Dietary intake and nutritional status of Korean migrants in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutritional Science at Massey University

Migration to a new country presents many lifestyle challenges that may influence future health outcomes. In particular, eating patterns may be altered due to the expense or lack of availability of foods typical of the immigrant's usual diet and the relative abundance of unfamiliar, locally produced foods. Studies of migrants carried out in host countries have shown that the change of living environment is associated with changes in food choices, activity patterns and other lifestyle factors. This may then be reflected by changes in health indicators: e.g., body measurements, and consequently morbidity and mortality. The latest census indicates that Koreans are the fastest growing ethnic group and the third largest Asian ethnic group in New Zealand after Chinese and Indians. Nonetheless, to date no studies have examined the nutritional outcomes resulting from the migration of Koreans to New Zealand. Hence, a study is needed to determine the dietary habits and the possible impact of the diet on risk factors for health and disease among Korean migrants. As a pilot study, the purpose of this study was to assess dietary intake and other health related measures in a sample of 50 middle-aged (40-55 years) Korean females who have lived in New Zealand for at least 5 years. The study assessed sociodemographic characteristics, activity level, dietary intake, factors related to the dietary intake and anthropometric and biochemical measurements by questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recall and appropriate body measurements. The body measurements included weight, height, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, waist, hip, and upper arm circumference, elbow breadth, body fat using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, blood pressure and blood glucose level. The nutrient intakes of subjects were found to be generally adequate and the proportions of energy derived from macronutrients (Carbohydrate:Protein:Fat =55:17:26) were also considered to be in the adequate range. However, low intakes of calcium (596mg) and zinc (8mg) and high intake of sodium (3749mg) were identified as the main nutritional problems in this population. The nutrient intakes of Korean immigrants to New Zealand with longer residences (≥8.8 years) did not differ from those with shorter residences (<8.8 years). This suggests that the dietary acculturation of migrant Koreans may have taken place during the early years of residence in New Zealand (<5 years). The findings from this study further indicate that Korean migrants have not changed their traditional dietary habit to any great extent and that rice and kimchi still hold a prominent place in their diet. While the intakes of the study participants were generally similar to reported intakes from Korean and New Zealand national surveys, the intakes of some nutrients were intermediate in the study participants (Korean immigrants) between those of native Koreans and New Zealanders; intakes of calcium in migrant Koreans were lower than those of New Zealand women, but higher than native Koreans because of a significantly greater intake of dairy products. The risk associated with BMI is difficult to evaluate in this population group because of differences between Korean and New Zealand standards. The subjects had a much lower prevalence of obesity, measured by the BMI, according to the New Zealand (2%) compared to the Korean classification (24%) (p=0.005). Similarly, the subjects had a lower prevalence of increased disease risk, measured by waist circumference, according to the global classification (8%) compared to the Asian classification (24%) (p=0.029). However, almost half of all subjects fell into the 'at risk' group for WHR, suggesting that subjects may have more body fat in the upper body in relation to their body size. These findings suggest that appropriate ethnic-specific obesity indicators need to be developed to monitor anthropometric changes in migrant populations. The majority of subjects fell into the normal blood pressure range with only two hypertensive women in the study group. The findings from this study identified the areas of concern in nutrition and indicated the need for further research into this population. Furthermore, these results may be used to develop culturally appropriate nutrition education materials and programmes

The Export Base Model with a Supply-Side Stimulus to the Export Sector

In the export-base model, the level of a region’s economic activity is underpinned by the performance of its export sector (Daly, 1940; Dixon and Thirlwall, 1975; Kaldor, 1970; North, 1955). This theory is now almost universally represented as a primitive version of the familiar Input-Output (IO) or Keynesian demand-driven approach, where regional output is linked to regional exports through a rather mechanistic multiplier process (Romanoff, 1974). Further, in a standard IO inter-regional framework, the expansion of output in one region always generates positive impacts on other regions. That is to say, there is always a positive spread, and no negative backwash, effect. However, these models typically embody no supply-side constraints. What is more, the stimulus to the export sector is often thought to come through supply-side improvements (North, 1955; McCombie, 1992). Whilst accepting that the development of a healthy export base is generally central to promoting the growth of the regional economy, the relationship is likely to be much more complex than is usually thought. Also whilst an increase in regional exports typically increases economic activity in the target region, the effect on other regions is less straightforward (Myrdal, 1957). In this paper we begin by using a single-region IO analysis of the operation of a stylised export base model. The impact of a conventional increase in export demand is compared to a situation in which increased competitiveness underpins the improved export performance. This analysis is then extended through the use of an inter-regional (Scotland–Rest of the UK) Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. In simulation, different exogenous demand and supply side disturbances are calibrated so as to generate the same long-run expansion in Scottish manufacturing exports. The subsequent specific evolutions of regional GDP and employment in both Scotland and the rest of the UK (RUK) are then tracked.Export base, efficiency improvement, regional growth

Topology-Guided Path Integral Approach for Stochastic Optimal Control in Cluttered Environment

This paper addresses planning and control of robot motion under uncertainty that is formulated as a continuous-time, continuous-space stochastic optimal control problem, by developing a topology-guided path integral control method. The path integral control framework, which forms the backbone of the proposed method, re-writes the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation as a statistical inference problem; the resulting inference problem is solved by a sampling procedure that computes the distribution of controlled trajectories around the trajectory by the passive dynamics. For motion control of robots in a highly cluttered environment, however, this sampling can easily be trapped in a local minimum unless the sample size is very large, since the global optimality of local minima depends on the degree of uncertainty. Thus, a homology-embedded sampling-based planner that identifies many (potentially) local-minimum trajectories in different homology classes is developed to aid the sampling process. In combination with a receding-horizon fashion of the optimal control the proposed method produces a dynamically feasible and collision-free motion plans without being trapped in a local minimum. Numerical examples on a synthetic toy problem and on quadrotor control in a complex obstacle field demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1510.0534

Perfect or Imperfect Duties? Consumer Perspectives Toward Corporate Sustainability

Ha-Brookshire (2015) recently proposed the moral responsibility theory of corporate sustainability (MRCS) based on the corporate personhood concept recognized by U.S. law (Dubbink, 2014). That is, as a person, a corporation has moral responsibilities toward society and the environment, and can therefore intentionally decide its commitment level toward sustainability goals. Furthermore, MRCS shows that, as a legal person, all corporations bear perfect (i.e., universal and absolute) and imperfect (i.e., discretionary and meritorious) duties as Kant (1797/ 1991) suggested. In this light, the theory argues that the extent of corporations\u27 commitment toward social and environmental responsibilities depends on how they perceive sustainability within the moral spectrum. While this argument is clear in the literature, consumers\u27 perceptions toward corporate moral responsibility for sustainability are largely unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to assess consumers\u27 perceptions on corporate sustainability within the spectrum of morality, with the hope of developing the list of perfect and imperfect duties of corporate sustainability as perceived by consumers

Does the Firm Size Matter on Firm Entrepreneurship and Performance? U.S. Apparel Import Intermediary Case

This is the post-print version of the article found in the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=jsbed). DOI 10.1108/14626000910932926Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance is dependent upon firm size within a small- and medium-size enterprise (SME) population, using non-manufacturing, industry-specific empirical data. Design/methodology/approach: Survey methodology was employed, using a national sample of U.S. apparel import intermediary (AII) SMEs. Regression analysis was performed to determine the type of the moderator variable, firm size, and to test statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance measures. Findings: The study's results suggested that the firm size effect was present on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' longevity performance; however, there was no statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' creative contribution or profitability performance. Research limitations/implications: Although the study results were based on randomly selected nation-wide surveys, the findings should be viewed as industry- and time-specific; generalization to a larger population, or to other firms, must be undertaken with caution. Practical implications: These findings help to recognize and understand the heterogeneity of the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance even within a population of SMEs. Therefore, the results suggest that AII SME managers should put different emphasis on firm entrepreneurship, depending upon specific goals and the firm size. Originality/value: The study shows that different approaches to SME entrepreneurship research are needed to recognize diversity within an SME population. The study also supports that performance measures are not necessarily correlated, thus justification of selection is critical