BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare student consumption of school meals by school level, to identify the influencing factors of school meal consumption, and to assess improvement needs of school food service among students. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 1,441 elementary, middle, and high school students attending 58 schools in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea participated in the survey in 2015. A questionnaire and informed consent forms for students and legal guardians were sent home and completed responses were returned to the researcher. RESULTS: Approximately 58% of the students perceived the portion sizes of school meals as appropriate and 76.1% consumed almost all or all of the meals served. More elementary and middle school students than high school students consumed almost all or all of the meals (P < 0.001). A regression analysis revealed that the students with a higher dietary behavior score (P < 0.001), higher satisfaction with food service (P < 0.001), a higher environmental protection practice score (P < 0.05), and more positive attitudes toward school meals (P < 0.01) consumed significantly more meals. The provision of foods that taste good and reflecting student opinions on menus were the most important factors for increasing school meal consumption. CONCLUSIONS: To increase consumption of school meals, food service staff should provide students with quality meals and engage students in school food service. Nutrition education that emphasizes healthy eating behaviors and cafeteria environment modification that applies strategies based on behavioral economics can encourage students to consume more school meals.
Consent Forms ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Economics, Behavioral ; Education ; Feeding Behavior ; Food Habits ; Food Services ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Legal Guardians ; Meals ; Portion Size

PURPOSE: This study examined the menu pattern, food diversity, and satisfaction of parents with the snack menus of childcare centers provided by the Center for Children's Foodservice Management (CCFM) in Jeonbuk area. METHODS: Data from 2,432 snack menus (1,321 for morning snacks and 1,111 for afternoon snacks) of March, June, September, and December 2017 from 13 CCFM in Jeonbuk area were analyzed. In addition, the participants for the survey were 247 parents in Jeonju and Kunsan. The data were analyzed using a t-test, χ²-test, and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS v. 24.0. RESULTS: Differences in the menu pattern and food diversity were observed between morning and afternoon snack menus. The majority of snack menus (61.6%) were one menu item. The percentage of ‘G’ (20.0%) was highest in the food group patterns. The morning snacks served mainly porridge, raw fruits, and milk, and the afternoon snacks served mainly flour-based foods, juices, and milk. The awareness level of parents about the snack menus of daycare centers was 4.09±0.82, and its overall satisfaction was 4.06±0.69. In the snack-quality attribute analysis, the hygiene of foods was the most important factor, and parents judged that they were doing well. Regression analysis showed that the hygiene of personnel was the most influential variable on the overall satisfaction, followed by balance with the main meal and the portion size. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it is important to establish snack menu guidelines considering the eating behaviors of the children and to strengthen hygiene for the increasing the satisfaction of various stakeholders in daycare centers.
Child ; Feeding Behavior ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Jeollabuk-do ; Meals ; Milk ; Parents ; Portion Size ; Snacks

PURPOSE: This study was implemented to develop and validate the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) to assess energy, carbohydrates, fat, protein, minerals, and vitamins as well as fatty acids and alcohol in Korean adults. METHODS: The SQ-FFQ consisted of 88 food items, and 12 food groups were selected based on information of frequently consumed foods from the Korean Health and Nutrition Examination survey. Each portion size was categorized as one of three amounts: small (0.5 times), medium (1 time), and large (1.5 times). A total of 111 subjects finished 3-day diet records and the SQ-FFQ. The relative validity of SQ-FFQ was assessed by comparison with the 3-day diet records. RESULTS: The mean nutrient intakes obtained from the SQ-FFQ were estimated to be greater than those of the two 3-day dietary records. Spearman's correlation coefficient between the two methods was the highest for energy (r = 0.583; p < 0.001) and lowest for saturated fatty acid (r = 0.121). Correlation coefficients were energy (r = 0.583; p < 0.001), carbohydrates (r = 0.500; p < 0.001), protein (r = 0.466; p < 0.001), fat (r = 0.411; p < 0.001), dietary fiber (r = 0.467; p < 0.001), alcohol (r = 0.527; p < 0.001), calcium (r = 0.409; p < 0.001), phosphorus (r = 0.499; p < 0.001), potassium (r = 0.418; p < 0.001), magnesium (r = 0.427; p < 0.001), and zinc (r = 0.464; p < 0.001), respectively, for all subjects. CONCLUSION: The developed SQ-FFQ in this study seems to be useful for estimating nutritional status, particularly energy, carbohydrates, protein, fat, dietary fiber, alcohol, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc of Korean adults.
Adult ; Calcium ; Carbohydrates ; Diet Records ; Dietary Fats ; Dietary Fiber ; Fatty Acids ; Humans ; Magnesium ; Minerals ; Miners ; Nutritional Status ; Phosphorus ; Portion Size ; Potassium ; Vitamins ; Zinc

BACKGROUND: Men and women choose different food items, and consume different amounts of food, due to biological, cultural, and social differences. However, when dietary assessment instruments are developed, gender differences in food selection and/or the portion sizes are often not considered. METHODS: Prospective cohort studies with men and women that examined the association between red or processed meat intake and colorectal cancer and published up to July 2017, were identified using PubMed. Studies were categorized as gender-specific (GS) group if the Food Frequency Questionnaire was developed using gender-specific data, and as not gender-specific (NGS) group if not gender-specific data were used. RESULTS: For cohort studies that reported combined intake estimates of men and women, a 100 g/day increment in red and processed meat intake was positively associated with a risk of colorectal or colon cancer in GS group (relative risk [RR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–1.32) but not in NGS group (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.90–1.35). For processed meat, the RR for 50 g/day increase was 1.28 (95% CI, 1.15–1.40) in GS group and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.03–1.27) in NGS group. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences need to be considered during development of dietary assessment tools because this may improve the quality of the findings of nutritional epidemiological studies.
Cohort Studies ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; Male ; Meat ; Portion Size ; Prospective Studies ; Red Meat ; Surveys and Questionnaires

One contributing factor to the obesity epidemic is the large portion sizes served in restaurants. However, no study has looked at the parents' desire for smaller-portioned meals for their children at restaurants in the U.S. This study examined parents' preference for restaurants to offer smaller, lower-priced child portions for their children and reasons for the preference. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the association between preference for child portions and variables on parental sociodemographic characteristics and weight status. About 70% of parents said they would prefer that restaurants offer smaller, lower-priced child portions of all menu offerings. The adjusted odds of preferring child portions were significantly higher among Hispanic parents (OR, 1.95 vs. non-Hispanic whites) but significantly lower among parents with lower education (≤ high school, OR, 0.64; some college, OR, 0.69 vs. college graduate) and parents residing in the Midwest or West (Midwest, OR, 0.61; West, OR, 0.58 vs. South). The most common reason for preferring child portions of all meals was “wanting my child to eat healthier foods that are not offered on the children's menu” (72%). These findings can be used to encourage restaurants and other venues to consider offering child portions of healthier menu items.
Child* ; Education ; Fast Foods ; Hispanic Americans ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Meals ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Parents* ; Portion Size ; Restaurants*

OBJECTIVES: The valid assessment of food and nutrients intakes using appropriate dietary intake method is necessary to improve the nutritional status of the hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study was conducted to compare the method between newly developed, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (Semi-FFQ) and 7-day dietary records (7-DRs) for hemodialysis patients. METHODS: We conducted both methods on 53 maintenance HD patients in two university hospitals. We calibrated the frequency, portion size and daily intake of 47 food items reported in Semi-FFQ. The food and nutrients intake was compared and the correlation of the two methods was analyzed. Also each nutrient intake was compared to recommended dietary allowance for Korean (KDRIs) and recommended nutrient reference value for HD patients. RESULTS: Energy and energy-yielding nutrients intakes were significantly higher in the two methods (p<0.01). These support the possible reliability between Semi-FFQ and 7-DRs that is similar with regard to most mineral and vitamin intakes. Thus, the Semi-FFQ used in this study for the assessment of nutrient intakes of HD patients can be reliable for the assessment of the nutrient intake along with the 7-DRs. The correlation coefficients were higher for foods consumed daily, such as steamed rice, meat and chicken, bean, egg, milk, coffee and alcohol than for those of foods eaten rarely (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The Semi-FFQ used in this study can be a reliable tool for the assessment of the HD patients' nutrient intake along with the 7-DRs, despite its limitations.
Chickens ; Coffee ; Diet Records* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Meat ; Methods* ; Milk ; Miners ; Nutritional Status ; Ovum ; Portion Size ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Reference Values ; Renal Dialysis* ; Steam ; Vitamins

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to investigate food consumption practices and analyze factors that influence customer satisfaction of an HACCP applied restaurant in a highway service area. METHODS: A total of 207 customer responses were used for data analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS program (ver. 22.0) for χ²-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Reasons for visiting the highway area were using the restroom (86.0%), purchasing of meals or snacks (70.1%), taking a rest (58.5%), and shopping (3.4%) and selection attributes of food sold in the highway service area were food taste (48.8%), food safety (33.3%), and waiting time for meal (10.7%). According to the results of the survey, udon (66.2%) was the most preferred meal, followed by instant noodles (56.0%), kimbap (50.7%), pork cutlet (38.2%), and bibimbap (29.0%). In addition, coffee (73.4%) was the most preferred among snacks and beverages, followed by beverages (58.9%), walnut cake (53.1%), mineral water (52.2%), and hotbar (52.2%). Satisfaction evaluation scores of foods sold in the highway service area were highest for appropriate portion size, followed by food safety, menu variety, food taste, and reasonable price. Overall customer satisfaction scores regarding the restaurant in the highway service area was 3.24 out of 5 points on average. According to the results of the multiple regressing analysis, food taste (p < 0.001) and reasonable price (p < 0.01) had significant positive effects on overall customer satisfaction. CONCLUSION: To enhance customer satisfaction, restaurant managers in the highway service area should implement HACCP, improve food taste, and set up a proper price for food sold at the restaurant in the highway service area.
Beverages ; Coffee ; Food Analysis ; Food Safety ; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points* ; Juglans ; Meals ; Mineral Waters ; Portion Size ; Red Meat ; Restaurants* ; Snacks ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to analyze daily kimchi, vegetable and fruit consumption by general characteristics and vegetable and fruit consumption from 1998 to 2012 by the Korean population based on the data of the KNHANES (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study is based on the 1998-2012 KNHNES. Analysis data on 54,700 subjects aged 19 years and older were obtained from health behavior interviews and the 24-hour dietary recall method. RESULTS: Daily kimchi consumption and portion size of kimchi decreased significantly from 1998 to 2012 (adjusted P for trend < 0.0001). Meanwhile, daily consumption of both non-salted vegetable and fruit with and without kimchi did not significantly change between 1998 and 2012. Reduced consumption of kimchi, non-salted vegetable, and fruit was observed for both genders as well as daily meal episodes and cooking locations. Male and female subjects with insufficient non-salted vegetable and fruit intake were increased 1.4 times and 1.3 times, respectively, in 2012 than 1998. All subjects consumed at least 400 g/day of non-salted vegetable, fruit, and kimchi in each survey year, although they consumed insufficient amounts (< 400 g/day) of non-salted vegetable and fruit without kimchi. CONCLUSIONS: Since Koreans generally consume high amounts of fermented vegetables, including kimchi, total vegetables and fruit. Consumption of these foods by the Korean adult population reached 400 g, which is the recommended intake of the WCRF/AICR. Based on this result, it is necessary to promote consumption of kimchi in the Korean population and research the development of low sodium kimchi in the future.
Adult* ; Cooking ; Eating ; Female ; Fruit* ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Meals ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Portion Size ; Sodium ; Vegetables*

Weight loss is physiologically beneficial in treating type 2 diabetes. Losing weight occurs when the body has a negative energy balance. However, many people have trouble in restricting their caloric intake. Strategies such as changing portion sizes, energy density and meal frequency can be useful for weight loss. Further research is needed on controlling food intake in the obese/overweight because of the complexity of eating behaviors.
Appetite ; Eating ; Energy Intake* ; Feeding Behavior ; Meals ; Portion Size ; Satiation ; Weight Loss

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to set easily applicable portion sizes by sex and age for children at the Community Child Centers (CCC) in Korea. METHODS: Considering the age and gender specific energy level at Target Patterns for children aged 6-18 years, which were suggested as a part of the 2010 Korean Food Guidance System (KFGS), we set three meal sizes. We reclassified the recommended daily servings of Grains, Meat.fish.eggs.beans and Vegetables group at Target Patterns into three meal sizes, and then calculated the recommended serving per meal. Each proposed amount of food per meal was calculated based on serving size of foods commonly eaten at KFGS, which was then allocated to five meal components; rice, soup, stew, protein and vegetable side-dishes and Kimchi. Each proposed amount of food per meal was applied to 173 menus' recipes from CANpro 3.0 as main ingredient's amounts. We cooked the 173 menus at the medium size and measured their weights after cooking. RESULTS: Each recommended serving per meal was 0.75, 0.9 and 1.2 for Grains; 1.2, 1.6 and 2.4 for Meat.fish.eggs.beans; 2, 2.4 and 2.8 for Vegetables by meal sizes. Among five meal components, the ratio of small and large to medium size was 1/5 less and 1/3 more for rice and 1/3 less and 1/3 more for soup.stew, protein side-dish and Kimchi, respectively. We suggested the same amount for a vegetable side-dish to encourage vegetable intake. Proper portion sizes per meal of medium were rice 190 g, soup.stew 210 g (solid ingredients 60 g), protein side-dish 100 g (meat.eggs.beans) and 70 g (fish), vegetable side-dish 80g and Kimchi 30 g. CONCLUSIONS: Proper portion size per meal suggested in this study may be useful at the CCC where dietitians are not available and the approach could be applicable to the other types of meal services.
Edible Grain ; Child* ; Cooking ; Humans ; Korea ; Meals* ; Nutritionists ; Portion Size ; Serving Size* ; Vegetables ; Weights and Measures