Status of Maternal Nutrition in South and North Korea / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the nutritional status of child-bearing age women between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). METHODS: The data presented in the DPRK Final Report of the National Nutrition Survey 2012 was utilized for the nutritional status and food intake of North Korean women. To produce the South Korean women's data comparable to those of North Korean women, the data from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed and the data presented in the 2010 Report of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards were utilized. RESULTS: The prevalence of maternal anemia (blood hemoglobin < 12.0 g/dL) was over 30% in all the age groups of North Korean women and 8.9%, 14.2%, 16.4% in 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 year old South Korean women, respectively. The prevalence of maternal protein-energy malnutrition (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference < 22.5 cm) was 25.2%, 21.4%, 21.8% in 20-29, 30-39, 40-49 year old North Korean women, respectively and less than 10% in all the age groups of South Korean women. Result of dietary diversity comparison showed that North Korean women consumed less food than South Korean women at all food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy. Percentage of North Korean women having consumed protein rich foods-meat and fish, eggs or dairy products-were much lower than those of South Korean women. CONCLUSIONS: The striking disparity of nutritional status between South and North Korean women indicates that nutrition support for North Korean women is essential in the process of preparation for a unified nation.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Does Not Prevent the Hypertension among Korean: the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to test whether moderate alcohol consumption has any positive effect on lowering blood pressure among Koreans. Study subjects were Korean adults 20 years or older (n=5,234) who participated in the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were used to construct univariate and multivariate models relating alcohol consumption to blood pressure for the analysis. After adjustment for possible covariates, drinkers (regardless of drinking level) had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, compared with never-drinker for male subjects. Diastolic and systolic blood pressures were also significantly elevated with the drinking frequency and amount of alcohol intake among male subjects. For the female subjects, only diastolic blood pressure was significantly associated with the alcohol consumption at multivariate model, however, low level alcohol consumption did not show any sign of lowing effects on blood pressure. The result implies that moderate alcohol consumption did not have any positive effect on lowering blood pressure among Koreans for either sex.