• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.368-374
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• 2006

Purpose : The prevalence of obesity in children is increasing rapidly. Epidemiologic studies suggest that obesity induced atherosclerosis may start in childhood. We investigated whether obese children show early abnormalities of the arterial wall and endothelial dysfunction. Methods : Thirty-eight obese children(14-16 years old of age, male, body mass index $29.40{\pm}3.18kg/m^2$) and forty-five age and sex-matched healthy control children(body mass index $18.43{\pm}1.01kg/m^2$) were enrolled. Their carotid artery intima-media thickness(IMT) and brachial artery flowmediated dilation(FMD) response were measured by high-quality ultrasound system, and compliance, distensibility, stiffness index, incremental elastic modulus and wall stress were calculated by equation. In addition, we looked at the relations between these arterial features and metabolic cardiovascular risk factors. Results : The obese children had significantly increased IMT($0.52{\pm}0.09mm$ vs $0.40{\pm}0.07mm$, P< 0.001) and markedly impaired FMD($7.35{\pm}7.78$ percent vs $20.34{\pm}16.81$ percent, P<0.001) than the healthy controls. But the compliance and distensibility were lower, and the stiffness index, incremental elastic modules and wall stress were higher in the obese group than the control group, but not statistically significantly. Body mass index was highly associated with increased IMT(r=0.612, P<0.001) and reduced FMD(r=-0.414, P<0.001). Conclusion : We showed the deleterious effect of child obesity on both early functional and structural atherosclerotic markers. The ultrasonic findings will be used for screening and follow up markers to identify high-risk patients among obese children.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.4 s.48
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• pp.665-676
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• 1994

The purpose of this study is to observe the longitudinal changes in BMI (Body Mass Index) of obese and non-obese 3rd. grade high school students in Seoul for 12 years and to see the trends of overt weight gain in obese adolescents. The results are as follows; 1. The average annual increasing rates of body mass Indices in male students were $1.14kg/m^2$ in obese group and $0.59kg/m^2$ in non-obese group. In female students, the average annual increasing rates of body mass indices were $0.93kg/m^2$ in obese group and $0.53kg/m^2$ in non-obese group. 2. The change rate of BMI for 12 years was significantly higher in obese group than non-obese group. 3. Puberty had less influence on the change rate of BMI in obese group compared to non-obese group. 4. In obese group, 71.8% of the variance in BMI at 17 can be predicted by BMI at 16 years in male students. In female students 44.4% can be predicted by BMI at age 16. 5. Among the 17-year-old obese students, 58.8% of the males and 56.2% of females were found not to have been obese at 7 years of age. 6. Among the 17-year-old obese students, those who were obese at 7 years of age were found to have higher BMI at later ages than those who were in the non-obese group. Obese adolescents were more likely to be obese in their childhood than non-obese group. There was no optimal age for the significant weight gain and the increasing rate of BMI was constantly higher in obese group than in non-obese group. Due to the fact that child obesity in early age contributes to obesity in adolescence, close observation is advised. On the other hand, a large proportion of obese adolescents can be preventable by early interventions, because about 50% of obese adolescents were not obese in early elementary school age.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 2021

Purpose: We investigated the association of effector memory (EM) CD8⁺ T cell and CD4⁺ T cell immunity with metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: Surface and intracellular staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed. Anti-interleukin-7 receptor-alpha (IL-7Rα) and CX3CR1 antibodies were used to stain the subsets of EM CD8⁺ T cells, while anti-interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) antibodies were used for CD4⁺ T cell subsets. Results: Of the 47 obese children, 11 were female. Children with MS had significantly higher levels of serum insulin (34.8±13.8 vs. 16.4±6.3 µU/mL, p<0.001) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (8.9±4.1 vs. 3.9±1.5, p<0.001) than children without MS. Children with MS revealed significantly higher frequencies of IL-7Rα^low CD8⁺ T cells (60.1±19.1% vs. 48.4±11.5%, p=0.047) and IL-7Rα^lowCX3CR1⁺ CD8⁺ T cells (53.8±20.1% vs. 41.5±11.9%, p=0.036) than children without MS. As the serum triglyceride levels increased, the frequency of IL-7Rα^lowCX3CR1⁺ and IL-7Rα^highCX3CR1^- CD8⁺ T cells increased and decreased, respectively (r=0.335, p=0.014 and r=-0.350, p=0.010, respectively), in 47 children. However, no CD4⁺ T cell subset parameters were significantly different between children with and without MS. Conclusion: In obese children with MS, the changes in immunity due to changes in EM CD8⁺ T cells might be related to the morbidity of obesity.

• Korean Journal of Health Psychology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.537-555
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, comparisons on the psychological and physical attributes of normal weight, overweight, and obese children were conducted. Second, the influence of BMI and physical fitness interaction on psychological adaptation in children with obesity was explored. Participants were 245 children between the ages of 9 and 13 years (64.5% males). Data on children considered overweight (n = 45) or obese (n = 78) were gathered from the Korean Obese Children's Physical Activity (KOCPA) projects. Normal weight children (n = 122) were recruited from two Seoul elementary schools. Psychological measurements included Weight Efficacy Life-style Questionnaire (WEL), Physical Self-efficacy Scale (PSES), Child Dietary Self-efficacy Scale (CDSS), Self-concept Inventory (SCI), and the Korean version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Intervention TM Version 4.0 Generic Core Scales (PedsQLTM4.0). BMI (kg/m2) and physical fitness (e.g., aerobic endurance, flexibility) were recorded by experts in exercise physiology. Results showed that children in the high BMI group reported poorer psychological adaption and demonstrated lower physical fitness when compared to the remaining groups. Compared to normal weight children, children considered overweight and obese were found to have lower physical self-efficacy, more negative self-concept, and poorer quality of life. Further, these children also had significantly lower physical fitness levels than their normal weight counterparts. Physical fitness was found to have a significant main effect on weight efficacy (WEL), physical self-efficacy (PSES), and quality of life (PedsQL) in children considered overweight or obese. A significant BMI-physical fitness interaction effect was found for self-concept (SCI) only. Children with higher BMI reported poorer self-concept regardless of fitness level whereas children with lower BMI and higher fitness reported more positive self-concept. Implications and limitations are discussed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.205-214
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate the effect of a metabolic syndrome prevention program using mobile application for university students. Methods: A pretest-posttest design with content analysis as a triangulation method was used. The participants were 49 university students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, $x^2$-test, t-test and Fisher's exact test with the SPSS WIN 18.0 program. Results: The application consisted of six main menus as follows: 'basic education', 'nutrition education', 'exercise education', 'meal diary', 'exercise checkup', and 'tips'. The experimental group had higher recognition about metabolic syndrome prevention than the control group (F=7.919, p=.007). Understanding of metabolic syndrome among participants was mostly related to chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes in relation to the importance of eating habits and exercising. Conclusion: The results indicate that metabolic syndrome prevention education using mobile application is necessary and would be useful for university students.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.1052-1057
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• 2008

Purpose : This study was to examine the relations of perception of physique with self-esteem, sociality and problematic behaviors in children. Methods: Four hundred sixty five (231 boys and 234 girls) children were divided into three groups according to their height or body mass index according to the physical growth standard table had been presented in 2007 by the Korean Pediatric Society. The group 1, 2, and 3 was short, borderline and normal or obese, overweight and normal, respectively. Their perception and satisfaction of height and weight were investigated, and their self esteem and behavior styles were examined with Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and Korean Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). We compared the numbers of appropriate perception, satisfaction, self-esteem and problematic behaviors in each group, and analyzed the relationship among perception of physique, self-esteem, sociality, and behavioral characteristics. The collected data were analyzed with chi-square test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient used with SPSS (ver. 12.0). Results : There were significant mismatches among their real physique perception and satisfaction (P<0.05). There were no significant differences of their self-esteem, sociality, and problematic behaviors according to their actual height and weight. There were significant differences of their self-esteem according to their perception or satisfaction of their height and weight (P<0.01). Conclusion : The children who considered themselves have short stature or obesity had problematic behaviors or low self-esteem. Therefore, children should be educated to have the appropriate perception of their own body image.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.187-197
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to develop an emotional self-regulation program for obese children and to examine the program's effectiveness on depression, eating habits, and body mass index. Methods: The emotional self-regulation program was developed from theory-based strategies and a pre-post pilot study was conducted with 46 children (19: intervention, 27: control). The program included 6 weekly group sessions over 2 months. The embedded experimental model of concurrent mixed methods was used to better understand research outcomes by converging both quantitative and qualitative data. Anthropometric measurements and surveys were performed before and after the intervention. Three focus group interviews were conducted with all participants after intervention to explore their experiences. Results: The intervention group displayed decreased depression levels in the quantitative outcomes. The participants also expressed positive outcomes such as improvements in confidence, impulse management, intimacy, happiness, and losing weight. Conclusion: These findings suggest that emotional self-regulation skills are crucial factors for obese children not only to manage their emotional problems but also to control their weight. Further research is needed with a larger sample size and randomized controlled trials.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.369-376
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of current body weight and body mass index (BMI) at age three and birth weight in developing chronic respiratory illness in childhood and identify possible interaction underlying its mechanism. Methods: The study was carried out with 422 children who were enrolled in a hospital-based birth cohort. Birth related anthropometric data were collected at birth. At age 3 years, the presence of respiratory symptoms was evaluated by using the Korean version of core questionnaire for wheezing and asthma from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Physical examination was carried out to measure the child's weight and height. Results: Children in the lowest birth weight tertile (aOR = 3.97, 95% CI = 0.94-16.68) or highest BMI tertile (aOR = 3.68, 95% CI = 1.24-10.95) at three years of age were at an increased risk of chronic respiratory illness. Children who were initially in the lowest birth weight tertile but now belong in the highest weight tertile had higher risk of chronic respiratory illness compared to those who had remained in the middle tertile (OR=16.35, 95% CI=1.66-160.57). Conclusions: Children with lower birth weight or higher BMI were at an increased risk of chronic respiratory illness. In addition, children who were initially in the lowest birth weight tertile but are now in the highest weight tertile had higher risk of chronic respiratory illness compared to those who remained in the middle tertile.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.135-149
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• 2018

Growth charts are curves or tables that facilitate the visualization of anthropometric parameters, and are widely used as an important indicator when evaluating the growth status of children and adolescents. The latest version of the Korean National Growth Charts released in 2007 has raised concerns regarding the inclusion of data from both breastfed and formula-fed infants, higher body mass index (BMI) values in boys, and smaller 3rd percentile values in height-for-age charts. Thus, new growth charts have been developed to improve the previous version. The 2006 World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, regarded as the standard for breastfed infants and children, were introduced for children aged 0-35 months. For children and adolescents aged 3-18 years, these new growth charts include height-for-age, weight-for-age, BMI-for-age, weight-for-height, and head circumference-for-age charts, and were developed using data obtained in 1997 and 2005. Data sets and exclusion criteria were applied differently for the development of the different growth charts. BMI-for-age charts were adjusted to decrease the 95th percentile values of BMI. Criteria for obesity were simplified and defined as a BMI of ${\geq}95th$ percentile for age and sex. The 3rd percentile values for height-for-age charts were also increased. Additional percentile lines (1st and 99th) and growth charts with standard deviation lines were introduced. 2017 Korean National Growth Charts are recommended for the evaluation of body size and growth of Korean children and adolescents for use in clinics and the public health sector in Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.31-48
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• 2004

Dental caries taking place with milk teeth affects eruption of permanent teeth adversely, and thus, it is very important to prevent dental caries from taking place with a child in maintaining his/her physical, mental and emotional health. In this study as conducted to obtain basic data to be required for development of a program for letting preschool children form a habitual life for oral health and right dietary life, a total 172 children aged 5 years and 6 years were selected from children who lived in Hwasung-si, Kyunggi-do and attended preschools (childrens houses) located there with the consent of their guardians. Then, the weight length index (WLI) and blood components of each child were analyzed, and each relation between the weight length index (WLI) and dental caries of milk teeth and between blood components and dental caries of milk teeth was comparatively examined, and thereby, the following results were obtained. When the dmf rate of each group according to the obesity was examined, it was found to be 87.50% in the under-weight group, 71.20% in the normal weight group and 83.87% in the overweight group. And when the dmft rate of each group was examined, it was found to be 48.43% in the under-weight group, 37.10% in the normal weight group and 47.17% in the overweight group. Also, when the dmft index of each group was examined, it was found to be 3.9 in the under-weight group, 3.0 in the normal weight group and 3.8 in the overweight group. That is to say, the under-weight group and the overweight group having an abnormal weight were found to be higher in all of the dmf rate, the dmft rate and the dmft index than the normal weight group. It could be, therefore, known that normal weight should be maintained in order to prevent dental caries of milk teeth. And, it is thought that a right dietary life habit ensuring intake of balanced nutrients should be formed for maintenance of a normal weight. As a result of examining the relation between nutrient components in blood and dental caries of milk teeth, in the case of children with no dental caries, inorganic nutrient components of blood had a tendency to be a little higher, but no statistical significance was observed therein. Meanwhile, it was found that there was a relation between blood type and the dmft index.