• Korean Journal of Family Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.355-359
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• 2018

Background: Body image is associated with the perception of people on themselves. Influencing factors are generated internally and/or externally. The most common issue pertaining to body image is body weight and weight loss. This study aimed to determine the association between body weight perception and weight loss practices among college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 297 college students from private nursing colleges in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic characteristics, body weight perception, and weight loss methods. Weight and height were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on weight and height measurement. The World Health Organization BMI cutoffs were applied in the study. Results: More than half (54.2%) of college students perceived their weight correctly as per actual measured BMI. A total of 51.5% of participants had tried various methods to reduce their weight. Body weight perception is associated with weight loss practices (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.50; P<0.001) adjusted for sex, marital status, and status of having obese family members. Those who had correct body weight perception were less likely to engage in weight loss practice. Food intake restriction (42.4%) is the most popular weight reduction method among students in nursing colleges. Over a quarter of the participants chose physical exercise (25.3%) to reduce their weight, and a small number engaged in unhealthy weight loss practices. Conclusion: Body weight perception is an important factor that influences the practice to reduce weight especially among young adult group and college students.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.571-577
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• 2008

Among current health-related problems, the issue of over-weight is considered one of the most important, fostering a national interest in body weight loss. In this study, an awareness of one's current body weight and previous experiences of body weight loss were analyzed according to age and gender. The subjects of the study were 720 people (male: 360 and female: 360) aged $10{\sim}60$ years with previous experiences of attempting to lose weight 1 year prior to this study. Anthropometrics, general characteristics, awareness of one’s current body weight, and the body weight loss practice were analyzed through a questionnaire. Approximately 73.2% of the subjects recognized themselves as obese, and 83.5% wished to lose weight. The older the subjects were, the frequency of attempting to lose weight was lower, and those who succeeded in losing weight maintained their reduced body weight for a longer period. Compared to male subjects, more female reported attempts of losing weight, but the period of maintaining their reduced weight was shorter. The older subjects reported a higher satisfaction rate of the weight loss methods they used, and few of them gained back the weight they lost. This phenomenon was especially more stronger among male than female subjects. From our studies, it may be concluded that attitudes concerning a person’s current body weight and body weight loss practice vary according to age and gender.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was to investigate how body-shape perception could influence to weight control practice both in normal and obese group. Methods: We used 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to analysis 1) weight control practices of population; 2) consistency between body-shape perception and body mass index; 3) comparison weight control practices between normal group and body mass index (BMI) obese group in perceptional obese group; 4) odds ratio of BMI obese group using herbal drugs for weight control practice in perceptional obese group. Results: We found that study population tends to choose exercise, dietary restriction, meal skip, health functional food, one-food, drug, herbal drug, fasting and self-medication in order of frequency to control weight. The agreement between body-shape perception and BMI within obese group was approximately 64% with 0.40 of Cohen's Kappa coefficient, ranging from 0.384 to 0.423. Within perceptional obese group, choosing each weight control practice methods ratios between normal BMI group and obese BMI group were not significantly different. Within perceptional obese group, obese BMI group showed significant odds ratio (2.58, 95% confidence intervals, 1.38~4.85) than normal BMI group in choosing herbal medication for weight loss when adjusting other variables. Conclusions: We concluded that body-shape perception might be an important factor for choosing weight control program, and roles of Korean medical doctors thought to be enhanced for using herbal medication for weight loss.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.172-180
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• 2003

This study was performed to document the weight loss diet practice and dietary habit related to weight control in child-bearing Korean women. The subjects were 1,434 women aged 17-39 years. The subjects were classified into 3 groups based on BMI: low weight(LW) BMI < 18.5; normal weight(NW), 18.5 BMI 22.9; and overweight(OW), 23.0 BMI. Anthropometric, general characteristics, weight control practice, and the quality of diet were assessed by a questionnaire. LW group had higher rate of smoking and drinking. They also complained more subjective symptom of anemia and used less nutritional supplementation. Weight loss diet had been practiced by about 40% of subjects and the percent was increased with increasing BMI. The reason of weight loss diet were significantly different by BMI groups(p<0.05); LW to keep body in shape, OW for health. Low BMI group had experienced more side effects after weight loss diet(p<0.05). LW group usually used inappropriate method to control weight such as skipping meals and some of OW group reported using drug to lose weight. All subjects have been skipped their meals of 3.9 times per week, especially 4.3 times in LW group. By mini dietary assessment, most of the subjects did not have regular meals. LW group tended to eat what they like and OW group preferred fried food. This study showed that child-bearing aged women make a ceaseless effort apart from their weight, and LW group have a matter of grave concern because of their dietary habit and weight control practice. Additional research should be necessary to assess the relation of health and weight loss diet in young women.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.545-555
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• 2004

Purpose: the purposes of this study were: to contribute to maintaining and promoting health for female college students by identifying their body weight control behaviors and the Affecting factors; and, to serve as a basis for the development of weight control programs to orient their weight management to a desirable direction specifically for those who have low or normal body weight but still practice body weight control in a way that is neither useful nor desirable. Method: The data were analyzed by the SPSS/PC 10.0 statistical program using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the Stepwise multiple regression. Result: The main predictive factors affecting body weight control was 'between - meal snack', 'family support', 'satisfaction with their diet', 'possession of secret method for weight loss', 'body image', 'satisfaction with university life', and 'interest in weight control'. Conclusion: It may be necessary to develope educational programs on weight control for female collegians in consideration of affecting body weight control behavior.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.218-227
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Malnutrition during hospitalization is linked to increased morbidity and mortality, but there are insufficient studies observing clinical factors contributing to weight loss during hospitalization in Indonesia. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the rate of weight loss during hospitalization and the contributing factors. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a prospective study involving hospitalized adult patients aged 18-59 yrs, conducted between July and September 2019. Body weight measurement was taken at the time of admission and on the last day of hospitalization. The factors studied were malnutrition at admission (body mass index < 18.5 kg/m²), immobilization, depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II Indonesia), polypharmacy, inflammatory status (neutrophil-lymphocytes ratio; NLR), comorbidity status (Charlson Comorbidity Index; CCI), and length of stay. RESULTS: Totally, 55 patients were included in the final analysis, with a median age of 39 (18-59 yrs) yrs. Of these, 27% had malnutrition at admission, 31% had a CCI score > 2, and 26% had an NLR value of ≥ 9. In all, 62% presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, and depression was documented in one-third of the subjects at admission. Overall, we recorded a mean weight loss of 0.41 kg (P = 0.038) during hospitalization, with significant weight loss observed among patients hospitalized for 7 days or more (P = 0.009). The bivariate analysis revealed that inflammatory status (P = 0.016) was associated with in-hospital weight loss, while the multivariate analysis determined that the contributing factors were length of stay (P < 0.001) and depression (P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: We found that inflammatory status of the patient might influence the incidence of weight loss during hospitalization, while depression and length of stay were independent predictors of weight loss during hospitalization.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.456-467
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of morbid obesity in Korean women has consistently been increasing, while the overall prevalence rate of obesity in Korean women seems to be stable. In addition to bariatric surgery, intragastric balloons (IGBs), as a nonsurgical therapy, have been reported to be effective in weight loss. However, the beneficial effects of IGB in Korean women with obesity have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in fat mass in Korean women with obesity who had undergone IGB treatment for 6 mon. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Seventy-four women with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25.0 kg/m²) were recruited. Clinical data, including general information, comorbidities with obesity, anthropometric data, and changes in the body fat composition before and after IGB treatment, were obtained from the subjects. RESULTS: Most subjects had one or more comorbidities, such as osteoarthropathy and woman's disease, and had poor eating behaviors, including irregular mealtimes, eating quickly, and frequent overeating. Body composition measurements showed that weight, fat mass, and waist-hip circumference ratio decreased significantly at 6 mon after IGB treatment. In particular, women with morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) showed 33% excess weight loss. There was no significant difference in skeletal muscle mass and mineral contents after IGB treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that 6 mon of IGB treatment can be a beneficial treatment for obesity without muscle mass and bone mineral loss.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1238-1254
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Weight loss via a mobile application (App) or a paper-based diary (Paper) may confer favorable metabolic and anthropometric changes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A randomized parallel trial was conducted among 57 adults whose body mass indices (BMIs) were 25 kg/m² or greater. Participants randomly assigned to either the App group (n = 30) or the Paper group (n = 27) were advised to record their foods and supplements through App or Paper during the 12-week intervention period. Relative changes of anthropometries and biomarker levels were compared between the 2 intervention groups. Untargeted metabolic profiling was identified to discriminate metabolic profiles. RESULTS: Out of the 57 participants, 54 participants completed the trial. Changes in body weight and BMI were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = 0.11). However, body fat and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels increased in the App group but decreased in the Paper group, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.03 for body fat and 0.02 for LDL-cholesterol). In the metabolomics analysis, decreases in methylglyoxal and (S)-malate in pyruvate metabolism and phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) in linoleic acid metabolism from pre- to post-intervention were observed in the Paper group. CONCLUSIONS: In the 12-week randomized parallel trial of weight loss through a App or a Paper, we found no significant difference in change in BMI or weight between the App and Paper groups, but improvement in body fatness and LDL-cholesterol levels only in the Paper group under the circumstances with minimal contact by dietitians or health care providers.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 2003

Objectives : This study was aimed to investigate the change of the reduction in body weight and the change of body composition after fasting therapy, Chulsikyopub, which was put into practice in Dept. of oriental rehabilitation medicine at Kyung Hee oriental hospital. Method : We measured body weight, body composition, and the degree of obesity 2 weeks after fasting therapy and 10 weeks after fasting therapy with body composition analyzer(Inbody 2.0). Statistical comparisons between pre-therapy group and post-therpay group were done by paired t-test and Wilcoxon's signed rank test. Results : 2 weeks after fasting therapy, body weight was decreased 7.33kg(9.18%), body fat was decreased 2.47Kg(7.24%), muscle weight was decreased 4.66kg(11.37%), body fat ratio was increased 1.08%, and body metabolic rate(BMR) was decreased 118.23kcal(8.22%). 10 weeks after fasting therapy, each of body weight and fat was decreased 10.4Kg, muscle weight was increased 0.3Kg(0.7%), body fat ratio was decreased 7.9%, and BMR was increased 6.8Kcal(0.47%). But muscle weight and BMR did not satisfy statistical significance. Conclusions : fasting therapy for 10 weeks reduced body weight and body fat statistically significant without loss of muscle weight and BMR.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.307-318
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Relocation to new environments can have a negative impact on health by altering body weight and dietary patterns. This study attempted to elucidate changes in body weight, food security, and their current food and nutrient consumption in adult North Korean refugees (NKR) living in South Korea (SK). SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study analyzed data on 149 adult NKR from a North Korean refugee health in SK cohort at four time points (leaving North Korea, entering SK, first examination, and second examination). Body weight was self-reported at the two earlier time points and directly measured at the two later time points. Food security, diet-related behaviors (dietary habits and food consumption), and sociodemographic information were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Nutrient intake information was obtained by one-day 24-hour recall. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS ver 23.0. RESULTS: Body weight increased during relocation by an average of 4 kg, although diversified patterns were observed during the settlement period in SK. Approximately 39.6% of subjects maintained their body weight between the first and second examinations, whereas 38.6% gained and 22.1% lost at least 3% of their body weight at the first examination by the second examination. Food security status improved from 12.1% food secure proportion to 61.7%. NKR showed generally good food and nutrient consumption (index of nutrient quality: 0.77-1.93). The body weight loss group showed the most irregular meal consumption pattern (P < 0.05), and eating-out was infrequent in all three groups. Consumption frequencies of food groups did not differ by group, except in the fish group (P = 0.036). CONCLUSION: This study observed considerable body weight adjustment during the settlement period in SK after initial weight gain, whereas food security consistently improved. More detailed understanding of this process is needed to assist healthy settlement for NKR in SK.