Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

Research Articles

[Korean]
Process evaluation of a mobile healthcare program among employees with overweight and obesity: a 12-week intervention study investigating the role of engagement: Imhuei Son, Jiyoun Hong, Young Hee Han, Bo Jeong Gong, Meng Yuan Zhang, Woori Na, Cheongmin Sohn, Taisun Hyun; Korean J Community Nutr 2023;28(6):466-479. Published online December 31, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2023.28.6.466

Objectives
A mobile health intervention program was provided for employees with overweight and obesity for 12 weeks, and a process evaluation was completed at the end of the program. We investigated participant engagement based on app usage data, and whether engagement was associated with the degree of satisfaction with the program.
Methods
The program involved the use of a dietary coaching app and a wearable device for monitoring physical activity and body composition. A total of 235 employees participated in the program. App usage data were collected from a mobile platform, and a questionnaire survey on process evaluation and needs assessment was conducted during the post-test.
Results
The engagement level of the participants decreased over time. Participants in their 40s, high school graduates or lower education, and manufacturing workers showed higher engagement than other age groups, college graduates, and office workers, respectively. The overall satisfaction score was 3.6 out of 5. When participants were categorized into three groups according to their engagement level, the upper group was more satisfied than the lower group. A total of 71.5% of participants answered that they wanted to rejoin or recommend the program, and 71.9% answered that the program was helpful in improving their dietary habits. The most helpful components in the program were diet records and a 1:1 chat with the dietary coach from the dietary coaching app. The barriers to improving dietary habits included company dinners, special occasions, lack of time, and eating out. The workplace dietary management programs were recognized as necessary with a need score of 3.9 out of 5.
Conclusions
Participants were generally satisfied with the mobile health intervention program, particularly highly engaged participants. Feedback from a dietary coach was an important factor in increasing satisfaction.

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Application of a living lab model to an evidence-based reduced-sodium healthy eating practice program in Korea: a pre-post study
Jung-Hyun Kim, Eugene Shim, Min Sook Kyung, Sooyoun Kwon, Hyoung su Park, Jae-Heon Kang
Korean Journal of Community Nutrition.2025; 30(1): 53. CrossRef

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[English]
Effectiveness of a mobile health intervention on weight loss and dietary behavior changes among employees with overweight and obesity: a 12-week intervention study investigating the role of engagement: Imhuei Son, Jiyoun Hong, Young-Hee Han, Bo Jeong Gong, Meng Yuan Zhang, Woori Na, Cheongmin Sohn, Taisun Hyun; Korean J Community Nutr 2023;28(2):141-159. Published online April 30, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2023.28.2.141

Abstract PDF

Objectives
This study aimed to determine whether a mobile health (mhealth) intervention is effective in reducing weight and changing dietary behavior among employees with overweight and obesity. The study also investigated whether engagement with the intervention affected its effectiveness.
Methods
The intervention involved the use of a dietary coaching app, a wearable device for monitoring physical activity and body composition, and a messenger app for communicating with participants and an intervention manager. A total of 235 employees were recruited for a 12-week intervention from eight workplaces in Korea. Questionnaire surveys, anthropometric measurements, and 24-h dietary recalls were conducted at baseline and after the intervention.
Results
After the intervention, significant decreases in the mean body weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, and waist circumference were observed. Furthermore, the consumption frequencies of multigrain rice and legumes significantly increased, whereas those of pork belly, instant noodles, processed meat, carbonated beverages, and fast food significantly decreased compared with those at baseline. The mean dietary intake of energy and most nutrients also decreased after the intervention. When the participants were categorized into three groups according to their engagement level, significant differences in anthropometric data, dietary behaviors, and energy intake were observed following the intervention, although there were no differences at baseline, indicating that higher engagement level led to greater improvements in weight loss and dietary behavior.
Conclusions
The intervention had positive effects on weight loss and dietary behavior changes, particularly among employees with higher engagement levels. These results indicate the importance of increasing the level of engagement in the intervention to enhance its effectiveness. The mhealth intervention is a promising model for health promotion for busy workers with limited time.

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Improving the nutrition quotient and dietary self-efficacy through personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling among adults in their 20s and 30s
Dahyeon Kim, Dawon Park, Young-Hee Han, Taisun Hyun
Journal of Nutrition and Health.2023; 56(4): 419. CrossRef
Process evaluation of a mobile healthcare program among employees with overweight and obesity: a 12-week intervention study investigating the role of engagement
Imhuei Son, Jiyoun Hong, Young Hee Han, Bo Jeong Gong, Meng Yuan Zhang, Woori Na, Cheongmin Sohn, Taisun Hyun
Korean Journal of Community Nutrition.2023; 28(6): 466. CrossRef
Systematic Review on the Study of the Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in Korea: Dietary Risk Factors
Eun Jeong Heo, Jae Eun Shim, Eun Young Yoon
Korean Journal of Community Nutrition.2017; 22(3): 191. CrossRef

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[Korean]
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on the Feasibility of a Mobile Dietary Self-Monitoring Application: Heejin Lee, Jeong Sun Ahn, Jung Eun Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2022;27(2):146-157. Published online April 30, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2022.27.2.146

Abstract PDF: Objectives
This study aimed to develop and assess the content validity and internal consistency of a questionnaire on the feasibility of mobile dietary self-monitoring applications.
Methods
We developed a feasibility questionnaire to assess the overall usage, convenience, usefulness, and satisfaction of mobile dietary applications. The initial draft of the questionnaire contained 17 items with yes/no, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions and 52 items on 5-point Likert scales. To validate the content, ten experts evaluated the relevance of the items for each subscale using a 5-point scale. We calculated the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and scale-level content validity index (S-CVI). A total of 102 adults answered the questionnaires which reflected the experts' reviews. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to determine the underlying structure of responses and categorized convenience, usefulness, and satisfaction. We also calculated Cronbach's alpha coefficient to examine the internal consistency of items in each subscale.
Results
The S-CVI score of the items was 0.86, and we removed items with an I-CVI score of < 0.80. We combined, revised, or separated some remaining items and added one item as per the experts' comments. As a result, we included 16 items about overall usage and 42 sub-questions. Based on the responses of the 102 adults, we performed exploratory factor analysis using the principal axis method. We retained items with a factor loading of > 0.40, resulting in a final set of 35 questions (convenience: 15, usefulness: 12, satisfaction: 8 items). The Cronbach's alpha values of the three scales were 0.93, 0.91, and 0.91 for 1) usefulness, 2) convenience, and 3) satisfaction, respectively.
Conclusions
We developed a feasibility questionnaire for mobile dietary self-monitoring applications and examined its content validity and internal consistency. Our questionnaire has the potential to measure the feasibility of mobile dietary self-monitoring applications.

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