• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2000

The study examined BMIs, physical strength, activities, and the attitudes and behavior toward weight control among 7,968 Korean students{2,435 5th graders from elementary schools(ESs), 2,524 2nd graders from middle schools(MSs), 2,739 2nd graders from high schools(HSs)} nationwide. Compared to the 1987 data, there were increases of height(3-6cm) and weight(3-8kg), but decreases of physical strength and exercise. Lack of 'regular exercise' among girls from MSs and HSs and higher proportion of time spent on watching TV and using a computer for elementary schoolers were particularly noticeable. Proportions of students who were satisfied with their body weight were 49% for ESs, 35% for MSs, and 29% for HSs. There was no relationship between subjective and objective evaluations of body weight. Diet rather than exercise was more frequently chosen as a method of weight control. Compared to boys, girls showed stronger association between the amount of exercise and the subjective body weight in MSs and HSs, however this association was not found for the subjects from HSs. Values for the 50th percentile of BMI of boys and girls were 18.4 and 17.7 for ESs, 19.9 and 20.1for MSs, and 21.4 and 20.6 for HSs. In MSs and HSs, boys with BMI between 15th to 85th percentiles were physically stronger than those whose BMIs were lower than 15th kor higher than 85th percentiles. For the other groups, there was a trend of a positive relationship between BMI and physical strength. Based on the analyses of BMI and physical strength, this study suggests 22 and 21 for upper grades in ESs, 24 and 23 for MSs, and 27 and 25 for HSs as the respective cut off points of BMI for weight control n boys and girls. A need for implementing nutrition education program focused on weight control is also suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.101-109
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between health behaviors and asthma among male and female adolescents. The data were derived from the 12th Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey 2016 in Korea. The subjects were 65,528 Korean adolescents. The diagnosis rate of asthma in male adolescents was 10.3% and the diagnosis rate of asthma in female adolescents was 7.8%. In male adolescent, health behaviors that related to diagnosis of asthma were drinking (OR=1.087), second-hand smoke exposure (OR=1.087), non-vigorous physical activity (OR=1.084), obesity (OR=1.291), insufficient sleep time (OR=1.113), and stress (OR=1.257). In female adolescents, health behaviors related to asthma were smoking (OR=1.242), second-hand smoke exposure (OR=1.111), vigorous physical activity (OR=0.899), obesity (OR=1.178), and stress (OR=1.251). The results of this study will be used as basic data to develop a health promotion program of asthma youth according to gender.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.295-302
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adolescent health behavior on obesity using an online health behavior survey. The subjects of this study were 12,090 middle school students and 14,248 high school students among 26,338 Korean youths that responded to an online survey of youth health behaviors in 2018 (14th). There were significant differences in lifestyle, mental factors, exercise habits, and sitting habits as health behavior factors. The risk of obesity was higher in smokers (p<0.001), drinkers (p<0.001), those who ate breakfast less than four times a week (p<0.001), those who consumed fruit less than four times a week (p<0.001) and those who ate fast food less than two times a week (p<0.001). The obesity rate was higher in people with high-stress (p<0.05). Exercise habit as a factor was higher in the obesity rate than in physical activity by three times as much (p<0.001), whereas students categorized as muscular (p<0.01) had one to two times more physical activity (p<0.001). Students who had less than six hours of learning purpose were found to have higher obesity rates than those with more than six hours of learning purpose (p<0.001). In conclusion, the obesity rate did not increase with prolonged sitting habits, but did increase with longer sitting time except for those who studied purpose folly. Therefore, it is necessary to have a set time for internet use, as well as to educate schools about proper lifestyle, and to promote healthy exercise habits.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.179-186
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• 2019

Purpose: Information about overweight and obesity among students in rural areas of Thailand is limited. Therefore, we aimed to determine overweight and obesity prevalences and associated factors among school-aged children in a rural community of Thailand. Methods: We selected 9 public schools through cluster sampling in 2 provinces located in central Thailand in 2016. Anthropometric measurements were measured using standard techniques, classified as overweight (>1 standard deviation [SD]) and obese (>2 SD) with respect to their age and sex using 2007 World Health Organization reference charts. Standardized questionnaires on risk factors were sent to parents to be completed together with their child. Results: Among 1,749 students, 8.98% had overweight and 7.26% had obesity. Mean age (range) was 11.5 years (5-18 years). Independent factors associated with overweight and obesity included primary school student (reference as secondary school) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-4.08; P=0.07), mother's body mass index (aOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12; P=0.001), self-employed father (aOR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.12-3.55; P=0.018), number of siblings (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47-0.81; P=0.001), having sibling(s) with obesity (aOR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.20-2.77; P=0.005), more than one (aOR, 7.16; 95% CI, 2.40-21.32; P<0.001), consuming 2-3 ladles of rice/meal (aOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.38-3.32; P=0.001), consuming >3 ladles of rice/meal (aOR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.11-6.46; P=0.27), watching <2 hours of television/day (aOR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.19-4.01; P=0.012), and watching >2 hours of television/day (aOR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.36-4.96; P=0.004). Conclusion: Many sociodemographic, dietary, and behavioral factors were related to overweight and obesity among school-aged children not only in urban but also rural communities of Thailand.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.3 s.87
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• pp.77-87
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• 2007

This study purports to understand the direct and indirect effects between eating disorder behavior of female adolescents and their body-related variables(concerning the degree of diet regime, weight control, body satisfaction, and obesity), self-esteem and internal control, by checking three sub-categorized behavior of eating disorders of diet behavior, bulimia behavior, and eating control behavior. The sample group used for the study consisted of 190 female high school students and 292 female university students; measurement devices used for the study were those of body-related variables, self esteem and internal control, and eating disorder behavior; and data analysis was performed using ${\chi}2$, t-test, Pearson's correlation, regression analysis and path analysis. The results are as follows. First, there is a significant difference between university students and high school students regarding their body satisfaction, weight control experience, and self esteem. University students are more satisfied with their body, have higher self esteem, and control their weight better than high school students. Second, diet behavior shows a correlation with the degree of diet interest, weight control experience, and body satisfaction. Body satisfaction and internal control proved to be correlated with bulimia behavior, while weight control experience, obesity, and self esteem were correlated with eating control behavior. Third, the variables that showed a direct influence on diet behavior as an eating disorder are diet interest, weight control experience, body satisfaction and obesity, in that the explanatory power of the variables is 60.7% with the highest mark on obesity. The variables that showed effects on bulimia are body satisfaction and internal control with an explanatory power of 2.8%. Indirect variables effecting bulimia include objects, diet interest, body satisfaction, and self esteem. The variable with a direct influence on eating control behavior was self esteem with and explanatory power of 4%, whereas the variables of objects, diet interest, body satisfaction, weight control experience, and internal control were all indirectly correlated with eating control behavior.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.165-171
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• 2015

Purpose: To analyze the correlation between serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and obesity indices including body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP), total fat mass (FM), truncal fat mass (TFM), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in Korean adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on data derived from the 2010-2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). Subjects were Korean adolescents aged 10-18 years (871 total; 475 boys and 396 girls) who participated in KNHANES. Results: In both sexes, BMI, FM, TFM, WC, and WHtR were higher when ALT levels were in the 4th quartile. In boys, there was a significant positive correlation between ALT level and BMI, BFP, FM, TFM, WC, and WHtR (r=0.55, P<0.0001 for BMI; r=0.52, P<0.0001 for BFP; r=0.58, P<0.0001 for FM; r=0.61, P<0.0001 for TFM; and r=0.56, P<0.0001 for WC; r=0.62, P<0.0001 for WHtR), and the correlation coefficient was higher than that in girls. Conclusion: Our results suggest a significant positive association between serum ALT level and obesity indices in male adolescents.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.181-187
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• 2009

Carnitine is known to be involved in lipid metabolism and affects body composition as well as energy metabolism of the whole body. Improvement of obesity by L-carnitine supplement suggests that obesity can be related with the abnormality of carnitine metabolism and therefore, plasma carnitine level in normal and obesity groups was investigated. For the characterization of plasma carnitine level in obese people, 60 plasma samples collected from Korean women subjects were analyzed using LC/MS and plasma fatty acid level was also determined using GC/MS. Additionally, several clinical chemical parameters including fasting glucose, cholesterol, AST, and ALT level were measured. All the data obtained were combined and pattern recognition analysis was carried out with the dataset. Obese group showed a different metabolic pattern compared with normal group. Plasma acylcarnitine level of the obese group was found to be $11.7{\mu}g/ml$, which was higher than that of normal group ($8.0{\mu}g/ml$). Statistically significant differences in plasma fatty acid level were not observed between the two groups. Other clinical parameters for the obese group were within normal ranges but AST and ALT levels were slightly elevated compared to normal group. The obese group showed elevated plasma acylcarnitine level.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.98-107
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• 2022

Background: Various interventions have been tested to prevent or treat childhood obesity in South Korea. However, the overall effect of those interventions is unclear, as very few reviews and meta-analyses were specific to Korean children and adolescents. Purpose: We aimed to examine the overall effect of obesity interventions among Korean children and adolescents, while also examining differences by sex, age group, baseline weight category, intervention duration, number of intervention components, and type of intervention components. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted for all intervention studies sampling Korean children and adolescents, with at least one control group and one month of follow-up, published between January 2000 and August 2020. Cohen d was calculated as an effect size for treatment effect, using the standardized difference between intervention group's body mass index (BMI) change and control group's BMI change. Results: The final sample included 19 intervention studies with 2,140 Korean children (mean age, 12.2 years). Overall, interventions were strongly favored over their controls (d=1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.09). The subgroup analysis showed that interventions with at least one physical activity component (d=2.43; 95% CI, 1.63-3.24) were significantly better than those that did not include physical activity (d=0.02; 95% CI, -0.26 to 0.31). Conclusion: Type of intervention component appeared important, though no differential association was observed by sex, age, baseline weight category, intervention duration, and number of intervention components. Korean and non-Korean interventions may be substantively different. Additional studies are needed to understand why and how Korean interventions differ from non-Korean interventions.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.54-69
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• 2023

Purpose: Proteins are major components of the body and essential nutrients for proper growth and development. However, studies on protein intake in children and adolescents are insufficient. A few previous studies have reported the relationship with growth indicators, but results vary depending on the source of protein. Therefore, the current study investigates the relationship between protein intake and overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Korea. Methods: Based on the 2014-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 5,567 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years, who participated in a 24-hour dietary recall with information on height and weight, were included in this study. Protein intake was estimated as percentage of total energy (% of energy) and was classified into animal and plant protein according to the food source. Overweight and obesity were defined using the 2017 pediatric and adolescent growth chart. Results: Total protein intake of the subjects was estimated as 14.5% of total energy (animal protein 8.3% and plant protein 6.3%). The group with the highest total protein intake had a higher odds ratio (OR) of overweight/obesity than those with the least protein intake (OR, 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-1.67, p for trend = 0.003). When classified by food source, the group with the highest animal protein intake had a significantly higher OR of overweight/obesity than subjects with the lowest intake (OR, 1.30, 95% CI, 1.05-1.61, p for trend = 0.016). However, plant protein was not significantly associated with overweight/obesity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a high intake of animal protein in children and adolescents increases the risk of being overweight and obese. In order to develop normal growth and prevent obesity in the future, it is necessary to determine an appropriate protein intake level through nutrition education programs and prospective studies on balanced protein intake.

• Journal of the Korean Child Neurology Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2018

Purpose: Obesity and headache are two highly prevalent diseases both in childhood and adolescent. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of obesity in pediatric headaches patients in a single institution in Korea, and differences according to age, sex, headache type, frequency, intensity, and disability. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 340 subjects (6-18 years of age) who visited the Pediatric Headache Clinic of Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital during the period from January 2015 through March 2018. Data on age, sex, height and weight, as well as headache type, frequency, intensity and disability, were collected. Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile was calculated based on the 2017 Korean Children Adolescence Growth Chart. Results: 17.6% of the pediatric headache patients were obese. The prevalence of obesity in male patients was higher than females (Male 23.8% VS Female 11.6%, P=0.002). There were no significant differences in obesity rate according to age, headache type, frequency, intensity, and disability. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity in the pediatric headache population was 17.6% which is higher than 10.1% in general population (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, KNHANES, 2013).