Objective: Problematic internet gaming in adolescents is associated with various negative outcomes, such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and attention problems. We hypothesized that game coding education, by improving adolescents’ self-esteem, would be more effective than game literacy education in mitigating problematic internet gaming. Methods: A total of 126 adolescents who voluntarily applied for the game coding education and game literacy education program of the “Visiting Game Class” project operated by the Game Cultural Foundation participated in this study. We collected data on demographics, gaming patterns, and psychological status, including positive or negative perceptions of online games, depression, and anxiety. We designated those with scores higher than 40 on Young’s Internet Addiction Scale as the “problematic internet gaming” group. Results: Only game coding education was significantly effective in decreasing internet use, lowering depressive symptoms, and improving self-esteem. In the hierarchical logistic regression analysis, more frequent education time, coding education, stronger negative perceptions of gaming, and high self-esteem predicted decreased internet gaming among participants exhibiting problematic internet gameplay. Conclusion Game coding education effectively mitigates problematic gaming by improving adolescents’ self-esteem. Thus, it may be beneficial to increase education time and devise game education programs tailored to adolescents’ psychological status.

Dietary intakes and plasma concentrations of retinol and carotenoids were estimated in assessing the vitamin A status of Korean adults living in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Three consecutive 24-h food recalls were collected from 106 healthy subjects (33 males and 73 females) aged 20-59 years. Fasting blood samples of the subjects were obtained and plasma retinol and carotenoids were analyzed. The daily vitamin A intakes (mean +/- SD) were 887.77 +/- 401.35 microg retinol equivalents or 531.84 +/- 226.42 microg retinol activity equivalents. There were no significant differences in vitamin A intakes among age groups. The retinol intake of subjects was 175.92 +/- 129.87 microg/day. The retinol intake of the subjects in their 50's was significantly lower than those in their 20's and 30's (P < 0.05). Provitamin A carotenoid intakes were 3,828.37 +/- 2,196.29 microg/day beta-carotene, 472.57 +/- 316.68 microg/day alpha-carotene, and 412.83 +/- 306.46 microg/day beta-cryptoxanthin. Approximately 17% of the subjects consumed vitamin A less than the Korean Estimated Average Requirements for vitamin A. The plasma retinol concentration was 1.22 +/- 0.34 micromol/L. There was no significant difference in plasma retinol concentrations among age groups. However, the concentrations of beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein of subjects in their 50's were significantly higher than those of in their 20's. Only one subject had a plasma retinol concentration < 0.70 micromol/L indicating marginal vitamin A status. Plasma retinol concentration in 30% of the subjects was 0.70- < 1.05 micromol/L, which is interpreted as the concentration possibly responsive to greater intake of vitamin A. In conclusion, dietary intakes and status of vitamin A were generally adequate in Korean adults examined in this study.
Adult ; Aged ; beta Carotene ; Carotenoids ; Fasting ; Humans ; Korea ; Lutein ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plasma ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins ; Xanthophylls