• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2000

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the validity of the BMI as an indicator of obesity for Koreans. The usefulness of the BMI to represent overweight and obesity was evaluated by measuring the relative validity of sensitivity and specificity, and was compared with the validity of triceps skinfold thickness(mm). To measure the relative validity of the BMI and triceps skinfold thickness, body fat(%) was used as a reference measure of obesity. The study population included 844 participants aged 20-69 years who resided in Kuri City in Kyunggi province. Participants were measured regarding weight, height, triceps skinfold thickness and body fat. The prevalence of obesity for male subjects was 32.0%, 66.2%, and 0.9%, and for female subjects, 17.6%, 56.1%, 12.4% based on the BMI, triceps skinfold thickness, and body fat(%) respectively. The prevalence of obesity was higher based on the BMI or triceps skinfold thickness than body fat measurement. The sensitivity and specificity of the BMI were 33.3% and 67.9% in male subjects and 77.7% and 90.8% in female subjects. Sensitivity of the BMI was lower, and specificity was higher than those of triceps skinfold thickness. In summary, BMI as an indicator of obesity for Korean showed a tendency of overestimation of obesity prevalence. Therefore, there is a need to develop a more reliable obesity index other than the BMI for Koreans.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.47-59
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• 2008

Objectives: The objective of this study was held for prevention of coronary artery disease and improvement of health of local community residents by classifying the obesity types of their waist circumference and BMI, and appraising the coronary artery disease risk factors(CRF). Methods: We analyzed the data on the 1,914 adult cases (1,156 male and 758 female) during Nov, 2006 to Mar. 2007 on a general hospital in Daegu city, Korea. The obesity types in this research were classified into normal group, seeming obesity group, abdominal obesity group and obesity group. Also, CRF was classified by normal, mild, moderate, and severe, and each class was given the index from 0 to 3. The coronary artery disease risk factors index(CRFI) was defined as the sum of index, and we defined that if the sum is higher, higher chance of coronary artery disease risk exist. Results: According to the research, by the age group, normal group has higher percentage in age 30 to 40, and obesity group and abdominal obesity group has higher percentage in age 50 to 60. CRFI is increased by order of normal group, seeming obesity group, abdominal obesity group, and obesity group on both male and female groups, and male shows higher index than female on all four groups. CRFI will be influenced by order of obesity group, seeming obesity group, and abdominal obesity group on male, and obesity group, abdominal obesity group, and seeming obesity group on female according to the result of multiple regression between obesity type and CRFI. Conclusion: According to the result from our research, we have to have keen attention to not only seeming obesity group and obesity group, but also abdominal obesity group which has normal waist circumference influence to CRFI. So, those kinds of indexes have to be controled by controling their weight. Also, we believe that health behaviour can improve and CRF can be prevented by the early health care and early health education to those with no abnormal indication on clinical indicator but with abnormal BMI and waist circumference.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.713-722
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• 2009

Vitamin D levels have been reported to be associated with diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. There have been studies on the nutritional status of vitamin D in postmenopausal women at Seoul and premenopausal women at Busan, and these studies showed that nearly no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index existed. However, there have been no studies that examined about the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance in Korea. In this study, we investigated serum vitamin D levels and the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), obesity index (body mass index, percentage of body fat and waist circumference) in 180 premenopausal women (non-obese women 87.8%, obese women 12.2%) in spring (March~April), fall (September~October) and winter (January~February) at Daejeon. Serum vitamin D levels were lower in winter than in spring-fall, after adjusting for age and the obesity index. The frequency of vitamin D inadequacy (serum vitamin D levels were $\leq$ 20 ng/mL) was 45.5% in winter and, 23.5% in spring-fall, and which showed that vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Multiple regression analysis showed that serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance. There was no difference in the obesity index or insulin resistance between the vitamin D inadequacy and normal group, and there was no relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the obesity index or insulin resistance in non-obese and obese premenopausal women, respectively. In conclusion, serum vitamin D levels in premenopausal women at Daejeon were lower in winter than in spring-fall, and the frequency of vitamin D inadequacy was higher in winter than in spring-fall. Serum vitamin D levels had no relationship with the obesity index or insulin resistance in premenopausal women, most of whom were not obese.

• Archives of Obesity and Metabolism
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2022

Although it has been confirmed that excessive body fat increases health risks and all-cause mortality, several epidemiological studies have reported that overweight or obesity in patients with chronic diseases and in older adults is advantageous with respect to mortality. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the biological basis of this obesity paradox. The marked heterogeneity of findings observed across studies and the possibility of systematic errors in these studies have cast doubt on the actual existence of the obesity paradox. However, the obesity paradox questioned the validity of body mass index as the best indicator for obesity in terms of predicting its comorbidities and urges clinicians to focus more on changes in body composition and related metabolic derangements, rather than body weight per se.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.21-32
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• 2009

Objectives Identification of individuals predisposed to obesity is an important issue for prevention and control of the obesity. It was reported that a high prevalence of obesity appeared in Taeumin among Sasang constitutions, but Enneagram personality-types has not been used to classify the patterns of obesity. These two classification methods were employed in combination in the current study, and it was analyzed whether the morbidity pattern of obesity can be characterized in further detail. Methods The subjects were 125 University students(62 males and 63 females) who answered both questionnaires for Sasang constitutions and Enneagram personality types. The obesity of students was classified by the obesity index and BMI. Results Only Taeumin group of Sasang constitutions was overweight, and the male of the group was overweight or obese. Analysis of the obesity index and BMI according to the Enneagram personality types showed significant differences(p<.05) between the types in the female group. These values were highest at the type 3 and lowest at the type 4. The physical indices according to both the centers of Enneagram and Sasang constitutions showed that only Taeumin female group had significant differences(p<.05) in the obesity index and BMI. Taeumin male group was overweight or obese in all centers of Enneagram and Taeumin female group was overweight or obese only in heart-center. Conclusions Diagnosis of the present data suggest that the classification of obesity patterns using Enneagram personality types in addition to Sasang constitutions is very useful to prevent and control the obesity.

• 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 Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.98-105
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• 2020

Objectives: Obesity is regarded as one of the most prominent health threats worldwide and a serious risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and some types of cancer. Given the role that societal development-as reflected by the Human Development Index (HDI)-may play in the prevalence of obesity and overweight, this study aimed to investigate the degree to which the prevalence of obesity and overweight is affected by HDI and its components. Methods: In this ecological study, the required data on HDI and its components were gathered from the latest report of the United Nations Development Program, and data on obesity and overweight were acquired from the latest reports published on the World Health Organization website. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 24.0. Results: The prevalence of obesity was determined to be significantly higher among females than males, and the gross national index per capita was found to be significantly higher for males than females (p<0.05). Significant positive correlations were found between HDI and its components and sex, as well as indices of obesity and overweight. Conclusions: A significant positive correlation exists between HDI and obesity. As policy-makers attempt to improve the general welfare of the people, they should be aware of potential unwanted effects of development on the risk of obesity and overweight among the population.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.289-302
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was performed in order to investigate the relation of body composition analysis and radiological parameter(lumbosacral angle, lumbar lordortic angle, lumbar gravity line). Methods : This study was carried out with the data from comprehensive medical testing. 75 subject aged 20-59 performed the segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis, questionnaire. And lumbosacral angle, lumbar lordortic angle and lumbar gravity line were measured in the standing position x-ray. Then we analyzed the data. Results : Low back pain(LBP) prevalence in high obesity index(Body Mass Index(BMI), Percentage of Body Fat(PBF), Waist Hip Ratio(WHR)) group was higher than LBP prevalence in normal obesity index group(p<0.01). In LBP group, lumbosacral angle, lumbar lordortic angle were significantly lager than Non-LBP group(p<0.001). And 75% of LBP group indicated abnormal lumbar gravity line ratio(0.67 < Normal lumbar gravity line ratio <1.00). When it comes to analyze relation between obesity index and radiological parameter, no-significant change was seen. Conclusions : This study carried as following research after the study on relation of obesity, LBP and trunk muscle strength. Results from this investigation showed positive correlation between obesity and LBP prevalence. But obesity index didn't indicate significant correlation with structural changes of lumbar vertebrae. When considering prior research, trunk muscle strength changes were more related to LBP prevelence in obese people. This results are expected to explain causes of LBP in obese group.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.191-199
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the effect of regular exercise on obesity indices, the psychosocial wellbeing index, dietary factors and exercise regularity among 146 healthy mothers and 146 their daughters. "Mother" subjects were divided into two groups classified as regular exercise group(REG) and none exercise group(NEG). The exercise regularity of REG's daughters(30.8%) and of NEG's daughters (2.0%) was significantly different(p<0.001). The Obesity Indices(Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Hip Ratio(WHR) and Percentage of Ideal Body Weight(PIBW)) of NEG's daughters were significantly higher than those of REG's daughters(p<0.001). But the psychosocial wellbeing index was not significantly different between REG's daughters and NEG's daughters. Intake of total energy, protein, fat, Ca, niacin and Fe were significantly different(p<0.001) between REG's daughters and NEG's daughters. Especially, vitamin C intake of REG's daughters was significantly higher than that of NEG's daughters(p<0.001). The exercise regularity of mothers was mainly related with Obesity Indices and nutrient intake in their daughters. Therefore, it might be necessary to maintain exercise regularity to prevent obesity and diet related problems in mothers and their daughters.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.152-157
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietary habit and to evaluate nutritional status and obesity index about adults living in Daejon area. This study was conducted with 250 subjects (male 130, female 120) who visited periodically a periodic health center in a general hospital from May to June in 2002. Questionaries were used for studying of dietary habit and food frequency method. Dietary intake was assessed by food frequency method and consumption of foods and nutrients was analyzed. The relationship between dietary habit and obesity were also analyzed. Dietary habit was better in female than mail. There was no significant difference in mean of Broca's index between female ($110.6\pm16.6\%$) and male ($110.0\pm13.7\%$). The obesity group showed low dietary habit score in irregular eating behavior, frequent eating out and over-intake of salty foods. Especially mean intakes of energy were lower than Korean RDA in all groups. All groups except obesity group were deficiency of vitamin A and vitamin $B_{1}$ and calcium.