Development of a comprehensive health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea. Methods: The comprehensive health promotion program consisted of nutrition, mental healthcare, physical activity and sexual behavior was developed on the basis of need assessment results. For the evaluation of the program, 70 North Korean young adults who were attending two alternative schools for North Korean defectors were recruited. The program had taken place once a week for 13 or 19 weeks. Effectiveness of the health promotion program was evaluated using anthropometric measurement, 3-day food records and a questionnaires that comprised the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form with 36 questions (SF-36) and health behaviors. The surveys were proceeded at the beginning and after the program. Results: After health promotion program, participants' height was significantly increased #p=0#004# and body fat mass #0=0#004# and percentage of body fat mass #p=0.003# were significantly decreased. The number of subjects who ate breakfast alone was decreased whereas the number of subjects who ate breakfast with friends was increased #p<0.001#. There were no significant changes in dietary intakes, mental health status and quality of life. North Korean young adult defectors' willingness to participate and interests in the health promotion program were high, however the practice rate was low. Conclusion: The health promotion program could induce interests and willingness to participate, but bring about limited effects on the health behaviors. These results imply that a health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors should have a long-term strategy as well as short-term plan. Furthermore, it should be based on their health problems, health related behaviors, academic performance and daily life matters.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2009-01/102/0000052039/8SEQ:8PERF_CD:SNU2009-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077862DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:0FILENAME:북한이탈 청소년을 위한 통합적 건강증진 프로그램 개발.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:NCONFIRM:

Response Experiences with a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire: A Qualitative Study using Cognitive Interview

The purpose of this research was to understand how individuals reflect on the frequency and quantity of foods that they consume. Participants selected 5 males and 15 females aged 30 years or older were first interviewed on the frequency of their food consumption. Then based on this data, they were given a cognitive interview using the method of verbal proving. The individual cognitive interviews were recorded with consent while being conducted after complete approval by the Seoul National University Institution Review Board. The recorded material was evaluated using a thematic analysis after transcribing them into text. By analyzing stages of reflection, the major barriers to make the device difficult are revealed: 1) More difficulty in remembering events over the course of a full year due to diversification in the types of food that people consume 2) difficulty calculating the average for seasonal foods 3) difficulty estimating the amount of consumption from the photos presented 4) difficulty estimating amount of consumption from the quantity presented 5) difficulty processing foods that people think are healthy and foods are unhealthy simultaneously 6) difficulty having to consider foods where target food goes in as an ingredient; 7) difficulties arising from having to increase frequency when the amount consumed is higher than the quantity that is presented 8) difficulty having to combine the frequency and quantity of each food item when numerous foods are clustered into one category. These findings show that the less participants were involved in cooking, the more diverse their eating habits were, and the more they tried to adhere to rules of filling out the questionnaire, the more it was difficult for them to come up with an answer to the question being asked. It therefore seems necessary to construct a Food Frequency questionnaire that is attentive to these problems that arise from the recall stages