Selecting items of a food behavior checklist for the development of Nutrition Quotient (NQ) for children

The objective of this study is to select a simple and easy measurable food behavior checklist for the development of Nutrition Quotient (NQ) for children, which reflects children's diet quality, as well as to evaluate the validity of the items in the food behavior checklist. The first 36 items in the checklist were established by an expert review, modifying the preliminary 50 items in the checklist, which had been selected by a literature review and the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. 341 children in 5th and 6th grades at an elementary school participated in a one-day dietary record survey, and later responded to 36 food behavior questions of the checklist. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the responses to the food behavior checklist items along with the mean nutrient intakes of the children were calculated. From the result, in which responses of food frequency and food behavior items showed certain association with the dietary record data, a second checklist with 22 items was selected. A survey was conducted by using the second checklist. 1,393 children in the 5th and 6th grades at 12 elementary schools in metropolitan cities, such as Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, and Incheon, participated in the survey. Further, an exploratory factor analysis was performed. After the analysis, 19 items (10 items from food frequency and 9 items from food behavior) were finalized as the food behavior checklist items for the NQ. The final 19 food behavior checklist items were composed of 5 factors: 'Balance', 'Diversity', 'Moderation', 'Regularity', and 'Practice'. This study is a significant first trial to establish a comprehensive system for evaluating children's food habit and diet quality. This checklist might need continuous modification and revision reflecting the change of children's dietary life and the social environment.

The Effects of Programmed Dietary System of a Mixture of Natural Supplements on the Composition, Serum Lipids and the Leptin Levels / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was to investigate the effects of a silk peptide, and prune and raspberry mixture on the body fat, serum lipid composition and fat distribution in Korean women during the time they received these supplements. During the 4 month period of this research (June to October, 2002), 75 women (average age 22.9 yr) were selected as subjects. Their nutrient intake was investigated by use of a questionnaire and the 24-hour recall method. Antropometric assessments of the subjects were investigated by using the SBIA Method (Segmental Bioimpedance Assay, Inbody 3.0). The results were as follows: their mean body weight was 59.3 kg, their mean body height was 161.7 cm and their mean Basal Metabolic Indices (BMI) was 22.7. The status of their dietary fiber intake significantly increased (p<0.05) after use of the supplements. Their body fat significantly decreased following the 3rd stage of supplementation (p<0.05), and their percent of body fat signiflcantly decreased after supplementation (p<0.05). Their triceps and suprailiac circumference significantly decreased following the 3rd stage of supplementation (p<0.05). Their waist circumferences and waist-hip ratios (WHR) significantly decreased after both the 2nd and 3rd stage of supplementation (p<0.05). Their total cholesterol significantly decreased following the 3rd stage of supplementation, as compared to their baseline results and those obtained following the 1st stage of supplementation (p<0.05). Their LDL-cholesterol and LDL/HDL ratios significantly decreased following the 3rd stage of supplementation, as compared to their baseline results and those obtained following the 1st stage of supplementation (p<0.05). Their 4-HNE and total antioxidant statuses significantly decreased following the 2nd and 3rd stage of supplementation, as compared to their baseline results and those obtained following the 1st stage of supplementation (p<0.05). Their 2nd stage supplementation results were significantly negatively correlated with their triceps measurements and WHR (p<0.05). Their 3rd stage supplementation results were significantly negatively correlated with their anterior thigh measurements (p<0.05). The above results show that prune, raspberry, silk peptide and dietary fiber supplementation to a routine diet improves body fat distribution, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. The decrease of abdominal fat and WHR were especially noteworthy. This implies a decrease of risk factors.