• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.53-67
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• 2008

Purpose : This study is descriptive correlation research to provide basic materials for developing program which can give practical assistance in preventing and managing obesity through more comprehensive approaches of influential factors on obesity found in existing literatures. Methods : Data were collected from the 4th, 5th and 6th graders at 2 elementary schools in Gwangju Metropolitan City and 4 elementary schools in Jeollanamdo province using questionnaire and students' physical examination results from June 15 to July 27, 2006 and data obtained from 1,866 students were used for analysis. Data collected were analyzed with technical statistics and correlation analysis using SPSS/PC(version 12.0). Results : 1. Obesity level of elementary school students was examined as follows; 33.2% had low weight, 44.3% normal, 10.8% overweight and 11.7% obese. 14.8% of boys and 8.6% of girls, 13.5% of the 4th graders, 12.1% of the 5th graders and 9.2% of the 6th graders, and 13.7% of urban students and 9.6% of rural students were obese. 2. According to general characteristics and obesity of the subjects, there were significant differences by sex(${\chi}^2=29.55$, p= .000), grade(${\chi}^2=12.84$, p= .046), region(${\chi}^2=41.96$, p= .000) and pocket money(${\chi}^2=33.43$, p= .001). 3. As genetic factors, all variables including sibling's obesity r= .128(p= .000), mother's obesity r= .098(p= .000) and father's obesity r= .081(p= .001) had influence on children's obesity. 4. Concerning environmental factors, there was positive correlation between eating habits r=- .052(p= .02) and school record r=- .048(p= .04) and there was negative correlation between internet using time r= .050(p= .03) and conflict with parents r= .048(p= .04). 5. Self-respect as psychological factor had negative correlation as r=- .048(p= .04). Conclusion : Consequently, the influential factors on obesity of elementary school students were as follows. Obesity was higher in boys than in girls, in urban areas than in rural areas, in lower grade than in higher grade, in children with obese siblings, obese father and mother, irregular and wrong eating habits, frequent internet uses, parents in conflict and lower school record and self-respect. Therefore, since it was found that these variables were more exact causes to increase children's obesity, development of various obesity mediation programs considering these variables at home, school and society is urgently required.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.283-294
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• 1988

To study the factors related to childhood obesity, 75 subjects were selected as an obese group and 75 subjects were selected as a control group according to their obesity index and BMI among the 583 children of 5th and 6th grade in elementary school in Seoul. For each subject, skinfold thickness was measured, information on the characteristics of family, nutrient intake and activity time of the subjects were obtained by questionnarie. The results were summarized as following: 1) Parents' obesity indices of obese group were significantly higher than those of control group(Father's Obesity Index : P<0.01, Mother's Obesity Index : P<0.05). 2) Questions about eating rate and behavior showed that subjects in obese group were significantly faster in their eating rate(p<0.05) and always more eager to eat food(p<0.001) compared to control group. 3) Dietary intake data showed that average daily intake of all the nutrients exceeded Korean recommended dietary allowances for the age group. In female children, fat intakes of obese group were significantly higher than control group(P<0.05). There was no such significant difference in male subjects. 4) Activity time record of subjects reveal that there was a trend for males to spend more time in moderate and high activity and less time in light activity compared to females. Subjects in obese group spent significantly more time for light activity(P<0.001) and significantly less time for moderate activity (P<0.001) compared to subjects in control group. The difference of activity was more pronounced in male subjects. 5) Correlation matrix of the variables showed that obesity index, BMI, and skinfold thickness of the subjects were highly correlated with each other. These indices were positively correlated to parent's obesity indices and the time spent for light activity, but negatively correlated to the time spent for moderate activity. Nutrient intakes were not significantly correlated to obesity indices. Form the results shown above, although both obese and control groups are from high socioeconomic class, obese children tended to come from family with fat parents. They eat fast and are always eager to eat. They tend to eat more fat but are very different from controls in nutrient intake. Obese children are significantly lower in their actinity compared to controls. So, for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, it seems to be more important to increase their activity levels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 1995

The relationship of obesity and related behaviors was analyzed among 361 primary school children, 4th and 5th grade, in one of private school in Seoul in July 1994. Compared to 1985 Korean Children's Growth Standard, the surveyed children have shown remarkable growth, which is the secular trend in growth of Korean children accompanied with rapid economic growth. But the relative incremental weight was far larger than that of height and this trend was more evident among children over 50th percentile, which shows a wide prevalence of obesity of the surveyed children. By WLI index, 15% of the children was overweight and 13% was obese. The higher the WLI, the more frequent and stronger stress they had. The nutrition knowledge score of obese children was higher compared to others. They were especially sensitive to their physical fitness but many normal or underweight-children also experienced stress due to their body weight and have tried to lose weight by incorrect methods. On the other hand many obese children thought they were optimal or underweight. These results reasserts the importance of nutrition education focused on children aheading puberty. They need to know the correct degree of obesity and to get appropriate education through teachers, dietitians, parents and doctors. The findings of this study could be applied to a nutrition implementation policy to ensure better physical fitness of children aheading puberty in the future.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.168-175
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors of childhood obesity and the characteristics of the parents of obese children. Methods 110 children of 5years old living in Seoul and Kwangju were surveyed by questionnaire about the children(birth weight, birth order, type of feeding, eating behavior, daily habit) and the parents(weight, height, education). The behaviors of mothers about eating restriction were assessed by three factor eating questionnaire(TFEQ). Children's weight and height were examined and the obesity indeces were calculated. Result: 1) The prevalence rate of obesity among 5 years old children was 20.1%, and male had significantly higher prevalence rate. No significant difference was found in birth weight, birth order, and type of feeding between two groups. 2) The obese group showed significantly more cases of "eat rapidly" 3) fathers of obese children were significantly older and showed higher educational levels. No significant difference was found among parental body mass indeces between two groups. 4) Mothers of obese children showed significantly higher scores of cognitive restriction factor and disinhibition factor in TFEQ. There was no difference in hunger factor, The score of mothers TFEQ was significantly correlated with children's obesity indeces. Conclusion : Children's eating behavior and mother attitude about food restriction have influence on children's obesity among 5 years older children.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.223-234
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze the parent-related factors affecting obesity and overweight in school-aged children. The subjects of this study were 408 students of 4th~6th grade and their parents and examined the degree of obesity, obesity-related characteristics, eating habits and exercise habits of children and their parents. The data were analyzed using $x^2-test$, t-test, ANOVA and multiple logistic regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows: father's BMI OR=1.265(95% CI: 1.133-1.412, p<.001), mother's BMI OR=1.214(95% CI: 1.077-1.368, CI: 1.113-1.725, p= .001), the child's eating habit OR=0.953(95% CI: .909- .998, p= .042), the TV watching time OR=1.385(95% CI: 1.113-1.725, p= .004), the economic state OR=0.132(95% CI: .026- .676, p= .015) were factors related affecting obesity and overweight in school-aged children. Children's obesity was influenced by parent's genetic factors, eating habits and living environment factors. Therefore, it is important to motivate the children as well as the their parents and induce the active participation of the program in order to manage the child's obesity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2007

This study sought to compare intake levels of major dish items and food groups between normal and obese Korean children in order to understand obesity-related eating behaviors. The study was also conducted to apply the information on the differences in major dish items and food groups found in this study to development of a brief food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for children's obesity-related eating behaviors. Finally, the developed FFQ was evaluated for reliability. A total of 290, 24-hour dietary recall data from 9-11 year-old normal or obese participants in the 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were reviewed to identity dish items and food groups showing outstanding differences between the normal and obese groups. Based on the level of intake amount between the two groups, a total of 7 items, including ddeokbokggi, spaghetti, ham roast, pork cutlet, dairy products & ices, kimchi, and fruits, were selected to be included in the FFQ. The former 5 items were seen to be consumed more in the obese group, while the latter 2 items were so in the normal group. The questionnaire was formatted into a frequency response section of a seven-category option and reference period of the last 7 days. Test-retest reliability of the developed FFQ was examined by administering it to 153, 9-11 year-old children at a public elementary school in Seoul twice at a month interval. The level of reliability was found to be reasonably high. In conclusion, this study suggests that high consumption of several high-calorie dish items and low consumption of kimchi and fruits may be important eating behaviors in relation to obesity risk among 9-11 year-old children who need nutrition educators' attention. The current study also implies that a simple FFQ can be utilized to reliably assess 9-11 year-old children's diets.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.679-684
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• 1998

This study was conducted to investigate the determinants of obesity during adolescnece. A total of 726 adolescents living in rural areas in Korea had been observed for four years from 1992 to 1996 regarding their diet, sexual maturity, blood profile and physical growth. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify priorities fo the importance between the factors influencing obesity. The average nutrient intake over the three year period was higher than that of the Korean Recommended Dietary Allowances. The prevalence of obesity for the subjects based on BMI was 9.5%. Results of the stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that blood components and sexual maturity were more significant factors for determining the obesity than the dietary factors. The result may suggest that to understand obesity in children it is necessary to develop on analytical model for the children rather than using the existing analytical model developed mostly for adult patients of obesity. The model should include a wide range of variables such as diet, sexual maturity and changes in blood.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

Over the a few decades, the incidences of obesity and associated metabolic syndrome diseases have been increased dramatically and resulted in a global health crisis. Recent findings suggest endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as an obesogen, because they disrupt normal development and homeostatic controls over adipogenesis and energy balance in obesity. Furthermore, risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality is elevated among those who were obese during childhood. Thus, we focused on etiology of obesity in children and performed biological monitoring of bisphenol A (BPA), which is a broadly exposed EDC in environment. Study subjects were age and sex-matched obese and normal children in Seoul (N=52; age, $8.67{\pm}1.46$ years). Exposure levels of BPA were analyzed with HPLC/FLD as a conjugated form in urine. As results, ranges of urinary BPA were 0~54.38 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine (median, 4.57 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine). Levels of urinary BPA were 1.7 fold higher in the obese children than those in the controls (medians of obese and control children, 7.31 and 4.25 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine, respectively, p=0.22). In the near future, enlarge scaled studies should be performed to confirm the risk of BPA for obesity.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.338-347
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• 2023

Objectives: Young children's feeding characteristics can play an important role in eating habits and health during later childhood. This study was conducted to examine the associations of feeding characteristics with dietary patterns and obesity in children. Methods: This study utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2013 and 2017. In total, 802 toddlers were included, with information on their demographic characteristics, feeding practices and duration, and 24-hour recall obtained from their parents. Feeding characteristics were categorized into feeding type, duration of total breastfeeding, duration of total formula feeding, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and age when starting formula feeding. Dietary patterns were identified based on factor loadings for the food groups for 3 major factors, with "vegetables & traditional," "fish & carbohydrates," and "sweet & fat" patterns. Overweight/obesity was defined as ≥85th percentile in body mass index based on the 2017 Korean National Growth charts for children and adolescents. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine associations between feeding characteristics and dietary patterns. The association between dietary patterns and obesity was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The early introduction of formula feeding was inversely associated with the "vegetables & traditional" pattern (β=-0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.34 to -0.02). A higher "vegetables & traditional" intake was associated with a lower risk of obesity (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.95). Conclusions: Feeding characteristics are associated with dietary patterns in later childhood, and dietary patterns were shown to have a potential protective association against obesity.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.35-44
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• 2006

Objective : As today obese children have increased rapidly in Korea, the interest has been much increased. And parents concern about the effect of Herbal Medication(HM) on gaining weight. Therefore we had a retrospective study HM and obesity for children. Method : We examined medical record of 38 patients who visited to Department of Pediatrics in 00 medical center from 2002 to 2006 and took HM. Their Hight, Weight, Obesity Index(OI) were estimated at two points: before and after HM treatment. And they were divided into two groups according to the HM type and analyzed for differences of OI. Result : There were no significant changes in 38 patients's OI before and after treatment. But only one case gained over weight(OI: 21.31). OI increased slightly after treatment but there were not statistically significance. OI according to the HM type had slightly difference but there were not statistically significance. There were no connections between HM type, the number of days taking HM and changes of OI. Conclusion : On the basis of this study, we thought there were no connections between HM and obesity for children. But this study's cases are small in number so more study is need.