• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.537-545
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dietary sugar intake, particularly added sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages, has received worldwide attention recently. Investigation of dietary behaviors may facilitate understanding of dietary sugar intakes of children and adolescents. However, the relationship between dietary sugar intake and dietary behaviors in the Korean population has not been investigated. Thus, this study aimed to estimate dietary sugar intake and food sources according to sex as well as examine the relationship of dietary sugar intake with frequent snacking and dietary patterns among Korean children and adolescents. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We pooled data from five studies involving Korean children and adolescents conducted from 2002 to 2011. A total of 2,599 subjects aged 9-14 years were included in this study. Each subject completed more than 3 days of dietary records. RESULTS: Mean daily total sugar intake was 46.6 g for boys and 54.3 g for girls. Compared with boys, girls showed higher sugar intakes from fruits (7.5 g for boys and 8.8 g for girls; P = 0.0081) and processed foods (27.9 g for boys and 34.9 g for girls; P < 0.0001). On average, 95.4% of boys and 98.8% of girls consumed snacks during the study period, and total sugar intake showed a significantly increasing trend with increasing energy intake from snacks (P < 0.0001 for both sexes). Two dietary patterns were identified by cluster analysis: Traditional and Westernized patterns. Total sugar intake was higher in the Westernized pattern (56.2 g for boys and 57.2 g for girls) than in the Traditional pattern (46.5 g for boys and 46.3 g for girls). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that multilateral and practical development of a nutrition education and intervention program that considers dietary behaviors as well as absolute sugar intake is required to prevent excessive sugar intake in Korean children and adolescents.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.434-443
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The intake of sugar has increased worldwide, and it is well established that childhood experiences and food preferences affect lifelong eating habits. To discourage sugar intake, nutrition education was imparted, and the effectiveness of the nutrition education program was investigated by considering the nutrient density and major dietary sources of sugar intake. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Twenty four-hour dietary recall and sugar intake frequency of 96 pre-school children (educated n = 47; non-educated n = 49) were collected on 3 consecutive days (1 weekend day, 2 weekdays) after 11 weeks of imparting nutrition education. Dietary intake of nutrients and total sugar were analyzed, and the intake frequency of sugar source foods were identified. All nutrition education programs were focused on a hands-on education program, and consisted of cooking lab, play, activity, animation, and visual materials. The difference between the two groups was verified by the Chi-square test or t-test. All statistical analysis was performed with significance level at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Compared to the non-educated group, the intakes of protein (P < 0.001), fiber (P < 0.01), potassium (P < 0.05), iron (P < 0.05), zinc (P < 0.05), and iodine (P < 0.001) were significantly higher, and the intakes of carbohydrate (P < 0.01) and total sugar (P < 0.05) were significantly lower in the educated group. The cumulative percent of sugar intake of top 20 sugar source foods in the educated group (82.80%) was lower than that of the non-educated group (85.75%). The contribution of beverages on total sugar intake was lower in the educated group. The average frequency of consuming sugary foods was significantly lower in the educated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that nutrition education on discouraging sugar intake is effective in reducing the amount of total sugar consumed, resulting higher nutrient density in the diets of pre-school children.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.565-570
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• 2018

The objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics of persons with a high sugar-intake ratio (%E) and factors affecting sugar-intake ratio with the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ($6^{th}$ KNHANES). The sugar-intake ratio is the calories of sugar from processed food divided by the daily total intake of calories. In this research we used two statistical methods, the cluster analysis and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Cluster analysis was used to classify groups of sugar-intake ratios. For analysis of factors affecting the sugar-intake ratio, we applied the ANOVA. Korean have about a 3.89% sugar-intake ratio from processed food per day. The demographic characteristics of people with higher sugar-intake ratios were found to be more women than men, younger men with less education, more people in the household, smaller height, weight waistline and body mass index (BMI). Also office worker, lower drinking frequency, not getting a hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, lower breakfast and dinnner frequency, not experiencing nutritional education, and not using nutritional labeling. For reducing intake sugar in what are called health-hazardable nutrients in the food sanitation act, it is necessary to educate the people with high sugar ratio who were identified in this study.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.35-46
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• 2016

Objectives: The purposes of this study are to refer existing and past domestic and foreign policies and to establish a comprehensive plan to reduce sugar consumption and utilize it as fundamental data to establish and implement relevant policies. Methods: Korean government analyzed domestic and foreign policies and average sugar intake to develop draft of sugar intake reduction plan. Based on the plan, objectives, sections and agendas of the plan were set after taking into account of their feasibility. Results: The policy has three directions: to help sugar intake reduction in all population groups, to create an environment which helps people to make informed decision on lower sugar choices and to lay scientific and statistical foundation for sugar intake reduction plan. The goal is to restrict average sugar intake from processed food to less than 10% of total energy intake per day. Three core strategies are to help reduce intakes of sugar in all population groups, to create an environment which helps people to make informed decision on lower sugar choices and to lay a foundation for sugar intake reduction plan. Each strategies has 2~4 projects. Conclusions: This study is expected to serve as a catalyst for carrying out the first phase of sugar intake reduction plan to help reduce sugar consumption.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.474-483
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• 2021

The intake of processed foods containing high levels of sugar increases the incidence of chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Limiting sugar intake is important for a healthy life at all ages. Therefore, this study analyzed food sources and sugar intake by the different age groups based on the 7^th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We used 24-hour recall survey data to investigate the daily sugar intake and the major food groups and main dishes contributing to sugar intake. The mean sugar intake was 58.9-66.8 g/day. The three major food groups contributing to sugar intake were fruits (15.2-19.9 g/day), beverages (10.7-12.4 g/day), and milk and milk products (7.6-7.8 g/day). Teas and other non-alcoholic beverages (14.7-17.3 g/day), fruits (12.5-16.2 g/day), and dairy products (7.0-7.6 g/day) were the major food groups that contributed to the sugar intake. Carbonated drinks, apples, and milk were the top sources of sugar intake in each group. In conclusion, the sugar intake of Koreans is mainly from carbonated drinks, fruits, and milk. These results provided the basic data for nutrition education and nutrition program development according to the different age groups of the Korean population.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined ways to promote desirable eating habits by choosing foods with low sugar contents and provide nutrition education in adolescents. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey. The sugar reduction perception and knowledge, sugary food preference, and intake frequency of 487 male and female high school students in Incheon were analyzed comparatively. Results: Approximately 94.9% and 94.5% of the subjects were unaware of the promotion of a sugar reduction policy and the sugar reduction in the basic guidelines for school meals, respectively. Approximately 95% of them had not received any sugar reduction nutrition education, and 90% were not interested in sugar reduction. The perception for sugar reduction was significantly higher in girls (3.43 out of 5 points) than in boys (3.16 out of 5 points) (P < 0.001). Knowledge about sugar was 3.65 out of 6 points in girls and 3.04 points in boys (P < 0.001). The preference and intake frequency for fruits of the total students were 4.24 out of 5 points and 2.56, respectively. For beverages, the preference was significantly higher in boys (3.97 points) than in girls (3.70 points) (P < 0.001), and the intake frequency was significantly higher in boys (2.26 points) than in girls (2.08 points) (P < 0.001). The preference for snacks was significantly higher for girls (4.19 points) than boys (4.02 points) (P < 0.01), and the intake frequency was 2.22 points in boys and 2.17 in girls, showing no significant difference. Sugar reduction perception and knowledge about sugar showed significant negative correlations with the snack intake frequency (r = -0.11, P < 0.05; -0.13, P < 0.05) after adjusting for gender, grade, and body mass index. Conclusions: The high school students' perception of sugar reduction was very low, and there was a significant correlation with sugary food intake, suggesting that the sugary food intake will decrease as the sugar reduction perception and knowledge about sugar increase.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.127-142
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• 2022

This study was undertaken to investigate the association between maternal nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes, and behaviors related to sugar intake and sugar intake reduction in preschool children. Eighty-three children aged 5 to 6 years attending kindergartens in Hongseong and their mothers participated in this study from October 2020 to February 2021. The average age of the mothers was 38.7 years, and 53.0% of the children were male. As child age increased, nutrition knowledge of sugar intake reduction increased, but no relation was found between age and, dietary behavior and preference related to sugar intake reduction. For children whose mothers perceived that their child's sugar preference was high, the behavioral score of sugar intake reduction was low. The more mothers allowed their children to eat sweet food; the higher was their child's preference for sweet food, which was also significantly associated with an increased risk of high sugar intake. When mothers were provided education that encouraged reducing children's sugar intakes, knowledge about reducing sugar intake in children was significantly increased. The study emphasizes the importance of the roles of mothers and primary caregivers regarding reducing the sugar intakes of preschool children.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2017

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate high school students' sugar intake behaviors, the status of consuming sugary processed foods, the awareness of sugar, and the experience and interest in sugar-related education based on the level of sugar-related nutrition knowledge. Methods: In this study, five high schools were selected in Seoul, Korea, and a survey was conducted in 400 students on the level of sugar-related nutrition knowledge and sugar intake status. A total of 349 questionnaires were used for the final analysis. For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics was performed; a t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, and Friedman test were used for comparative analysis. Results: The study results showed a positive association between the knowledge level of sugar and the appropriate sugar intake behavior and sugary food choices. The group with more nutrition knowledge on sugar was found to have good eating habits and to eat less sugary food. The main sources of sugar were beverages, confectionary, and bakery goods in the corresponding order, irrespective of the level of nutrition knowledge related to sugar. A significant difference was found in the groups' awareness of the sugar content of the drinks with 89.4% for the higher-knowledge group, and only 81.5% for the lower-knowledge group (p < 0.05). Results also showed that 43.9% of the higher-knowledge group and 36.4% of the lower knowledge group were interested in participating in education on sugar. Conclusions: This study result indicated the need to help adolescents to avoid excessive sugar intake from only certain favorite foods. Therefore, it is necessary to seek a systematic foundation for participatory education in order for them to maintain a low sugar intake in daily life and lead healthy eating habits by increasing their level of sugar-related information and knowledge.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 1995

This study was undertaken to investigate the dietary behavior and sugar intake of korean school children. The subject were 131 school lunch program children and 149 non school lunch program children lived in Soung Nam city. Sugar intake, food intake, dietary behavior and anthropometric measurement were studied through personal interview using 24-hour recall dietary data and records. Total daily energy and nutrient intake of children were higher than RDAs except for intake of Calcium and vitamin A. The nutrients intake of school lunch program children were significantly higher than that of non school lunch program children (p<0.05). The range of daily sugar intake was 10 g to 220 g and the total daily sugar intake was $63.0{\pm}37.4\;g$. Sugar intake of school lunch program children ($51.4{\pm}25.7\;g$) was significantly lower than non school lunch program children ($73.1{\pm}42.9\;g$) (p<0.0001). The more sugar intake increase more intake of Energy, Fat and Carbohydrate. The result of stepwise multiple regression analysis using the sugar intake of children as dependent variable, energy, vitamin $B_2$, protein, niacin, calcium school lunch program, education of fathers are significant explanatory variables, explaining 44.8% of variation. Result of this study suggest that school lunch program is desirable for good dietary behavior and decreation of sugar intake of school children.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.658-665
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• 2015

This study was conducted to provide desirable way on the eating of sugar foods, specifically the differences between dietary attitude, dietary behaviors and intake frequency. Data was collected from 279 middle students in the Incheon region through a self-administered questionnaire. According to the results of the reliability and factor analysis, the dietary attitude, dietary behaviors and intake frequency was 3.52, 2.89 and 2.51, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.867, 0.789, 0.940 and KMO of 0.899. Factor analysis extracted three components of the sugar preference, which we named dietary attitude (factor 1), dietary behaviors (factor 2), and intake frequency (factor 3). The dietary attitude and dietary behaviors showed a significant difference between sugar preference and non-preference (p < 0.05). Also, intake frequency of sugar food showed a significant differences in chocolate, chocolate products, and ice cream between sugar preference and non-preference (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were found in cake, bread kinds, juice, sweetness milk, yogurt between sugar preference and non-preference (p > 0.05). A significant positive result of intake frequency of sugar food (p < 0.05) was shown for the dietary attitude, BMI, weight, and monthly pocket money. Based on this study, the reduction of sugar intake is needed especially for middle students.