Relationships between Obesity and Dietary Habits of Preschool Children and Their Parents in Dongducheon Based on the Nutrition Quotient (NQ) / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the associations between obesity and the children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and to further examine the relationships between NQ and mini dietary assessment (MDA) of their parents. METHODS: The subjects were 355 children aged 3 to 5 years and their parents in Dongducheon. We collected parental-reported NQ questionnaires for children and MDA of parents. Anthropometric measurements, height, weight and BMI by BIA were measured in children. Overweight and obesity were determined according to age- and sex-specific BMI percentile from the 2007 Korean national growth chart. Statistical analyses consisted of the chi-squared test, ANOVA, partial correlations and logistic regression analysis adjustments for parents BMI. RESULTS: Approximately 20.8% of preschool children were classified as overweight or obese. Underweight children showed a significantly higher score for balance than overweight children. The NQ of the children was 61.9 ± 11.6, and NQ scores and their parents' MDA did not exhibit any significant differences according to degree of obesity. After adjusting for parent's BMI, children's BMI was significantly correlated with balance and moderation among NQ factors. Parent's MDA showed significant correlation with their children's NQ, balance, diversity, moderation, regularity, practice and NQ grade, except for diversity of father. Additionally, NQ grade had a significantly increased (150.1%) odds ratio (OR) of being overweight (95% CI 1.008–2.234). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that NQ for children is influenced by their parents' MDA and BMI. Furthermore, our findings support the association between overweight prevention and improvement of NQ grade among preschool children.

Relationships between Obesity and Dietary Habits of Preschool Children and Their Parents in Dongducheon Based on the Nutrition Quotient (NQ) / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the associations between obesity and the children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ) and to further examine the relationships between NQ and mini dietary assessment (MDA) of their parents. METHODS: The subjects were 355 children aged 3 to 5 years and their parents in Dongducheon. We collected parental-reported NQ questionnaires for children and MDA of parents. Anthropometric measurements, height, weight and BMI by BIA were measured in children. Overweight and obesity were determined according to age- and sex-specific BMI percentile from the 2007 Korean national growth chart. Statistical analyses consisted of the chi-squared test, ANOVA, partial correlations and logistic regression analysis adjustments for parents BMI. RESULTS: Approximately 20.8% of preschool children were classified as overweight or obese. Underweight children showed a significantly higher score for balance than overweight children. The NQ of the children was 61.9 ± 11.6, and NQ scores and their parents' MDA did not exhibit any significant differences according to degree of obesity. After adjusting for parent's BMI, children's BMI was significantly correlated with balance and moderation among NQ factors. Parent's MDA showed significant correlation with their children's NQ, balance, diversity, moderation, regularity, practice and NQ grade, except for diversity of father. Additionally, NQ grade had a significantly increased (150.1%) odds ratio (OR) of being overweight (95% CI 1.008–2.234). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that NQ for children is influenced by their parents' MDA and BMI. Furthermore, our findings support the association between overweight prevention and improvement of NQ grade among preschool children.

Dietary Habits, Dietary Behaviors, Depression and Stress according to Self-Rated Health of University Students in Kyungnam Province

The purpose of this study was to investigate health-related habits, dietary habits, depression, stress, satisfaction of body weight, mini-dietary assessment (MDA) and dietary behaviors according to self-rated health among 255 university students in Kyungnam province. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software package (version 19.0). The average ages of the subjects were 21.1 years. Participants were asked their self-rated health and 109, 105 and 41 students answered themselves as "healthy", "normal" and "unhealthy", respectively. The pocket money (P<0.05) was related with self-rated health, and meal frequency (P<0.01) of healthy group was higher than that of the unhealthy group. The self-reported depression level (P<0.01) and the score of depression (P<0.05) of the healthy group were lower than those of the unhealthy group. The self-reported stress level of the healthy group (P<0.05) was higher than that of the unhealthy group. The scores of nutritional behavior (P<0.05) and MDA (P<0.01) of the healthy group were higher than those of the unhealthy group. The scores for intakes of meat, fish, egg or beans, cereals and vegetables except kimchi, fruits, balanced diet and various foods were higher in the healthy group than in the unhealthy group. Our results suggest that pocket money, high meal frequency, low depression, satisfaction of present body weight, and good dietary behavior might influence good perception of self-rated health.

Study on the obesity and nutrition status of housewives in Seoul and Kyunggi area

This study was conducted to evaluate the rate of obesity of 212 women (age 45-60 years) in Seoul and the Kyunggi area through analysis of BMI and the dietary life factors related to obesity using a survey on dietary habits, dietary assessment, and nutrient intake. The height of the underweight group was taller than normal. The height of the obese group was equal to that of the normal group, but the weight was 8.5 kg greater than the normal group. Women in the underweight group consumed meals irregularly, and only 33.4% ate breakfast. Additionally, the rate of overeating was low in the underweight group, and milk, dairy products (yogurt, etc.), fruit, and fruit juice were consumed more than once a day. It was found that 62.1% of the women in the obese group never ate out, and the rate of eating one serving of fruit, drinking one cup of fruit juice, and eating various kinds of foods was high. The average point of women's dietary life was 21.9 +/- 2.9, and 12.7% of all women responded that their dietary life was good. However, in the obese group, only 6.9% of the women reported that their dietary life was good. Evaluation of snacking habits revealed that the underweight group consumed a high level of carbonated drinks and ice cream, whereas for in the obese group, 24.1% of the women consumed milk and its products and 5.6% regularly consumed fast and fried foods. Evaluation of nutrient intake revealed that the consumption of energy, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B1, B2, B6, niacin, vitamin C, and vitamin E was high in all of the groups, but the intake of folic acid in the underweight group was lower than the required level. Overall, 24.1% of the women in the obese group were found to have metabolic diseases, mostly hypertension (43%). In conclusion, a balanced diet to avoid excessive nutrient intake is needed to prevent obesity.

A Study on the Dietary Habits and Health Consciousness of High School Students in Seoul

This study was conducted to examine the dietary behaviors with 510 high school students (260 males and 250 females) residing in Seoul. The average age of male and female students were 16.3 and 16.4 years old, respectively. Mean height and weight of male students were 174.1 cm and 65.9 kg and those of female students were 161.6 cm and 52.5 kg. The body mass index (BMI) of male and female students were 21.7 kg/m2 and 20.1 kg/m2, respectively, which were within the normal range. Students skipped breakfast more than once a week were 41.1% of males and 44.4% of females. More than 40% of the male and female students skipped breakfast frequently. The mean mini dietary assessment index score of male and female students were 30.6 and 29.6 out of total 50 index scores, respectively. Female students perceived significantly less healthy and fatter than male students. Furthermore, body image satisfaction of the female students was lower than that of male students. Female students were more significantly concerned with body image and desired a thin body shape. Only 22.7% of male students and 6.4% of female students exercised regularly, and the frequency, time, and intensity of exercise in the male students were significantly higher than those of female students.

A Study on Nutrient Intakes and Hematological Status in Women of Child-Bearing Age: Comparison between Non-Pregnant and Pregnant Women

This study was conducted to evaluate nutritional status of Korean women of child-bearing age. A comparison was made between 113 non-pregnant and 200 pregnant women. Pregnant women of 24-28 weeks of gestation were recruited from prenatal clinic in Seoul. Nonpregnant women were included college students, nurses, office employers, and sales women. General characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes, and hematological values were assessed. There was no difference in mean BMI for nonpregnant and pregnant (pre-gravid) women, which were 20.2 kg/m2 and 20.6 kg/m2 respectively. The pregnant women showed a tendency of better health-caring behavior, evidenced by stop smoking and drinking, and in taking nutrient supplements. The mean intakes of energy, vitamin A, vitamin B2, calcium, and iron did not meet Korean RDA for adult women. In particular, calcium and iron intakes of both nonpregnant and pregnant women were under 60% of the Korean RDA. Judging by MDA score, dietary quality was better in pregnant than in nonpregnant women. Mean serum values of albumin, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, Hb, IgA, IgG were in normal range. However, more than 13% of the nonpregnant subjects showed mild hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol>200 mg/dl) and anemia (Hb<12.0 g/dl) . The percentage of anemia in pregnant women were much higher; the subject with Hb<11.0 g/dl were approximately 30%. The pregnant subjects showed significantly higher serum concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol, and significantly lower concentrations of albumin, IgA, and IgG compared to nonpregnant women. Correlation analysis showed that Hb concentrations were correlated with the intakes of iron- and protein- containing foods such as meat and vegetables. This study strongly suggest that iron-deficient anemia is a major nutrition problem in Korean child-bearing women and this condition is correlated with dietary intakes.

Development and Validation of Mini Dietary Assessment Index for Koreans

Improving dietary patterns, na, in turn, improving nutritional status, is now viewed as a key to improve public health and to prevent chronic diseases. There has been a peat needs to assess diet quality to identify nutritional risk group, however, little research has been done on methods to assess overall diet quality. The purpose of this study was to develope a mini dietary assessment (MDA) index for evaluation of overall dietary quality. A 10-component system was devised based on dietary guidelines and food Tower for Koreans. The system contained 4 food elements of which use is encouraged, such as milk, meat, vegetables, fruits, and 3 food elements of which use is limited, such as fat, salt, or sugar. Also the included were elements on dietary regulation and variety. A subject is to check one of 'always' 'generally' 'seldom', which has score of 5, 3, and 1, respectively, so the total possible index score is 50. This index is to use without dietary survey and is to use even by non-nutritionist. A sample of 432 healthy males and females in their 30's and 40's contributed diet intake data based on 24-hour recall for the validation of MDA. The mean MDA score was 31.34 of a possible 50 points. The main nutrients for each MDA component was correlated very well with the results of 24-hour recall. Also, very good correlation was found between healthy eating index (HEI) score and MDA score. However, some of MDA components were needed a modification of term or/and statement. So the Uh was revised and another effort for validation was made with new sample of 169 subjects and even better correlation was found. The revised MDA could be used with minor modification to assess diet quality and to screen nutritional status.