of meals and reduced waiting time.

Differences in Solo Eating Perceptions and Dietary Behaviors of University Students by Gender

This study assessed gender differences of 'solo eating' perceptions and dietary behaviors among college students residing in Seoul and Kyongki province. Two types of questionnaires were used to analyze perception and dietary behaviors of subjects: a cross-sectional survey (N=893) and AGA (Associative Group Analysis; N=50). Women ate significantly more and intook a greater variety of foods when eating together (P<0.05). Men, on the other hand, showed no difference in these variables. Women, compared to men, spent more time eating both alone and together (P<0.001). In the associative group analysis (AGA), women showed a different semantic value for 'solo eating' compared to men. Women also tended to feel lonely when they ate alone and had positive images of eating together. Students began to decide their own dietary behaviors after junior and high school. Dietary lives of Koreans have rapidly changed along with social changes over the past half century. These research findings will contribute to more comprehensive and efficient nutrition education programs for preventing lifestyle-related diseases in the early stage of adulthood.

Job Satisfaction of Children Foodservice Employees at Daycare Centers

The research was conducted by center for children's foodservice management in Hanam-si. In order to improve job satisfaction, a survey was carried out by working conditions and job satisfaction in children foodservice employees working at child daycare centers registered from January to April. Ninety-five surveys out of 120 were collected, and 76 surveys were analyzed. Job satisfaction consisted of four elements, working environment, welfare, human relationships, and job-itself, analyzed by general characteristics. Pearson's correlation was carried out between job satisfaction and intention to change job by Likert 5 scales using SPSS statistic program. The percentages of child daycare centers owned by civilians was 52.6%, high school education level was 65.8%, permanent workers was 68.4%, and less than 1 year of foodservice was 34.2%. Average scores of job satisfaction were as follows: working environment scored 20.6 out of 25 points, welfare scored 10.3 out of 15 points, human relationships scored 17.5 out of 20 points, and job-itself scored 13.2 out of 15 points. The lowest job satisfaction average was 'I get paid fairly regarding the working hours and the amount of work' with a score of 3.6 points. Job satisfaction based on facility type, age, education level, and working period did not show significant differences, whereas hired status, numbers of foodservice children, and intention to change jobs showed significant differences. Hired status showed significant differences with welfare satisfaction (P<0.05). Numbers of children showed a significant difference with welfare and human relationship satisfaction (P<0.01, P<0.05). Intention to change job showed a significant difference with four elements of job satisfaction (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). In conclusion, to improve job satisfaction of children foodservice employees, working conditions and welfare satisfaction should be increased.

A study on hypertension relevant nutritional knowledge and dietary practices in Chinese college students studying in South Korea / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hypertension relevant nutrition knowledge on practices for prevention of hypertension in Chinese college students studying in South Korea. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 276 Chinese students studying more than three months in Korean universities who were aged 19 and older about hypertension and sodium relevant nutrition knowledge, intake of salty processed food, hypertension prevention practices, and stages of behavior change for hypertension. RESULTS: The average score on the questionnaire for hypertension relevant nutritional knowledge was 40.62 out of 50 points, and the average score for sodium relevant nutritional knowledge was 24 out of 30 points. Kimchi was the most frequently eaten salty processed food. The average score for hypertension prevention practices was 3.10 out of 5 points. The behavior change stages for prevention of hypertension were contemplation (47.1%), action (32.2%), and pre-contemplation (20.7%). The students received high scores on nutrition knowledge and showed significantly higher scores on the action stage than on pre-contemplation or contemplation. Nutritional knowledge of hypertension and sodium showed positive correlation with hypertension prevention practices, whereas negative correlation with salty processed food intake. CONCLUSION: Development of an education program for Chinese students in Korea on hypertension and sodium relevant nutritional knowledge is needed so that they can practice for prevention of hypertension.

The Current State of Food Allergy of Preschool Childcare Facilities in Hanam / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate how to manage food allergy of pre-school children, focusing on the current status of the food allergy in childcare facilities in Hanam which have less than 100 children. METHODS: Targeting 159 preschool childcare facilities, survey was carried out for a month in March, 2015. Recovery rate was 66.7%. 106 surveys out of 159 were available for analysis using SPSS statistical program version 19.0. RESULTS: Among 106 facilities, 58 (54.7%) reported that none of their children had a food allergy and 48 (45.3%) reported one more children had a food allergy. Total number of children having a food allergy was 71. Among them, the occurrences of food allergy in males were significantly more than that of the females (p < 0.001). Further, children under 2 years of age had significantly more food allergy than the other ages (p < 0.001). The allergic inducing foods were nuts (23.3%), egg (17.8%), milk and dairy products (16.4%), fish and shellfish (13.7%), instant foods (12.3%), fruits (8.2%), soybean (4.1%), meat (2.7%), and cereals (1.4%) in order, and 6 children out of 71 were allergic to more than 2 food items. The clinical symptoms of the food allergy were a skin reaction (87.9%) and an oropharyngeal & respiratory reaction (12.1%). Majority of childcare facilities (80.3%) didn't serve alternative foods for children with food allergy. Necessity for food allergy education was significantly higher in facilities with food allergy issues than without such issues. CONCLUSIONS: The Center for Children's Foodservice Management need to educate workers of childcare facilities and parents about managing food allergy and enforce a plan to provide alternative menu to children with food allergies.

The association between Coffee Consumption and All-cause Mortality According to Sleep-related Disorders / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: While recent studies showed that coffee consumption reduced the risk of all-cause mortality, no study has examined the effect of coffee consumption on all-cause mortality related to sleep disorders. We aimed to examine whether sleep-related disorders would differently affect the association between coffee consumption and the risk of all-cause mortality among 8,075 adults aged 40 to 69 years. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, the study participants were biennially followed up for 12 years from 2001 to 2012. On each follow-up visit, the participants underwent comprehensive tests including anthropometric examinations, interviewer-administered questionnaires, and biochemical tests. Coffee consumption frequency and the amount were measured using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Using death certificate data from Korean National Statistical Office, the vital status of each study participant was identified. Sleep-related disorders were examined with interviewer-administered questionnaires. We estimated Hazard ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals from Cox Proportional Hazard models. Multivariable models were established after adjusting for center, total caloric intake, age, gender, body mass index, physical activity, education, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, total cholesterol, c-reactive protein, energy-adjusted food groups of refined grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and dairy. RESULTS: Compared with those who had no coffee consumption, participants who had about three cups of coffee per day showed a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, after adjusting for covariates. Those who had a sleep-related disorder showed no significant effect of coffee consumption on the risk of all-cause mortality, whereas those who had no sleep-related disorders showed significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that approximately three cups of coffee per day would be beneficial to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality only among adults with no sleep-related disorders. Coffee consumption should be prudent for those with sleep-related symptoms.

Perceptions and practices of commensality and solo-eating among Korean and Japanese university students: A cross-cultural analysis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Commensality, eating together with others, is a major representation of human sociality. In recent time, environments around commensality have changed significantly due to rapid social changes, and the decline of commensality is perceived as a serious concern in many modern societies. This study employs a cross-cultural analysis of university students in two East Asian countries, and examines cross-cultural variations of perceptions and actual practices of commensality and solo-eating. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The analysis was drawn from a free-list survey and a self-administrative questionnaires of university students in urban Korea and Japan. The free-listing survey was conducted with a small cohort to explore common images and meanings of commensality and solo-eating. The self-administrative questionnaire was developed based on the result of the free-list survey, and conducted with a larger cohort to examine reasons and problems of practices and associated behaviors and food intake. RESULTS: We found that Korean subjects tended to show stronger associations between solo-eating and negative emotions while the Japanese subjects expressed mixed emotions towards the practice of solo-eating. In the questionnaire, more Korean students reported they prefer commensality and tend to eat more quantities when they eat commensally. In contrast, more Japanese reported that they do not have preference on commensality and there is no notable difference in food quantities when they eat commensally and alone. Compared to the general Korean cohort finding, more proportion of overweight and obese groups of Korean subjects reported that they tend to eat more when they are alone than normal and underweight groups. This difference was not found in the overweight Japanese subjects. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed cross-cultural variations of perceptions and practices of commensality and solo-eating in a non-western setting.

Relationships of adolescent's dietary habits with personality traits and food neophobia according to family meal frequency

BACKGROUND: A higher frequency of family meals is associated with good dietary habits in young people. This study focused on the relationships of family meal frequency with food neophobia and personality traits in adolescents. SUBJECTS/METHOD: For this purpose, we administered a survey to 495 middle school students in Seoul metropolitan city, after which the data were analyzed using the SPSS (18.0) program. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationships among dietary habits, personality traits, and food neophobia according to frequency of family meals. RESULTS: Dietary habits, personality traits, and food neophobia all showed significant differences according to the frequency of family meals. Further, eating regular family meals was associated with good dietary habits (P < 0.001) and was linked with improved extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness/intellect (P < 0.001). On the other hand, it showed a negative relationship with food neophobia (P < 0.001). The relationship between dietary habits and food neophobia showed a negative correlation (P < 0.01). The relationship between dietary habits and personality traits showed a positive correlation (P < 0.01). Lastly, the relationship between personality traits and food neophobia showed a negative correlation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the study, the frequency of family meals affects dietary habits, personality traits, and food neophobia in adolescents.

Comparison of Eating Behavior between Commensality and Solo-eating of University Students by BMI / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The objective of this research was to explore the influences of 'having a meal with someone' on individuals' eating pattern. Eating is not a simple matter of energy intake but also serves to anchor daily routines being cultivated by people and society. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional eating behavior survey of university students (N = 893, 380 men, 513 women) aged 20 to 24 years. Results were analyzed and presented as frequencies, means and chi2-test with SPSS 14.0. Differences in dietary habits by commensality and solo-eating were observed; Students who ate alone, spent 15 min for a meal and ate convenience food items when they didn't feel hungry. Compared to students who ate alone, those who ate together with someone spent 30 min for a meal and ate more amount of food. Eighty percent of respondents ate more various menus in commensality than solo-eating. They felt lonely when they ate alone and preferred to eat together. In conclusion, university students start to decide and select their own meals by themselves after junior and high school food services which are fixed with regard to menu and the amount. Dietary habits of Koreans rapidly changed concomitant with social changes over the past half century. Governments and health experts recognize that unbalanced meals cause lifestyle-related diseases, in particular obesity. Our research findings will contribute to more comprehensive efficient nutrition education programs in order to prevent obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases in early stages of adulthood.