School Dietitian’s Job Satisfaction and Job Importance According to the School Types in Sejong City

This study compared the job satisfaction and job importance of school dietitians according to various school types in Sejong. One hundred and twenty-six school dietitians working in kindergartens (n=36), elementary schools (n=42), middle schools (n=22), and high schools (n=26) participated in this questionnaire survey. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the school types. Half of the subjects were over 41 years of age, with 64.3% graduating from graduate school. The percentage of nutrition teachers was the highest in middle schools at 95.4%, followed by the elementary school at 90.5% and high school at 73.1%, whereas 100% of the kindergarten dietitians were not nutrition teachers (P＜0.001). The percentage of the running status of nutrition education classes/activities was lowest in kindergartens (P＜0.001). The job satisfaction score in the job itself area was significantly lower in kindergartens and high schools than in middle schools (P＜0.01). The satisfaction scores of human relationships, working environment, personnel evaluation, and welfare did not differ significantly among the schools. As for the Job importance, the scores of nutrition counseling were significantly lower in middle school than in elementary and high schools (P＜0.05). In cooking and distribution management, high schools were less important than other school levels (P＜0.05). These findings highlight the need for the placement of nutrition teachers in kindergarten to promote nutrition education, the reduction of workload for school dietitiansutrition teachers and additional placement of dietitians by the appropriate workload such as the number of people and meals to serve.

School Dietitian’s Job Satisfaction and Job Importance According to the School Types in Sejong City

This study compared the job satisfaction and job importance of school dietitians according to various school types in Sejong. One hundred and twenty-six school dietitians working in kindergartens (n=36), elementary schools (n=42), middle schools (n=22), and high schools (n=26) participated in this questionnaire survey. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the school types. Half of the subjects were over 41 years of age, with 64.3% graduating from graduate school. The percentage of nutrition teachers was the highest in middle schools at 95.4%, followed by the elementary school at 90.5% and high school at 73.1%, whereas 100% of the kindergarten dietitians were not nutrition teachers (P＜0.001). The percentage of the running status of nutrition education classes/activities was lowest in kindergartens (P＜0.001). The job satisfaction score in the job itself area was significantly lower in kindergartens and high schools than in middle schools (P＜0.01). The satisfaction scores of human relationships, working environment, personnel evaluation, and welfare did not differ significantly among the schools. As for the Job importance, the scores of nutrition counseling were significantly lower in middle school than in elementary and high schools (P＜0.05). In cooking and distribution management, high schools were less important than other school levels (P＜0.05). These findings highlight the need for the placement of nutrition teachers in kindergarten to promote nutrition education, the reduction of workload for school dietitiansutrition teachers and additional placement of dietitians by the appropriate workload such as the number of people and meals to serve.

Nutritional status and related parental factors according to the breakfast frequency of elementary school students: based on the 2013 ~ 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the dietary life and nutritional status of Korean elementary school students according to breakfast frequency and to clarify the relationship between breakfast frequency of elementary school students and parental dietary and social environmental factors. METHODS: This study used data from the 2013 ~ 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI). The subjects were 1,325 elementary school students aged 6 to 11 years old. Subjects were categorized into two groups: a skipping breakfast group (ate breakfast 0 ~ 4 times per week), eating breakfast group (ate breakfast 5 ~ 7 times per week) by sex and grade (lower grade: 1st ~ 3rd/upper grade: 4 th ~ 6 th). RESULTS: Among upper grade boys and girls, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of childhood obesity than the eating breakfast group. In lower grade boys, the mothers of the skipping breakfast group had higher rates of economic activity and eating breakfast alone without family members than the mothers of the eating breakfast group. For lower grade boys and girls and upper grade boys, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of parents who did not eat breakfast than the eating breakfast group. The energy intake of the breakfast consumed by all subjects was less than 25% of the Estimated Energy Requirements (EER). Moreover, for upper grade boys and girls, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of subjects whose daily intake was below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for iron than the eating breakfast group. CONCLUSION: Breakfast frequency of elementary school students was related to childhood obesity. The frequency of eating breakfast among elementary school students was related to the dietary life factors of parents such as breakfast frequency and dietary condition. Intake for breakfast was less than 25% of the EER, while the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of subjects whose daily intake was below the EAR for iron than the eating breakfast group. Therefore, it is necessary to consider diverse forms of policy support such as opening nutrition education programs for parents and practicing morning meals at school for elementary school students to provide regular and balanced breakfasts.

Insomnia in North Korean Refugees: Association with Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the prevalence of insomnia and its clinical characteristics in North Korean refugees. METHODS: North Korean refugees living in South Korea (48 males, 129 females; mean age 38.22+/-12.24 years) and South Koreans (112 males, 203 females; mean age 39.48+/-10.32 years) completed the following questionnaires: the Self-reported Questionnaire on Insomnia, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), Trauma Exposure Check List for North Korean Refugees, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). RESULTS: North Korean refugees had insomnia more often than South Koreans did (38.42% vs. 8.89%). Depression combined with insomnia was also more prevalent in North Korean refugees (28.25% vs. 3.17%). Compared with South Koreans with insomnia, North Korean refugees with insomnia showed higher CES-D scores. The North Korean refugees with insomnia had experienced a larger number of traumatic events, and had higher CES-D and IES-R scores compared to North Korean refugees without insomnia. Insomnia in North Korean refugees was also associated with the presence of significant depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. CONCLUSION: Insomnia was common in North Korean refugees and was closely associated with depressive and PTSD symptoms. Our study suggests that complaints of insomnia may indicate more severe psychopathology, especially in refugees.

The Association of Insulin Resistance with Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Dietary Factors in Korean Type 2 DM Patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean type 2 diabetes patients. The subjects were 429 (male :218, female :211 )type 2 DM patients visited DM clinic, and they were classified into quartiles based on KITT index (%/min, Insulin Tolerance Test ). Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics, and dietary intakes by Food Frequency Questionnaire were assessed. The means of waist circumference, fat mass, percent body fat and abdominal fat thickness were significantly higher in the lowest quartile (the most insulin resistant group )than in the highest quartile (the least insulin resistant group )of KITT index (%/min )(p < 0.05 ). For hematological values, the lowest quartile showed significantly higher fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide, insulin, triglyceride, ApoB/apoA-1 ratio and C-reactive protein compared to the highest quartile (p < 0.05 ). Moreover, KITT index (%/min )was negatively correlated with waist circumference, fat mass, percent body fat, abdominal fat thickness and fasting blood concentrations of glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide, insulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, ApoB/apoA-1 ratio and C-reactive protein (p < 0.05 ). Nutrient intakes were not significantly different among the quartile groups of KITT index (%/min )and also not correlated with insulin resistance, however, they showed correlation with obesity parameters (BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, vat mass, abdominal fat thickness ), which were strongly associated with insulin resistance. In conclusion, cardiovascular disease risk would be higher as the insulin resistance grows in Korean type 2 DM patients, and nutrient intakes would affect to the insulin resistance through the effect on anthropometric parameters.

Adiponectin gene SNP 276G --> T, nutrient intakes, and cardiovascular disease risk in Korean type 2 DM patients

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in adiponectin gene has been associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was performed to investigate the association of SNP 276G-->T at adiponectin gene with CVD risk factors in Korean type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The subjects were 351 type 2 DM patients visited a DM clinic in Seoul, and the patients with known CVD were excluded. The adiponectin SNP 276G-->T was analyzed and dietary intakes were assessed by a Food Frequency Questionnaire. The prevalence of G/G, G/T, and T/T genotype was 47.6%, 43.3%, and 9.1%, respectively. Male subjects with T/T genotype showed significantly lower level of adiponectin and HDL-cholesterol and significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP) level compared to G/G and G/T genotypes. In G/G genotype, protein intake was negatively correlated to body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, and there were positive correlation between carbohydrate intake and BMI, waist-hip ratio, and ApoB/apoA-1 ratio in G/T genotype. However, in T/T genotype, there was no significant association between macronutrient intakes and anthropometric and hematological values. In conclusion, CVD risk would be high in type 2 DM patients with T/T genotype, and the association of macronutrient intakes with anthropometric and hematologic factors was different among the three adiponectin genotypes. These results may imply the need for different dietary management regime according to adiponectin genotype to lower CVD complications in Korean type 2 DM patients.