Measuring the status of obesity prevalence and food habit of children in Asan city.
- Author:
Sun Mi YOO
1
;
Seok Jun YOON
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
child;
obesity;
food habit;
prevalence
- MeSH:
Body Mass Index;
Child*;
Chungcheongnam-do*;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Eating;
Female;
Food Habits*;
Humans;
Ideal Body Weight;
Korea;
Life Style;
Male;
Obesity*;
Pediatric Obesity;
Prevalence*;
Self Report;
Seoul
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine
2001;22(1):78-86
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity that has been increasing in Korea is influenced by the environment and life style. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of childhood obesity in a rural city and to compare the food habit and life style of obese children with normal children. METHODS: We made 13 conventional samples of primary school and attached kindergarten located in Asan city, ChungNam, in 1999. We surveyed height, weight, food habits and the life style related to obesity with a self report questionnaire. The criteria of obese children were over 120% of ideal body weight which is defined as the 50th percentile of weight for Korean children of the same height and sex in 1998, and over 95th percentile of body mass index of Korean children in 1998. RESULTS: The subjects were 1,449 children among 2,117 respondents. The prevalence of obese children by relative weight method was 11.3%, and that of male children was 12.4% and that of female children was 10.1%. The prevalence of obese children by body mass index method was 7.1% in male and 8.1% in female. The younger in both male and female, the higher the obesity prevalence was. The food habits that showed significant difference between normal and obese children were eating rapidly and outdoor activity. Obese children had fewer bad habits than normal. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of childhood obesity in Asan city was 11.3%, and lower than that in Seoul. The gravest concern in food habits of obese children was eating rapidly.
