PURPOSE: Aims of the researchers were to develop an birth control empowerment program (BCEP) designed to help married immigrant women in Korea to plan their pregnancies. METHODS: This study was as a randomized controlled trial to verify the effects of the BCEP. The BCEP was developed based on Falk-Rafael (2001)'s Empowerment caring model. The program was offered once a week, for 90 minutes per session, for a total of 10 weeks. The BCEP incorporated group instruction, group discussion, and counseling. The eligible participants were randomly assigned to either experimental group (n=23) or control group (n=23). RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group had significantly better outcomes in contraceptive knowledge (p<.001), contraceptive self-efficacy (p=.014), perceived contraceptive control (p<.001), sex-related spousal communication (p<.001), and sexual autonomy (p=.009). CONCLUSION: The BCEP was effective intervention method, which can promote family planning practices among married immigrant women.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Contraception* ; Counseling ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Family Planning Services ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Methods ; Parturition* ; Power (Psychology)* ; Pregnancy

Purpose: Previous studies have reported the difference in nutritional status between South and North Korean infants and young children (IYC). Clear understanding on the nature of such differences is essential for planning food and nutrition policies and programs to prepare for a possible re-unification of the two Koreas in future. This study was undertaken to yield valid statistics comparing the nutritional status between North and South Korean IYC. Methods: Raw data obtained from the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart and the 2013–2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to determine the comparable statistics that include weight for age z-score (WAZ), height for age z-score (HAZ) and weight for height z-score (WHZ), with data reported in the Survey Findings Report of the 2017 DRP Korea Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The average weight and height by gender and month were estimated for North Korean IYC and calculated for South Korean IYC. SPSS analysis was applied to evaluate the acquired statistics and compare the nutritional status of South and North Korean IYC. Results: WAZ, HAZ and WHZ of North Korean IYC were observed to be lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC as well as the median values of World Health Organization Child Growth Standards across all ages. Similar patterns were observed for average height and weight.The nutritional status of North Korean IYC revealed a prevalence of highly underweight (9.3%), stunting (19.1%) and wasting (2.5%) values, and was determined to be significantly lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC (0.8%, 1.8%, and 0.7%, respectively). Conclusion This study has yielded valid statistics that compare the nutritional status of North and South Korean IYC. Results of this study confirm the prevalence of nutritional status difference between South and North Korea.

Purpose: Previous studies have reported the difference in nutritional status between South and North Korean infants and young children (IYC). Clear understanding on the nature of such differences is essential for planning food and nutrition policies and programs to prepare for a possible re-unification of the two Koreas in future. This study was undertaken to yield valid statistics comparing the nutritional status between North and South Korean IYC. Methods: Raw data obtained from the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart and the 2013–2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed to determine the comparable statistics that include weight for age z-score (WAZ), height for age z-score (HAZ) and weight for height z-score (WHZ), with data reported in the Survey Findings Report of the 2017 DRP Korea Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The average weight and height by gender and month were estimated for North Korean IYC and calculated for South Korean IYC. SPSS analysis was applied to evaluate the acquired statistics and compare the nutritional status of South and North Korean IYC. Results: WAZ, HAZ and WHZ of North Korean IYC were observed to be lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC as well as the median values of World Health Organization Child Growth Standards across all ages. Similar patterns were observed for average height and weight.The nutritional status of North Korean IYC revealed a prevalence of highly underweight (9.3%), stunting (19.1%) and wasting (2.5%) values, and was determined to be significantly lower than values obtained for South Korean IYC (0.8%, 1.8%, and 0.7%, respectively). Conclusion This study has yielded valid statistics that compare the nutritional status of North and South Korean IYC. Results of this study confirm the prevalence of nutritional status difference between South and North Korea.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of application of the draft nutritional standards for school lunches in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) from the supplier perspective. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In November 2018, a pilot operation was conducted at 104 participating schools for 2 weeks each by applying the draft standards A and B. To evaluate the ease and appropriateness of application of the standards, we analyzed the nutritional values and food cost of the school lunches for 2 weeks before and for 4 weeks under the pilot operation. We conducted an online survey of school dietitians or nutrition teachers of the participating schools to evaluate the feasibility of application of the standards in school lunch sites. RESULTS: The proportions of schools of which lunches met the reference values of the school’s own nutritional standards were 19.2% for the standards A and 21.2% for the standards B. The food cost of school lunches applying the standards A (KRW 2,880) was significantly lower than that of school lunches applying the standards B (KRW 3,030) or the existing standards (KRW 2,980). As a result of the survey, the mean score for the ease of application was significantly higher for the standards B (2.75) than for the standards A (2.24). The proportions of school dietitians or nutrition teachers reporting no problem in meeting an existing food cost standard were 72.5% for the standards A and 61.8% for the standards B, respectively. The overall appropriateness of application was higher for the standards B, because almost two-thirds (58.8%) of the respondents answered that the standards B were more appropriate than the standards A. CONCLUSION The standards B were more feasible to apply as nutritional standards for school lunches than the standards A from the supplier perspective.

Purpose: This study examines the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea and factors associated with it. Methods: An online survey involving 1,000 adults aged 19–69 years was conducted between September–October 2019. Throughout South Korea, the subjects were proportionally distributed with respect to gender, age, and region, to represent South Korean adults. Results: A total of 44.6% of the respondents agreed (Agreement group), 36.7% disagreed (Disagreement group), and 18.7% neither agreed nor disagreed to food aid to North Korea. Compared to the Disagreement group, the Agreement group had a higher concern of food aid to North Korea and a more positive perception on the effect of it. The Agreement group selected “direct assistance from the government” whereas the Disagreement group chose “support through international organizations” as the most appropriate channel for food aid to North Korea. Logistic regression analysis revealed that South Korean adults showing a more positive perception on the effect of food aid to North Korea were more likely to agree to the aid (odds ratio [OR], 19.32). Moreover, compared to the conservatives, the progressives were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea (OR, 5.94). South Korean adults in their 40–50s were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea than those in their 20–30s (OR, 2.81). South Korean adults with a higher concern of food aid to North Korea (OR, 3.93) and a greater positive perception on Korean unification (OR, 1.88) were more likely to agree to food aid to North Korea. Conclusion The most important factor associated with the attitude of South Korean adults toward food aid to North Korea was their perception on the subsequent effect. As strategies to draw social consensus on food aid to North Korea, we recommend systematizing the monitoring process on the effect of providing food aid to North Korea and informing the public of the outcomes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Despite the rapid growth of the online food delivery service market since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, little research has focused on how consumers are using food delivery service and what they are concerned about when using food delivery service. Moreover, previous studies have not paid adequate attention to how these concerns are related to consumers’ intention to use food delivery service. Therefore, our study examines behaviors and concerns regarding food delivery service and identifies the key factors in consumers’ intention to use food delivery service. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Using data collected from 549 Korean consumers, we conducted descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple regressions. RESULTS: We found that using food delivery service is not only for main meals at home or the office but also to meet a variety of dietary needs and occasions. The findings indicated that Korean consumers are most concerned about the sustainability of food delivery service, followed by health, hygiene, hedonic, and usability aspects of the service. Hygiene concerns and a hedonic aspect of the service were negatively associated with consumers’ intention to use food delivery service among users, while health concerns decreased the intention of non-users. CONCLUSION The findings have implications for practitioners and policy makers in food delivery service. To further propel market growth, they should help reduce health concerns of non-users, as well as hygiene and hedonic concerns of existing users.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has dramatically changed nearly every aspect of our lives. Although Dietary lifestyle includes attitudes and behaviors to meet their most basic needs, but few studies have examined the pattern of changes in dietary lifestyle driven by COVID-19. This study explores changes in dietary attitudes and behaviors among Korean consumers after COVID-19. SUBJECTS/METHODS: An online survey was conducted with 549 Korean adults aged 20 and older to identify general demographics and changes in dietary attitudes and behaviors. Data were collected from Oct 12 to Oct 18, 2020. Frequency, percentage, and mean values were calculated and a K-means cluster analysis was performed to categorize consumers based on the 5S of dietary attitudes (i.e., savor-oriented, safety-oriented, sustainability-oriented, saving-oriented, and socializing-oriented). RESULTS: Findings indicate consumers considered safety, health, and freshness to be most important when choosing groceries and prepared meal such as home meal replacement and delivery food. Among the types of services, a large proportion of consumers increased their delivery and take-out services. Regarding retail channels, the increase in the use of online retailers was remarkable compared to offline retailers. Finally, consumers were classified into four segments based on changes in dietary attitudes: “most influenced,” “seeking safety and sustainability,” “abstaining from savor and socializing,” and “least influenced.” Each type of consumer exhibited statistically significant differences by sex, age, household composition, presence of disease, and perceived risk of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS This exploratory study provides initial insights for future research by identifying various aspects of dietary attitudes and behaviors among Korean consumers after COVID-19.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine mothers’ knowledge levels on complementary foods and their perception of convenience complementary foods. Methods: An online survey was conducted with mothers aged 20–49 years who had purchased convenience complementary foods and had a preschool child aged 4 months or older. The respondents were categorized into 3 groups based on their knowledge scores:low- (0–50 points), mid- (55–65 points), and high- (70–100 points) knowledge groups. Results The average score of mothers’ knowledge on complementary foods was 58.8 out of 100 points. Working mothers were found to have lower levels of knowledge compared to mothers who were housewives. Only 1/4 of responding mothers had educational experience on complementary foods. Mothers expressed a desire for information on the types of complementary foods (72.2%) and the intake amounts (60.3%) corresponding to each phase of their child’s development. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences in health (P = 0.002), variety (P = 0.039), and hygiene (P = 0.041) among the factors taken into consideration when purchasing convenience complementary foods according to the mothers’ knowledge levels. Mothers in the high-knowledge group placed a greater importance on ‘balanced nutrition’ (P = 0.022) and ‘hygienic cooking’ (P = 0.010) compared to mothers in the low-knowledge group. The results of the modified importance-performance analysis, which compared the importance and performance of the factors taken into consideration when purchasing convenience complementary foods, highlighted the need for efforts in ‘health,’‘hygiene,’ and ‘price,’ while also indicating an excessive effort in ‘convenience.’ Conclusions: This study suggests expanding relevant education programs to enhance mothers’ knowledge on complementary foods, especially for working mothers. In the industry, marketing strategies for complementary food products could be developed that align with the needs of mothers, focusing on health, hygiene, and price.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship among childhood maltreatment, cognitive function and emotion dysregulation in healthy adults who have not been diagnosed with existing mental diseases and do not report clinically significant levels of symptoms. Methods: The participants were 66 healthy young adults aged 20 to 40 recruited from October 2021 to March 2022.Cognitive function, maltreatment experience, emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms were evaluated. Their association was analyzed using Kendell’s tau coefficient. In addition, multiple linear regression was conducted to explain emotion dysregulation using cognitive measures. Results: As a results of Kendall’s tau coefficient calculation, emotional abuse experience showed a significant negative correlation with cognitive functions such as perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. The degree of difficulty in emotion regulation reported a significant positive correlation with processing speed among cognitive functions. In the multiple linear regression analysis, processing speed among the cognitive function measures might be revealed to be a factor that can affect emotion regulation even after excluding the influence of other measures. Conclusions The results of this preliminary study suggest that certain maltreatment experiences, such as emotional abuse, can affect cognitive decline, even if there is no clear mental illness, and the cognitive function can be associated with difficulties in emotional control.