• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.87-102
• /
• 1999

Objectives : The purposes of this study were to estimate the prevalence rate of eating disorders in Korean males and to clarify their characteristics in sociodemograhic data, the eating traits, and general psychopathology through the comparison with those of female high scored group on the Korean version of Eating Attitudes Test-26(KEAT-26). Methods : Using a multi-stage questionnaire sampling method including area sampling, proportionated stratified sampling, and quota sampling, we surveyed a total of 4,400 Korean adults over 18 in a nationwide area(9 kus, 10 middle or small cities, and 17 kuns), obtaining usable responses on 3,896. Of the 3,062 subjects(1249 males and 1813 females) who were available for analysis, we ascertained 52 males and 208 females who had high score($\geq$ cutoff point 21) on the KEAT-26. Results : 1) The proportion of this high score group was 1.7% in male and 6.8% in female with a sex ratio(male versus female) of 1 : 4. 2) The mean age was higher in the male group than in the female group, although it was not statistically significant(p=0.0514). Mean Body Mass Index(BMI) of the male group was significantly higher than that of female group, and the number of male subjects with below 20 of BMI was also significantly lower than in the female group. 3) There were no significant difference in past history of physical illness between two groups. However, frequency of smoking and alcohol use, and mean amount of alcohol consumption per month were significantly higher in the male group than in the female group. There were no significant differences between the two groups on various socio-demographic correlates such as economic status, total duration of education, number of family, marital status, religious status, and area of residence, but the exception of being occupational status. 4) The 'Eating Habits Scale' score and score of 'preference for vegetables and fish, and dislike for sweet-tasting food' of the male group were significantly lower than those of the female group. Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in total scores of the KEAT-26, the mean score on 'pursuit of thinness' subscale was higher in the female group than in the male group, while scores of 'food preoccupation' and 'self-control' subscales were higher in the male group than in the female group. 5) Scores on 'psychoticism' was significantly higher in the male group than in the female group, although there were no significant differences between the two groups on 'locus of control for weight', 'depression' and 'hypochondriasis'. Conclusion : These results support a possibility of a high prevalence of eating disorders in Korean males. These results suggest that eating related characteristics of high scorer on the EAT are different by sex in spite of the same high score on the EAT, and also suggest that male patients with eating disorders have more serious personality pathology than female patients with eating disorders.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.85-92
• /
• 2008

The present study was conducted to develop a Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents. Data were collected among 328 female adolescents from a secondary school in Kuantan district, state of Pahang, Malaysia by using a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The self-administered questionnaire comprised multiple measures of body image, Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26; Gamer & Garfinkel, 1979) and Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory (Rosenberg, 1965). The 152 items from selected multiple measures of body image were examined through factor analysis and for internal consistency. Correlations between Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale and body mass index (BMI), risk of eating disorders and self-esteem were assessed for construct validity. A seven factor model of a 62-item Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents with construct validity and good internal consistency was developed. The scale encompasses 1) preoccupation with thinness and dieting behavior, 2) appearance and body satisfaction, 3) body importance, 4) muscle increasing behavior, 5) extreme dieting behavior, 6) appearance importance, and 7) perception of size and shape dimensions. Besides, a multidimensional body image composite score was proposed to screen negative body image risk in female adolescents. The result found body image was correlated with BMI, risk of eating disorders and self-esteem in female adolescents. In short, the present study supports a multi-dimensional concept for body image and provides a new insight into its multi-dimensionality in Malaysian female adolescents with preliminary validity and reliability of the scale. The Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale can be used to identify female adolescents who are potentially at risk of developing body image disturbance through future intervention programs.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.228-237
• /
• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to test a hypothesized model, the Biobehavioral Family Model (BBFM), on the relationship of family emotional climate, security of parent-child relationship, depression symptoms and eating problems in adolescent girls, to further understanding of eating problems in this population. Methods: With a convenience sample of 647 girls, aged 15 to 18, a self-report survey was conducted which included the Korean form of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) to assess eating problems. Results: The estimated results of the structural equation modeling indicated a good fit of data to the hypothesized model proposing that family emotional climate and security of parent-child relationship were associated with the risk of eating problems by way of depression symptoms. That is, negative family emotional climate and insecure parent-child relationship increased the risk of eating problems indirectly by way of depression symptoms. Conclusion: The findings are consistent with the BBFM, which suggests a psychobiologic influence of specific family processes on children's stress-sensitive physical disease activity by way of depression symptoms. Therefore, the applicability of the BBFM for understanding adolescent girls' eating problems is supported. The psychobiologic pathways from depression to eating pathology should be addressed in future studies.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.891-908
• /
• 2009

This study was performed to investigate the dietary habits, body weight satisfaction and eating disorder tendencies of female university students in Kyungnam province. Anthropometric measurements, dietary habits, body weight satisfaction, food preferences, disordered eating, and nutrient intakes were assessed in 132 female students at Kaya University. The results were analyzed with $x^2$- and ANOVA tests using the SPSS package program. The average age of the subjects was 20.1 years and average body mass index (BMI) were $21.1\;kg/m^2$. According to BMI, the percentages of students who were underweight, normal weight and overweight by BMI were 21.2, 55.3, and 23.5, respectively. Duration of exercise was significantly different by BMI. Index scores for a mini dietary assessment were significantly higher in the normal and overweight groups than in the underweight group. Scores for sweet, salty, and meat preferences were highest and scores for bean and vegetable preferences were lowest, in the underweight group. Satisfaction for present body weight was lowest, and self-perception of body image and weight control experiences were highest in the overweight group. All subjects in the overweight group wanted to be slim, and those in the normal and underweight groups, preferred to be more slim despite their current body weight being in the normal or below normal range. The percentage of the subjects who were at risk for eating disorders (based on scores from the Eating Attitude Test-26, EAT-$26{\geqq}20$) was 11.3%. Scores for EAT-26 were higher in the overweight group than in the underweight and normal weight groups. Nutrient intakes were not different among the groups. Therefore, dietary habits, taste and food preferences, satisfaction for present body weight, and disordered eating were significantly different according to BMI. These results suggest that overweight female university students need help correcting disordered eating, and nutrition counseling should be established to aid desirable weight control methods. Those who are underweight and normal weight need help establishing proper perceptions of their normal body weight and body image as well as nutrition counseling for health.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.45-58
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify differences in dietary behavior in Korean and Chinese female university students and investigate factors that influence dietary behavior. A total of 447 female university students in Korea and China were surveyed between June 27 and August 30, 2016. The data were analyzed using $x^2$ test, t-test, one way ANOVA, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Among Korean female university students, those who skipped breakfast were 26.18 times (95% CI: 5.421-126.407) more likely to be at a low-level stage for balanced diets than those who did not skip breakfast. In addition, compared to Korean female university students who did not eat late-night meals, those who ate late-night meals were 3.15 times (95% CI: 1.28-7.768) more likely to be at a low-level stage for balanced diets. Compared to Chinese female university students who did not skip breakfast, those who skipped breakfast were 4.22 times (95% CI: 1.865-9.551) more likely to be at a low-level stage for balanced diets. Compared to the Chinese female university students who did not stay up all night, those who stayed up all night were 5.25 times (95% CI: 1.712-16.074) to be in the preparation stage. The study results show that some factors that influence stage changes in balanced diets in Korean female university students were skipping breakfast and eating late-night meals. Therefore, it is recommended that solutions for improving the behavior of late-night meals and skipping breakfast, which are factors influencing stage changes in balanced diets should be strategically performed according to dietary behavior stages.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.119-129
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate mental health problems in obese child and adolescent patients. We assess the frequency of mental health problems and their differences according to sex, school grade and severity of obesity. Methods: The sample consisted of 106 children and adolescents aged 8-16 years (61 boys with mean age $10.98{\pm}2.26$, 45 girls with mean age $9.74{\pm}1.96$, p=.004) who were diagnosed with obesity and recruited at the Department of Pediatrics of Jeju National University Hospital. The participants completed the Korean-Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Korean version of the Eating Attitude Test-26 (KEAT-26), and somatotype drawings. Results: The percentage of participants having a T-score in clinical range on one or more CBCL subscale was 37.7%. The percentage of participants in the high risk group for depression (CDI score above 17) was 20.8% and that in the high risk group for eating disorder (EAT-26 score above 20) was 6%. The girls showed significantly lower CBCL T-scores in social competence ($48.39{\pm}15.66$ vs. $38.91{\pm}22.04$, p=.011), adjustment function ($49.51{\pm}17.35$ vs. $40.38{\pm}22.58$, p=.020) and school competence ($53.34{\pm}10.47$ vs. $48.22{\pm}15.11$, p=.042) than the boys, but the percentages of boys and girls in clinical range were not significantly different. The middle school students showed (significantly) higher CBCL T-scores in somatic symptoms ($60.86{\pm}9.44$ vs. $55.74{\pm}6.76$, p=.005), aggressive behavior ($58.81{\pm}6.74$ vs. $54.68{\pm}6.22$, p=.009), total problems ($59.86{\pm}9.91$ vs. $54.88{\pm}9.76$, p=.039) and externalizing problems ($57.90{\pm}10.57$ vs. $52.44{\pm}9.38$, p=.022) than the elementary school students. The severe obesity group showed significantly higher CBCL T-scores in attention problems ($59.18{\pm}9.45$ vs. $54.15{\pm}5.34$, p=.001), social problems ($59.25{\pm}8.59$ vs. $55.96{\pm}6.50$, p=.038), delinquent behavior ($58.07{\pm}6.97$ vs. $54.73{\pm}6.00$, p=.017) and total problems ($59.21{\pm}11.65$ vs. $54.67{\pm}9.03$, p=.037) than the mild to moderate obesity group. Conclusion: Significant proportions of obese children and adolescents suffer from mental health problems. Clinicians need to pay attention to the mental health risk, especially in obese adolescents and severely obese children and adolescents.