The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Obesity in Korean Children: An Analysis of the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012).
10.5223/pghn.2017.20.3.186
- Author:
Hae Jeong LEE
1
;
Sung Hoon KIM
;
Seo Heui CHOI
;
Ju Suk LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea. ljs8952194@nate.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Obesity;
Income;
Education
- MeSH:
Body Mass Index;
Child*;
Developed Countries;
Developing Countries;
Education;
Employment;
Female;
Growth Charts;
Humans;
Korea*;
Logistic Models;
Nutrition Surveys*;
Obesity*;
Overweight;
Parents;
Pediatric Obesity;
Prevalence;
Risk Factors;
Social Class*
- From:Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
2017;20(3):186-193
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: Obesity is one of the most common health problems among children and its prevalence has increased in recent decades. Socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-known risk factor for childhood obesity although the associations were different across countries. Previous studies in other countries have reported a positive association between childhood obesity and SES in developing countries, and inverse correlation has been reported in developed countries. For this reason, we wanted to investigate the relationship between SES and obesity in Korean children. METHODS: Data were acquired 3,095 boys and girls who participated in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted from 2010 to 2012. Body mass index was calculated from measured anthropometric data using the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. RESULTS: Upon univariate analysis, we did not find any statistically significant differences in the parental employment status, monthly family income between children with and without obesity. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed childhood obesity was positively associated with maternal overweight (OR, 1.889; 95% CI, 1.079-3.309), maternal obesity (OR, 3.409; 95% CI, 2.228-5.215) and paternal obesity (OR, 2.135; 95% CI, 1.257-3.627). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that socioeconomic status might not an important risk factor for obesity in Korean children. These results warrant further studies to clarify the association between SES and obesity in Korean children.
