ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at evaluating the dietary intakes of Korean adolescents affected by food insecurity, in comparison with those who were food secure. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study used one day 24-hour dietary recall data from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study subjects consisted of 1,453 adolescents of whom 695 were middle school-aged and 758 were high school-aged. Food security status was assessed using the 18-item questionnaire. Nutrient intake was evaluated in terms of nutrient density, insufficient intake, and excessive intake for selected nutrients, in addition to meeting the appropriate range for total energy intake and energy intakes from carbohydrate, sugar, protein, fat, and saturated fatty acids. Food intake was evaluated in terms of food group servings and dietary diversity score (DDS). RESULTS: The percentages of food insecurity were 11.1% for middle school-aged adolescents and 16.8% for high school-aged adolescents. Food insecure middle school-aged adolescents had higher intake of carbohydrate (P = 0.006) but lower intake of fat (P = 0.010) and saturated fatty acids (P = 0.005) than their food secure counterparts although the intake of both groups was in the recommended ranges. Nutrient intake among high school-aged adolescents was generally similar regardless of food security status. Both food secure and insecure adolescents showed insufficient intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, and excessive sodium intake. They additionally had low prevalence of meeting appropriate intake ranges for energy, carbohydrate, and sugar. Food intake in terms of food group servings and DDS was also similar regardless of food security status among both age groups, with low intakes of foods from fruit and dairy groups. CONCLUSIONS: Except for a few nutrients among the middle school-aged adolescents, dietary intakes among Korean adolescents did not differ by food security status in this study.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The commercial foodservice industry in Korea has shown rapid growth recently. This study examined Korean adults' consumption of commercially-prepared meals based on where the food was prepared. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from a 24-hour dietary recall of the 2001 and 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed. A total of 10,539 subjects (n = 6,152 in 2001; n = 4,387 in 2011) aged 19-64 years were included for analysis. Commercially-prepared meals were classified into four food source groups based on where the food was prepared: Korean restaurants, Chinese/Western/Japanese restaurants, fast-food restaurants, and retail stores. Subjects' energy intake, including the amount and proportion of calories, was examined for each food source. The analysis was also conducted by gender for age-stratified groups: 19-29, 30-49, and 50-64 years old. RESULTS: Korean adults' energy intake from commercially-prepared meals increased in the amount of calories (551 kcal to 635 kcal, P < 0.01), but not in the proportion of daily calories (27% to 28%) from 2001 to 2011. The most frequent food source of commercially-prepared meals was Korean restaurants in both years. The amount and proportion of calories from retail stores increased from 83 kcal to 143 kcal (P < 0.001) and from 4% to 7% (P < 0.001), respectively, during the same period. Males aged 30-49 years (34%) and females aged 19-29 years (35%) consumed the highest proportion of daily calories from commercially-prepared meals in 2011. CONCLUSIONS: Korean adults consumed about one-fourth of their energy intake from commercially-prepared meals. In particular, males aged 30-49 years and females aged 19-29 years consumed more than one-third of their energy intake from commercially-prepared meals. Korean restaurants played a significant role in Korean adults' energy intake. Retail stores increased influence on Korean adults' energy intake. These results could be useful for developing health promotion policies and programs.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The nutritional quality of lunches is an important factor related to workers' health. This study examined the nutritional quality of Korean workers' lunches with a focus on comparing institutional and commercial lunches. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from a 1-day, 24-hour dietary recall from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012) were analyzed. A total of 2,192 subjects aged 19 to 64 years, who had consumed lunches served by institutional or commercial food service vendors, were included for analysis. The nutritional quality of the lunches of the institutional lunch group (n=626) and the commercial lunch group (n=1,566) was compared in terms of the number of servings, food groups, nutrient intake, Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR), and Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR). RESULTS: The NAR and MAR were significantly higher in the institutional lunches than in the commercial lunches, but more than half of workers in both groups obtained over 65% of their energy from carbohydrate. The average sodium intake from the lunches exceeded the daily intake goal (2,000 mg) in both groups. More than half of workers in both groups presented less than one-third of their respective recommended daily intake of riboflavin and calcium. With the exception of riboflavin, the nutrient intake from lunches accounted for more than 35% of the daily nutrient intake. CONCLUSIONS: The overall nutritional quality of institutional lunches was higher than that of commercial lunches. However, institutional lunches had room for improvement in terms of nutritional quality.
