BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary supplements are popular among Korean consumers in the cross-border market. This study examined the cross-border shopping trends of dietary supplements in Korea, focusing on the major health functional foods.MATERIALS/METHODS: This study analyzed the customs clearance data provided by the Korea Customs Service, spanning 2019–2021. The term ‘health functional foods,’ which are manufactured with functional ingredients specified by law, was distinguished from the broader concept of ‘dietary supplements.’ The trends in dietary supplements and the major types of health functional foods in cross-border shopping were analyzed. The top 10 most purchased health functional foods were identified and analyzed by consumer gender and age group. RESULTS: Dietary supplements constituted 19.1% of all cross-border items, with the primary consumers being women aged 30 and 40 yrs. The most popular type of health functional foods was the ‘multi-nutrient product,’ comprising 14.5% of all health functional food items.‘Protein’ was popular among men and younger age groups, while ‘probiotics’ was favored by women. In particular, 32.3% of health functional food items were related to blood health. CONCLUSION The cross-border market for dietary supplements in Korea is experiencing growth, with consumer preferences varying by gender and age. These findings can assist in the development of regulatory policies that align with market trends and consumer needs in cross-border shopping for dietary supplements.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of the elderly in Seoul according to their food insecurity status and analyzed the characteristics associated with food insecurity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from 513 elderly individuals aged 65 or older were analyzed using the raw data from the Seoul Food Survey 2023. The subjects were classified into food-secure or food-insecure groups. The socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of each group were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics associated with food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul. RESULTS: The proportion of the food-insecure group was 56.9% among the total elderly in Seoul. The main reasons for experiencing food insecurity were environmental (38.0%), followed by physical (37.5%) and financial (24.5%). The food-insecure group had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast and eating alone than the food-secure group while having lower dietary literacy and food environment satisfaction. Logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly living alone were approximately four times (odds ratio [OR], 3.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–8.51) more likely to suffer food insecurity than those living with others. Higher digital food literacy (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41–0.97) and food environment satisfaction (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20–0.74) were associated with a lower likelihood of food insecurity. CONCLUSION These results suggest that policies aimed at improving food security for the elderly in Seoul should prioritize those living alone. Educational programs designed to enhance the ability to purchase online food, use self-service kiosks in restaurants, and use food delivery apps would effectively decrease food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul.Furthermore, policies aimed at improving the food environment may also help reduce food insecurity among this population.

Objective: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stressful events using individual and environmental resources. The online intervention program, MoVemEnT, which includes mindfulness training and emotion regulation, was developed to enhance resilience among young adults. Methods: Persons without current medical or psychiatric diseases, aged 20–40 years, were recruited. Ninety-six participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a waiting list control (WLC) group, with 45 participants per group completing the program. Results: Results demonstrated significant improvements in the intervention group in measures of emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS) and clinical symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, CES-D) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) compared to the WLC group (all p<0.05). Correlation analyses indicated that improvements in DERS scores were associated with enhanced resilience, as measured by the Korean Resilience Quotient-53 (KRQ-53) and reduced CES-D scores. Reduction in DERS scores can reduce depressive symptoms (CES-D) through direct and indirect pathways via an increase in KRQ-53, according to mediation analyses. Conclusion Our findings reported positive effects of the MoVemEnT program, which includes short videos and brief homework assignments, on resilience in young adults. This study suggests that online intervention programs could offer an opportunity to simultaneously improve general mental health among a large population and may help reduce the burden of face-to-face psychological interventions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary supplements are popular among Korean consumers in the cross-border market. This study examined the cross-border shopping trends of dietary supplements in Korea, focusing on the major health functional foods.MATERIALS/METHODS: This study analyzed the customs clearance data provided by the Korea Customs Service, spanning 2019–2021. The term ‘health functional foods,’ which are manufactured with functional ingredients specified by law, was distinguished from the broader concept of ‘dietary supplements.’ The trends in dietary supplements and the major types of health functional foods in cross-border shopping were analyzed. The top 10 most purchased health functional foods were identified and analyzed by consumer gender and age group. RESULTS: Dietary supplements constituted 19.1% of all cross-border items, with the primary consumers being women aged 30 and 40 yrs. The most popular type of health functional foods was the ‘multi-nutrient product,’ comprising 14.5% of all health functional food items.‘Protein’ was popular among men and younger age groups, while ‘probiotics’ was favored by women. In particular, 32.3% of health functional food items were related to blood health. CONCLUSION The cross-border market for dietary supplements in Korea is experiencing growth, with consumer preferences varying by gender and age. These findings can assist in the development of regulatory policies that align with market trends and consumer needs in cross-border shopping for dietary supplements.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of the elderly in Seoul according to their food insecurity status and analyzed the characteristics associated with food insecurity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from 513 elderly individuals aged 65 or older were analyzed using the raw data from the Seoul Food Survey 2023. The subjects were classified into food-secure or food-insecure groups. The socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of each group were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics associated with food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul. RESULTS: The proportion of the food-insecure group was 56.9% among the total elderly in Seoul. The main reasons for experiencing food insecurity were environmental (38.0%), followed by physical (37.5%) and financial (24.5%). The food-insecure group had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast and eating alone than the food-secure group while having lower dietary literacy and food environment satisfaction. Logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly living alone were approximately four times (odds ratio [OR], 3.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–8.51) more likely to suffer food insecurity than those living with others. Higher digital food literacy (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41–0.97) and food environment satisfaction (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20–0.74) were associated with a lower likelihood of food insecurity. CONCLUSION These results suggest that policies aimed at improving food security for the elderly in Seoul should prioritize those living alone. Educational programs designed to enhance the ability to purchase online food, use self-service kiosks in restaurants, and use food delivery apps would effectively decrease food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul.Furthermore, policies aimed at improving the food environment may also help reduce food insecurity among this population.

Objective: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stressful events using individual and environmental resources. The online intervention program, MoVemEnT, which includes mindfulness training and emotion regulation, was developed to enhance resilience among young adults. Methods: Persons without current medical or psychiatric diseases, aged 20–40 years, were recruited. Ninety-six participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a waiting list control (WLC) group, with 45 participants per group completing the program. Results: Results demonstrated significant improvements in the intervention group in measures of emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS) and clinical symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, CES-D) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) compared to the WLC group (all p<0.05). Correlation analyses indicated that improvements in DERS scores were associated with enhanced resilience, as measured by the Korean Resilience Quotient-53 (KRQ-53) and reduced CES-D scores. Reduction in DERS scores can reduce depressive symptoms (CES-D) through direct and indirect pathways via an increase in KRQ-53, according to mediation analyses. Conclusion Our findings reported positive effects of the MoVemEnT program, which includes short videos and brief homework assignments, on resilience in young adults. This study suggests that online intervention programs could offer an opportunity to simultaneously improve general mental health among a large population and may help reduce the burden of face-to-face psychological interventions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary supplements are popular among Korean consumers in the cross-border market. This study examined the cross-border shopping trends of dietary supplements in Korea, focusing on the major health functional foods.MATERIALS/METHODS: This study analyzed the customs clearance data provided by the Korea Customs Service, spanning 2019–2021. The term ‘health functional foods,’ which are manufactured with functional ingredients specified by law, was distinguished from the broader concept of ‘dietary supplements.’ The trends in dietary supplements and the major types of health functional foods in cross-border shopping were analyzed. The top 10 most purchased health functional foods were identified and analyzed by consumer gender and age group. RESULTS: Dietary supplements constituted 19.1% of all cross-border items, with the primary consumers being women aged 30 and 40 yrs. The most popular type of health functional foods was the ‘multi-nutrient product,’ comprising 14.5% of all health functional food items.‘Protein’ was popular among men and younger age groups, while ‘probiotics’ was favored by women. In particular, 32.3% of health functional food items were related to blood health. CONCLUSION The cross-border market for dietary supplements in Korea is experiencing growth, with consumer preferences varying by gender and age. These findings can assist in the development of regulatory policies that align with market trends and consumer needs in cross-border shopping for dietary supplements.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined the socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of the elderly in Seoul according to their food insecurity status and analyzed the characteristics associated with food insecurity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The data from 513 elderly individuals aged 65 or older were analyzed using the raw data from the Seoul Food Survey 2023. The subjects were classified into food-secure or food-insecure groups. The socio-demographic and dietary characteristics of each group were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics associated with food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul. RESULTS: The proportion of the food-insecure group was 56.9% among the total elderly in Seoul. The main reasons for experiencing food insecurity were environmental (38.0%), followed by physical (37.5%) and financial (24.5%). The food-insecure group had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast and eating alone than the food-secure group while having lower dietary literacy and food environment satisfaction. Logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly living alone were approximately four times (odds ratio [OR], 3.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–8.51) more likely to suffer food insecurity than those living with others. Higher digital food literacy (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41–0.97) and food environment satisfaction (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.20–0.74) were associated with a lower likelihood of food insecurity. CONCLUSION These results suggest that policies aimed at improving food security for the elderly in Seoul should prioritize those living alone. Educational programs designed to enhance the ability to purchase online food, use self-service kiosks in restaurants, and use food delivery apps would effectively decrease food insecurity among the elderly in Seoul.Furthermore, policies aimed at improving the food environment may also help reduce food insecurity among this population.

Objective: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stressful events using individual and environmental resources. The online intervention program, MoVemEnT, which includes mindfulness training and emotion regulation, was developed to enhance resilience among young adults. Methods: Persons without current medical or psychiatric diseases, aged 20–40 years, were recruited. Ninety-six participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or a waiting list control (WLC) group, with 45 participants per group completing the program. Results: Results demonstrated significant improvements in the intervention group in measures of emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS) and clinical symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, CES-D) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) compared to the WLC group (all p<0.05). Correlation analyses indicated that improvements in DERS scores were associated with enhanced resilience, as measured by the Korean Resilience Quotient-53 (KRQ-53) and reduced CES-D scores. Reduction in DERS scores can reduce depressive symptoms (CES-D) through direct and indirect pathways via an increase in KRQ-53, according to mediation analyses. Conclusion Our findings reported positive effects of the MoVemEnT program, which includes short videos and brief homework assignments, on resilience in young adults. This study suggests that online intervention programs could offer an opportunity to simultaneously improve general mental health among a large population and may help reduce the burden of face-to-face psychological interventions.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary supplements are popular among Korean consumers in the cross-border market. This study examined the cross-border shopping trends of dietary supplements in Korea, focusing on the major health functional foods.MATERIALS/METHODS: This study analyzed the customs clearance data provided by the Korea Customs Service, spanning 2019–2021. The term ‘health functional foods,’ which are manufactured with functional ingredients specified by law, was distinguished from the broader concept of ‘dietary supplements.’ The trends in dietary supplements and the major types of health functional foods in cross-border shopping were analyzed. The top 10 most purchased health functional foods were identified and analyzed by consumer gender and age group. RESULTS: Dietary supplements constituted 19.1% of all cross-border items, with the primary consumers being women aged 30 and 40 yrs. The most popular type of health functional foods was the ‘multi-nutrient product,’ comprising 14.5% of all health functional food items.‘Protein’ was popular among men and younger age groups, while ‘probiotics’ was favored by women. In particular, 32.3% of health functional food items were related to blood health. CONCLUSION The cross-border market for dietary supplements in Korea is experiencing growth, with consumer preferences varying by gender and age. These findings can assist in the development of regulatory policies that align with market trends and consumer needs in cross-border shopping for dietary supplements.