Purpose: For college students, poor eating habits can cause problems with adult health. This study investigated the status of sweet food intake and the degree of stress in college students in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas to provide a basis for nutrition education by analyzing the relationship between stress and sugar intake. Methods: The subjects were 760 college students, and the survey was conducted using a questionnaire. Statistical analysis for collected data was performed using SPSS (version 21.0). Results: The stress score showed higher stress in female students. Females had more stress in their employment and study-related problems than males. For changes in food intake under stress, the intake was increased greatly in females than in males. For food preference changes before and after stress, males preferred more spicy foods and less salty foods after stress. After stress, females significantly preferred sweeter and spicier foods and less salty, sour, and bitter foods. The intake of sweet foods by stress factors showed that the intake of snacks was higher under the condition of ‘worry, fatigue, and tension’, and the intake of beverages was increased significantly under the condition of ‘anger and aggression’. Conclusion Sweet foods were preferred under stress, and the amount of intake was increased. Education on food selection and nutrition information should be provided to prevent health problems that can be developed by the reckless intake of sweet foods. Active guidance is needed for college students to select the proper snacks instead of nutritionally insufficient foods to relieve stress.

Purpose: For college students, poor eating habits can cause problems with adult health. This study investigated the status of sweet food intake and the degree of stress in college students in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas to provide a basis for nutrition education by analyzing the relationship between stress and sugar intake. Methods: The subjects were 760 college students, and the survey was conducted using a questionnaire. Statistical analysis for collected data was performed using SPSS (version 21.0). Results: The stress score showed higher stress in female students. Females had more stress in their employment and study-related problems than males. For changes in food intake under stress, the intake was increased greatly in females than in males. For food preference changes before and after stress, males preferred more spicy foods and less salty foods after stress. After stress, females significantly preferred sweeter and spicier foods and less salty, sour, and bitter foods. The intake of sweet foods by stress factors showed that the intake of snacks was higher under the condition of ‘worry, fatigue, and tension’, and the intake of beverages was increased significantly under the condition of ‘anger and aggression’. Conclusion Sweet foods were preferred under stress, and the amount of intake was increased. Education on food selection and nutrition information should be provided to prevent health problems that can be developed by the reckless intake of sweet foods. Active guidance is needed for college students to select the proper snacks instead of nutritionally insufficient foods to relieve stress.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excess intake of dietary sodium, either directly or indirectly, increases the risk of several diseases, including cardio-cerebral vascular diseases such as stroke and hypertension. Excessive sodium intake and increased prevalence of hypertension have emerged as major issues worldwide. Therefore, the present study evaluated the recent trends in dietary sodium intake and the food sources of sodium intake in the Korean population using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2013–2017) data. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study used the one-day 24-h recall dietary intake survey data from the 2013–2017 KNHANES to determine the average daily sodium intake by sex and age and the main dishes and food groups contributing to the dietary sodium intake. RESULTS: The mean sodium intake range was 3,477.2–3,889.6 mg/day during 2013–2017. The major food groups contributing to sodium intake were seasonings (1,597.5–1,870.5 mg/day), vegetables (680.4–756.7 mg/day), and cereal and grains (573.2–609.4 mg/day). Noodles and dumplings (536.7–573.2 mg/day), kimchi (487.3–539.6 mg/day), and soups (367.6–428.9 mg/day) were the top three dish groups that contributed to the sodium intake. In these dishes, the major sources of sodium intake were ramyeon (age groups 10–18 and 19–29 yrs), baechukimchi (age groups 40–49 and 50–59 yrs) and doenjang-kuk (age groups 60–69 and ≥ 70 yrs), respectively. CONCLUSIONS In summary, reducing the consumption of soups and kimchi is an effective way to reduce sodium intake. Personalized nutrition education on dietary sodium intake management is required because of the different food sources contributing to the sodium intake according to the subjects' age.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Excess intake of dietary sodium, either directly or indirectly, increases the risk of several diseases, including cardio-cerebral vascular diseases such as stroke and hypertension. Excessive sodium intake and increased prevalence of hypertension have emerged as major issues worldwide. Therefore, the present study evaluated the recent trends in dietary sodium intake and the food sources of sodium intake in the Korean population using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2013–2017) data. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study used the one-day 24-h recall dietary intake survey data from the 2013–2017 KNHANES to determine the average daily sodium intake by sex and age and the main dishes and food groups contributing to the dietary sodium intake. RESULTS: The mean sodium intake range was 3,477.2–3,889.6 mg/day during 2013–2017. The major food groups contributing to sodium intake were seasonings (1,597.5–1,870.5 mg/day), vegetables (680.4–756.7 mg/day), and cereal and grains (573.2–609.4 mg/day). Noodles and dumplings (536.7–573.2 mg/day), kimchi (487.3–539.6 mg/day), and soups (367.6–428.9 mg/day) were the top three dish groups that contributed to the sodium intake. In these dishes, the major sources of sodium intake were ramyeon (age groups 10–18 and 19–29 yrs), baechukimchi (age groups 40–49 and 50–59 yrs) and doenjang-kuk (age groups 60–69 and ≥ 70 yrs), respectively. CONCLUSIONS In summary, reducing the consumption of soups and kimchi is an effective way to reduce sodium intake. Personalized nutrition education on dietary sodium intake management is required because of the different food sources contributing to the sodium intake according to the subjects' age.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education program on the use of specific food groups in improving nutrition-related knowledge and attitude, dietary behavior, creative problem solving, and STEAM attitude. Methods: We selected two classes at a kindergarten in Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. A total of 44 kindergarteners from the two classrooms participated in this study. The experimental group and the control group were formed with 22 students each. The experimental group attended 11 STEAM classes on the use of the grain, fruit, and milk food groups. First, we performed the paired t-test to examine changes from pre-to-post classes for both groups.Then, we used ANCOVA to compare post-test scores between the experimental and control groups with the adjustment of pre-test scores. Results: The results demonstrate that the STEAM education program on the use of the food groups significantly improved (1) nutrition-related knowledge and attitude, and dietary behavior (P < 0.001), (2) creative problem solving (P < 0.001), and (3) STEAM attitude (P < 0.001) in the intervention group when compared with the control group. Conclusions The STEAM education program on the use of food groups is effective in enhancing nutrition knowledge and attitude, dietary behavior, creative problem solving, and STEAM attitudes among kindergarten students.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: International students face dissimilar food environments, which could lead to changes in dietary behaviors and anthropometric characteristics between before and after migration. We sought to examine the risk factors, including dietary behaviors, acculturation, and demographic characteristics, related to overweight subjects residing in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study, collecting data from 142 Chinese international students (63 males, 79 females) in 2013. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 25.4 years, and almost half of them immigrated to South Korea to earn a master's degree or doctoral degree (n = 70, 49.3%). Chinese international students showed an increase in skipping meals and eating speed, but a decrease in the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption in South Korea compared to when they lived in China. We found a statistically significant increase in weight (69.4 --> 73.9 kg) and BMI (22.4 --> 23.8 kg/m2) for male subjects (P < 0.001) but no change for female subjects. We also found that overweight subjects were more likely to be highly acculturated and male compared with normal-weight subjects. CONCLUSION: Among Chinese international students living in South Korea, male and more highly acculturated subjects are more vulnerable to weight gain. This study provides useful information to design tailored nutrition intervention programs for Chinese international students.
Acculturation* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Eating ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Meals ; Overweight ; Risk Factors ; Vegetables ; Weight Gain

Purpose: To provide the primary data on dietary guidelines for the management of obesity, we analyzed the intake rate of food groups and dish groups according to obesity and age.Data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANSE, 2013–2018). Methods: This study analyzed the data of 21,184 adults aged 19-64 years, obtained from the KNHANSE 2013–2018. The 24-hour recall was performed and the food groups were classified into six representative food groups (grains, meat·fish·eggs·legumes, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and oil and sugar), and ‘alcohol’ and ‘others’. The dish groups were classified into a total of twenty-four types. Results: The normal group included 9,004 subjects (42.5%), while the obese group had 12,180 subjects (57.5%). The food groups showing significant differences according to obesity were grains (p < 0.001), meat/fish/egg/legumes (p < 0.001), and vegetables (p < 0.001); similar results were obtained in both male and female. Comparing the intake rate of food groups and dish groups targeting only the obese group according to age, the food groups showing significance between the obese group and the normal group were grains (p < 0.001) and vegetables (p < 0.001), with significantly increased intake in both genders. Considering the dish groups, significant increases were determined for stews (p < 0.001), seasoned vegetables (p < 0.001), and kimchi (p < 0.001) in male, and for rice (p < 0.001), seasoned vegetables (p < 0.001), kimchi (p < 0.001), and rice cakes (p < 0.001) in female. Conclusion The results of this study determined that the intake ratio of food and dish groups differs by age in obese adults. We believe that our results can be used as primary data for forming dietary guidelines for obese adults in the future.

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution technology, the inclusion of personalized nutrition for healthcare (PNH), when establishing a healthcare platform to prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and inflammatory diseases, enhances the national competitiveness of global healthcare markets. Furthermore, since the government experienced COVID-19 and the population dead cross in 2020, as well as numerous health problems due to an increasing super-aged Korean society, there is an urgent need to secure, develop, and utilize PNHrelated technologies. Three conditions are essential for the development of PNH technologies. These include the establishment of causality between obesity genome (genotype) and prevalence (phenotype) in Koreans, validation of clinical intervention research, and securing PNH-utilization technology (i.e., algorithm development, artificial intelligence-based platform, directto-customer [DTC]-based PNH, etc.). Therefore, a national control tower is required to establish appropriate PNH infrastructure (basic and clinical research, cultivation of PNHrelated experts, etc.). The post-corona era will be aggressive in sharing data knowledge and developing related technologies, and Korea needs to actively participate in the large-scale global healthcare markets. This review provides the importance of scientific evidence based on a huge dataset, which is the primary prerequisite for the DTC obesity gene-based PNH technologies to be competitive in the healthcare market. Furthermore, based on comparing domestic and internationally approved DTC obese genes and the current status of Korean obesity genome-based PNH research, we intend to provide a direction to PNH planners (individuals and industries) for establishing scientific PNH guidelines for the prevention of obesity.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Many studies have revealed an association between fat mass and the obesity-related gene (FTO) and obesity. On the other hand, no meta-analysis was conducted with data from only Koreans. Therefore, this study performed a meta-analysis using Korean data to provide evidence for the association between FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of obesity among Korean adults.SUBJECT/METHODS: Meta-analysis was finally conducted with data extracted from seven datasets of four studies performed on Korean adults after the screening passed. Five kinds of FTO SNPs (rs9939609, rs7193144, rs9940128, rs8050136, and rs9926289) were included, and the relationship between FTO SNPs and body mass index (BMI) was investigated using linear regression with an additive model adjusted for covariants, such as age, sex, and area. RESULTS: The minor alleles of FTO SNPs were associated with increased BMI (odds ratio [OR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21–1.42). In sub-group analysis, FTO rs9939609 T>A was significantly associated with BMI (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06–1.42). The other FTO SNPs together were significantly associated with BMI (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.25–1.49). The publication bias was not observed based on Egger’s test. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis showed that minor alleles in the FTO SNPs were significantly associated with an increased BMI among Korean adults. This meta-analysis is the first to demonstrate that minor alleles in the FTO SNPs contribute significantly to the increased risk of obesity among Korean adults using data from a Korean population.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The scientific evidence of a sodium-obesity association is limited by sodium intake assessments. Our specific aim is to synthesize the association between dietary sodium intake and obesity across the sodium intake assessments as evidenced by systematic reviews in adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A systematic search identified systematic reviews comparing the association of dietary sodium intakes with obesity-related outcomes such as body mass index (BMI), body weight, waist circumference, and risk of (abdominal) obesity. We searched PubMed on October 24, 2022. To assess the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS), we employed the ROBIS tool. RESULTS: This review included 3 systematic reviews, consisting of 39 unique observational studies (35 cross-sectional studies and 4 longitudinal studies) and 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We found consistently positive associations between dietary sodium intake and obesity-related outcomes in cross-sectional studies. Studies that used 24-h urine collection indicated a greater BMI for those with higher sodium intake (mean difference = 2.27 kg/m2 ; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59–2.51; P < 0.001; I2 = 77%) compared to studies that used spot urine (mean difference = 1.34 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, 1.13–1.55; P < 0.001; I2 = 95%) and dietary methods (mean difference = 0.85 kg/m2 ; 95% CI, 0.1–1.51; P < 0.05; I2 = 95%). CONCLUSIONS Quantitative synthesis of the systematic reviews has shown that crosssectional associations between dietary sodium intake and obesity outcomes were substantially different across the sodium intake assessments. We need more high-quality prospective cohort studies and RCTs using 24-h urine collection to examine the causal effects of sodium intake on obesity.