• 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 Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.506-515
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• 2002

This study examined the state of health and weight maintenance according to the body mass index (BMI) , and explored demographic variables, diet variables, the degree of stress etc. The results presented were based on data collected from 428 women who are mothers of the middle school children in Jeongeup city. Using SPSS WIN (Ver 9.0) , the frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square, ANOVA, and correlation analysis were provided. The mean of BMI for the subjects was 22.6, the ratio of obese women (BMI $\geq$ 25) was 22.9%. The frequency of the reported circulation or respiratory related diseases was greater in the obese group compared to the normal weight ($20 \leq BMI \leq 25$) or the lean (BMI < 20) groups. The obese group had less awareness of obesity. Those who regard themselves obese had lower rates of satisfaction with their body shape and higher rates of interest in weight control. Approximately 65% of the subjects attempted weight reduction more than once. Subjects who were obese had the most undesirable dietary behavior. In particular, this group had the higher rates of rushed meals, overeating, meals while watching TV or newspapers, and snacking, and eating out. In analyzing the correlation of variables influencing obesity, there were positive correlations between obesity and overeating, obesity and the degree of stress. Correlations between obesity and satisfaction for life found to be negative. Moreover, stress had a positive correlation with obesity and overeating, and showed negative correlation with eating behavior. Consequently, stress seemed to induce undesirable eating behaviors and increase obesity. Of the demographic background variables, subjects who were obese tended to be older, had lower levels of education, higher rates of employment, longer period of marriage, the higher number of children, preschool children or children preparing for highschool or college, lower satisfaction with children and household life.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1224-1233
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was to investigate the effects of problem solving group counseling on the index of obesity and health habits for obese children. Method: Forty seven obese children participated in the study(Exp.=22, Cont.=25). Children were recruited from the forth and fifth grade with higher than $20\%$ of the obesity degree. The problem solving counseling lasted for 10 weeks. In order to evaluate the effects of counseling, physical characteristics and health habits were measured three times; pretest, posttest, and at 10 weeks follow-up. The obtained data was analyzed by $x^2-test$, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA, using the SPSS WIN 10.0program. Result: Problem solving group counseling was effective on the physical characteristics(BMI, obesity degree, body fat ratio, waist measurement) and health habits over time. Children in the experimental group controlled their body weight better and reported lower scores in the index of obesity than children in the control group at 10 weeks follow-up. Conclusion: This counseling program helped obese children modify their health habits so that they could decrease their scores in the obesity index. It can be concluded that problem-solving counseling enhanced problem-solving abilities of obese children, which could help modify their ordinary health habits.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.3 s.151
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• pp.407-411
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• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the physiological responses of obese children after a short-term wear training and education. A ten-week program was conducted on thirteen obese elementary school children of six boys and seven girls in the 4th to the 6th grade. During the program, the children were instructed to measure daily ambient temperature and weight of their clothing. Physiological responses of the sedentary children in 100$\%$ cotton short sleeved t-shirt (0.13clo) and T/C short pants(0.09clo) were observed in the climatic chamber of 23.0$\pm$0.5$^{circ}C$ and 50$\pm$5$\%$RH before and after program. During the experiment, internal ear temperature ($T_{ear}$), seven site skin temperatures, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and subjective responses of thermal comfort and thermal sensation were measured every 5minutes. Mean skin temperature($T_{sk}$) and mean arterial pressure(MAP) were calculated. Obtained data are statistically analyzed and main results are as follows. There was highly significant correlation between the ambient temperature and the total clothing weight. $T_{ear}$ and MAP were reduced in the post-program compared to the pre-program. The obese girls felt slightly warmer than the obese boys and the girls were likely to prefer lower ambient temperature in the post-program than the pre-program. It was concluded that the 10 week wear training is apt to be more applicable to the obese girls than the obese boys. However, a more comprehensive study including. diverse measurements of deep body temperature with a long-term training would be needed to clarify the improvement of temperature adaptability in the obese children.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2000

This study was conducted to find biochemical status, dietary habits and dietary behaviors according to the degree of obesity among obese children, and to provide baseline data for nutrition education. The number of subjects was 64 obese children(Mildly obesed : MI 19, Moderately obese : Mo 30, Severely obese : SI 15) participated in '98 Summer Nutrition Camp'. The results of this study were as follows. 1. Weight and body fat rate was increased according to obesity degree(p<0.05). Total cholesterol and TG also was increased according to obesity degree but it was statistically significant. 2. In dietary habits, it wasn't statistically significant but MI tended to eat fast and to eat the snacks before sleeping. MO tended to skip the breakfast. SI tended to eat more snacks and dinner and they tended to overeat. 3. In cognition of self-weight, most obese children(93.7%) worried about their weight but 73.4% of obese children thought that it was possible for losing weight. There were no difference by the obesity degree. 4. In dietary behaviors, there were no statistically significant difference but MI and SI than MO tended to had worse dietary behaviors. 5. In life styles, SI than the others have tendency to have more regular exercise but they had more indoor activities than outdoor activities. 6. In foods intake frequency, SI than MI and MO ate instant foods more frequently and MI than the others ate hot and salty foods more frequently(p<0.05). With these result, MI and SI than MO tended to have undesirable dietary habits and behaviors. Many obese children worried about the weight but they had positive thought about losing weight. SI tended to do regularly exercise but they had more indoor activities than outdoor activities. Therefore, only with this study, it is difficult to say that there is the clear difference by the obesity degree. Because, in this study, we can have some difference among these groups, we should study more about these difference for effective, systemic and practical nutrition education in the future.

• 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.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.663-674
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• 2005

The factors for the childhood onset obesity were assessed to provide informations for the nutrition education program targeting the primary school children. The subjects of this study were 529 primary school children in Iksan City, Jeon-buk Province. Children were classified into obese(236) and control(293) groups by the obesity index. Anthropometric measurement dietary intake through 24-hour recall method, blood analysis and questionnaire response including nutritional knowledge and attitude, body image recognition and eating habits were conducted The mean age of subject was 12.0 years. The average body weight(p<0.001), BMI(p<0.001), and obesity index(p<0.001) in obese group were significantly different from those in control group; their values in the former were 26.5 kg/m2 and $37.7\%$ and 43.0 kg, 19.8 kg/m2 and $3.2\%$ in the latter, respectively. The average scores of self-satisfaction were significantly different in two groups (p<0.001), 31.2, and 34.1, respectively. Among the obese subjects, $60.6\%$ were unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their body image, and $76.5\%$ had experiences of weight control and $67.5\%$ took diet control as a weight control method Among mothers of obese subjects, $89.1\%$ were unsatisfied with their children's body image. $64.4\%$ of obese subjects had obese parents. Average intake of energy were $76.7\%$ of RDA in obese group and $74.9\%$ of RDA in control group. Average intake of cereals(p<0.01), potatoes & starch(p<0.01) and eggs(p<0.01) between obese and control subjects were significantly different; 295.4g, 76.2g, 55.6g in the former and 277.9g, 38.1g, 45.6g in the latter, respectively. The mean serum triglyceride(p<0.05), GPT(p<0.05), hemoglobin(p<0.001) concentration of the obses and control subjects were significantly different; in the former, 103.6mg/dL, 24.6U/L, 13.4g/dL, and in the latter, 93.7mg/dL, 19.9U/L, 13.1g/dL, respectively, The results suggest that practical nutrition education for the prevention of childhood onset obese should be provided to primary school children.

• 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 East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.127-134
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• 2008

This study was designed to evaluate the nutritional status and dietary problems of obese elementary students consuming unbalanced diets. Blood parameters, body-image perceptions, taste preferences, and nutrient intakes of 40 obese elementary students with unbalanced diets were compared to those of 40 additional obese elementary students as a control. The averages for age, height, weight, and obesity index were 11.5 years, 142.0 cm, 51.0 kg, and 35.4% in the study group and 11.8 years, 144.0 cm, 53.5 kg, and 36.3% in the control group, respectively. The major disliked foods by the students in the study group were vegetables (65%) particularly Kimchi (15%), as well as fish(15%), and pulses (10%). Mean serum cholesterol, blood glucose, GOT/GPT, and hemoglobin levels were 175.1 mg/dL, 89.2 mg/dL, 24.1/18.9 IU/L, and 14.3 g/dL in the study group and 182.8 mg/dL, 91.3 mg/dL, 28.3/33.9 IU/L, and 14.7 g/dL, in the control group, respectively. Approximately 60${\sim}$80% of the subjects responded that they eat a meal everyday, and the remainder skipped at least one meal. The preference for salty tasting foods was significantly lower in the study group, but the preference for hot tasting food was higher as compared to the obese control group(p<0.05, p<0.05). The daily energy intakes of the study and control groups were 1,768.3 kcal and 1,572.7 kcal, respectively, but there was no significant differences between them. Daily intakes of animal protein, fat, animal fat, and vitamin $B_2$ were significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. In conclusion, this study found that obese children consuming unbalanced diets strongly disliked vegetables, particularly Kimchi, as well as hot tasting foods; however, they preferred salty foods. Daily intakes of animal protein and fat were higher in the study group as compared to obese children not consuming unbalanced diets.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.36-41
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the biomechanical variables of the walking patterns of the obese children compared with those of normal children would revealing significant differences. Normal(N=25) and obese(N=19) subjects were screened based on a health record which was examined to eliminate any subjects who had any pathological condition related to their gait. Data for a minimum of 5 repeated walking trials were collected using a stop watch and a tape measure. Basic kinematic analyses yielded data based on the following variables : stride length divided by leg length, and cadence divided by leg length. This measurement data was classified by the Obesity Index calculated from by height, weight data. Results showed no significant difference among normal, obese and subjects(p>.05). Difficulties in formulating the experimental condition and poor equipment quality are thought to be reason for the inconclusive results. Future studies might include medical complications such as tibia vara, genu valgum, other diseases caused by obesity.