Attitudes Toward Family Meals and Comparisons of Dietary Quality Between Family Meals and Meals Eaten Alone in Middle and High School Students

This study investigated attitudes and behaviors related to family meals among middle and high school students. Furthermore, it evaluated the dietary quality of family meals as compared to meals eaten alone. The data were collected between March and May, 2006, from 353 male and female students attending middle and high schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, using pre-tested self-administered questionnaires. The following results were obtained. In terms of family meal frequency, 44.0% of the middle school students ate with their family 'more than once per day', and 19.3% participated in family meals 1 or 2 times per day. However, only 16.4% of the high school students had family meals 'more than once per day', and 32.9% participated in family meals '1 or 2 times per a week', showing a significant difference between the groups (p<0.001). Fifty-nine percent of the middle school students answered they ate with their family everyday or on week days, whereas 67.8% of the high school students had family meals only on holidays (p<0.001). The nutrient intakes of those participating in family meals were compared to the intakes of those who ate meals alone. For both males and females, calorie intake was higher for those who ate family meals. Animal protein intake was significantly different (p<0.001) between groups, with the results showing a two-fold higher intake for those eating family meals as compared to meals alone. In addition, the intake of animal fat was significantly higher in the family meal group (p<0.001); however, plant-based fat intake was higher in the meal alone group.

Distribution of Glaucoma Outpatients

We evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of 584 glaucoma out-patients from January to December 1993 in the Department of Ophthalmology of Yongdong Severance Hospital to find out recent trends. Glaucoma was found in 4.68 percent of the new out-patients, and the primary open angle glaucoma(POAG) was the most common type(37.7%). The most common cause of secondary glaucoma was uveal tract disease in the disease group entity(34.7%) and neovascular glaucoma due to diabetic retinopathy was 19.8% prevalence in the single disease entity. The glaucomatous eyes were treated with medical therapy(49.3%), operation(30.5%) and laser therapy(15.8%). Good control was obtained in 81.8 percent of total glaucoma patients, but moderate and poor control were obtained in 50.0 percent of congenital glaucoma and 28.4 percent of secondary glaucoma. Cataract was combined in 27.9 percent of total glaucoma patients. Among all types of glaucoma, combined mechanism glaucoma and primary angle closure glaucoma(PACG) were more likely to be combined with cataract (52.4% vs 48.5%, respectively). The chief complaints were previously-diagnosed glaucoma(44.8%) and visual disturbance(30.4%), and the common visual field defect were grade I(40.7%) and grade IV(21.6%). In POAG, juvenile glaucoma, secondary glaucoma and congenital glaucoma, the incidence rates between the different sexual groups men were higher(71.5%, 78.9%, 68.4%, 70.6%, respectively), but in PACG, women were five times higher. The age group of over 40 years old represented 80.9% of POAG and 98.9% of PACG.