OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of individual growth is important in orthodontics. The aim of this study was to develop a convenient software that can evaluate current growth status and predict further growth. METHODS: Stature data of 2 to 20 year-old Koreans (4893 boys and 4987 girls) were extracted from a nationwide data. Age-sex-specific continuous functions describing percentile growth curves were constructed using natural cubic spline function (NCSF). Then, final stature prediction algorithm was developed and its validity was tested using longitudinal series of stature measurements on randomly selected 200 samples. Various accuracy measurements and analyses of errors between observed and predicted stature using NCSF growth curves were performed. RESULTS: NCSF growth curves were shown to be excellent models in describing reference percentile stature growth curve over age. The prediction accuracy compared favorably with previous prediction models, even more accurate. The current prediction models gave more accurate results in girls than boys. Although the prediction accuracy was high, the error pattern of the validation data showed that in most cases, there were a lot of residuals with the same sign, suggestive of autocorrelation among them. CONCLUSION: More sophisticated growth prediction algorithm is warranted to enhance a more appropriate goodness of model fit for individual growth.
Female ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Orthodontics ; Young Adult

After the WHO Growth Standards (WHOGS) was published in 2006, many countries in the world endorsed and adopted the new growth references as a standard measure for the growth of infants and young children. Certainly, the WHOGS has an impact on the global policy about obesity and underweight in children. Such WHOGS innovation has influenced many regional health authorities and academies, which have managed their own growth charts for a long time, in changing their strategies to develop and use regional growth charts. In Korea, along with the tradition to create a national growth chart every decade, we now face a new era of advancing with the WHOGS.
Academies and Institutes ; Child ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Obesity ; Thinness

Height and weight are important indicators to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI); measuring height and weight directly is the most exact method to get this information. However, it is ineffective in terms of cost and time on large population samples. The aim of our study was to investigate the validity of self-reported height and weight data compared to our measured data in Korean children to predict obese status. Four hundred twenty-two fifth-grade (mean age 10.5 +/- 0.5 years) children who had self-reported and measured height and weight data were final subjects for this study. Overweight/obese was defined as a BMI of or above the 85th percentile of the gender-specific BMI for age in the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts or a BMI of 25 or higher (underweight : < 5th, normal : > or = 5th to < 85th, overweight : > or = 85th to < 95th). The differences between self-reported and measured data were tested using paired t-test. Differences based on overweight/obese status were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear trends. Pearson's correlation and Cohen's kappa were tested to examine agreements between the self-reported and measured data. Although measured and self-reported height, weight and BMI were significantly different and children tended to overreport their height and underreport their weight, the correlation between the two methods of height, weight and BMI were high (r = 0.956, 0.969, 0.932, respectively; all P < 0.001), and both genders reported their overweight/non-overweight status accurately (Cohen's kappa = 0.792, P < 0.001). Although there were differences between the self-reported and our measured methods, the self-reported weight and height was valid enough to classify overweight/obesity status correctly, especially in non-overweight/obese children. Due to bigger underestimation of weight and overestimation of height in obese children, however, we need to be aware that the self-reported anthropometric data were less accurate in overweight/obese children than in non-overweight/obese children.
Body Mass Index ; Child ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Overweight

2007 Korean National Growth Charts were published by The Korean Pediatric Society and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October, 2007. These Growth Charts are composed of Growth Curves and Tables, which are based on the principles such as pooling data of the different generations and application of LMS method. In this review, several tips of application using these new charts are summarized with points of view both in clinical and research fields.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Family Characteristics ; Growth Charts ; Korea

For orthodontic treatment of growing patients and those which involve long treatment times, knowledge of growth and development are essential. Data from the general growth observation chart being used at present does not reflect the growth transition of modern times. This is because these data are out of date. The present study, therefore, aims to introduce the process of producing a growth curve and growth rate curve based on data which represents a more accurate description of the present situation. The data used were from the 5th nationwide survey, SIZE KOREA 2004 study, carried out by the Technology and Standards Policy Division, Department of Technology and Standards Planning, Ministry of Commerce. Processing and rearranging produced data with variations divided into the three quartiles and the 1st, 5th, 95th and 99th percentiles were included to produce a growth observation chart according to sex, height and weight differences. In the same way, a growth rate curve based on the geometric mean value was produced. The resulting growth charts can be used as an index for growth and development, and used for better communication between the orthodontist, patients and parents.
Commerce ; Growth and Development ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Korea ; Parents

Intake and Output (I/O) records in hospitals were often found to be incomplete and illegible. The form used to record I/O is not user-friendly — i.e., they feature miniscule boxes, ‘total’ lines that do not correspond with shift changes and lack of instructions. Complaints often received from Specialists & Doctors regarding calculation errors or no totalling of I/O. Moreover, Nursing Sisters objective rounds often saw incompleteness of I/O chart. This study aims to identify the types of mistakes in recording the existing I/O chart. The second aim is to find out whether shift totalling of I/O chart helps in reducing mistakes. We try to determine whether the identified mistakes were repeated in the new I/O Chart. This study was conducted from October till December 2010 in 9 selected wards in Sibu Hospital. Data collection was divided into 3 phases. A pre-implementation audit using a checklist was carried out. The compliance rate of completeness of documentation of I/O Chart was 63%. A one month trial of new I/O chart was being done in the selected 9 wards. Post implementation audit showed a significant improvement of compliance rate (88%). Feedback from health care workers (N=110) showed that, 89% of doctors (n=17) and 60% of nurses (n=93) in the sample prefer to use the new format as more practical and relevant to the changing shift of nurses and doctors’ ward round. It is suggested to implement the new format to increase compliance rate of documentation of I/O charting. Briefing should be given to nurses periodically and the new format should be introduced to nursing students in nursing colleges.
Documentation ; Forms and Records Control ; Nursing Records ; Charts ; Medical Errors

Although there has been a significant increase in breast-feeding (BF) rate in Korea, it is plateaued since 2008 and still low compared with that of other countries. Because BF has been related to lower obesity prevalence in many studies and the increase in childhood obesity became evident in Korea, we wondered if a relatively lower BF rate has anything to do with this increase. Therefore, we looked into the relationship between mode & duration of BF during infancy and weight status of toddlers using the data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 through 2011. Number of 2-3 year old toddlers with complete information on BF, anthropometry and normal birth weight was 674. While 87% of them were ever-breastfed, 6.2% each of them were either obese or overweight based on the Standard Growth Chart for Korean Children. Not only the obesity prevalence was different among groups of different mode of feeding, but also the mean duration of BF was significantly longer in normal weight group (9.2 mo.) compared with obese group (5.5 mo.). Accordingly, overweight and obesity prevalence of the toddlers breast-fed for 12 months or longer was significantly lower than that of the toddlers breast-fed for less than 12 months (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.87). This study revealed that both BF and duration of BF affect the childhood obesity and, BF for 12 months or longer should be encouraged more aggressively as one of the main strategies to prevent and/or decrease childhood obesity in Korea.
Anthropometry ; Birth Weight ; Child ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity* ; Overweight ; Pediatric Obesity ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with suspicious developmental delay in infants and early childhood. METHODS: Participants were 133 infants, aged from birth to 6 years old and their mothers, who were being seen at 16 Public health centers in B city. Korean Denver II was used to test infant development. chi2-test, Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression were used with SPSS 19.0 to analyze data. RESULTS: Of participant infants, 7.5% were below the 3rd percentile for the weight percentile, 8.4% is a weight curve that crosses more than 2 percentile lines on the growth charts after previous achievement, and 9.8% had suspicious developmental delay according to Korean Denver II. Further the predictive factors related to suspicious development delay in the children were decrease of weight percentile (Odds Ratio [OR]=6.69, Confidence Interval [CI])=1.22-36.45), low economic state (OR=6.26, CI=1.50-26.00), and developmental delay perceived by their mothers (OR=4.99, CI=1.24-20.06). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to build a government level system to follow management of development of infants and children from the time of birth. Especially, it is necessary to develop a program for children in low income families.
Achievement ; Aged ; Child ; Child Development ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Infant ; Logistic Models ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Public Health

BACKGROUND: Although the obesity prevalence in Korean children and adolescents has stabilized since early 2000s, it is noted that severe obesity is increasing. However, no diagnostic criteria to define severe obesity in Korean children and adolescents has not been recommended yet. METHODS: We established two kinds of diagnostic criteria of severe obesity with the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts; 1) body mass index (BMI) criteria 1: BMI≥120% of 95th percentile or 30 kg/m², whichever is lower, 2) BMI criteria 2: ≥99th percentile. We examined the prevalence of severe obesity among children and adolescents who participated in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2012 based on BMI criteria 1 and 2 as well as percentage-weight-for-height (PWH). RESULTS: We presented the age- and sex-specific BMI cut-offs of BMI criteria 1 and 2. The prevalence of severe obesity was 1.6% and 1.7% based on BMI criteria 1 and 2, respectively. The prevalence of severe obesity based on PWH was 0.8%, which was lower than the prevalences based on BMI criteria 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: Our diagnostic criteria of severe obesity can be utilized in the epidemiological surveys and researches before the recommendation of the formal diagnostic criteria.
Adolescent* ; Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Diagnosis* ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Obesity, Morbid* ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVES: In this study, perception of body image, eating attitudes and weight control were examined by the degree of obesity using Body Mass Index (BMI). METHODS: Out of 420 questionnaires distributed to the female middle school students (aged 12-16 years), 407 were returned (97% response rate) and 395 were analyzed (94% analysis rate). Female students were divided into two groups based on the BMI percentile using the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. (1) normal weight (5 th percentile < or = BMI < 85th percentile) (2) obese (85th percentile < or = BMI) by 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. Satisfaction of self-body shape, risk of disturbed eating attitudes (Eating Attitude Test : EAT-26), and weight control behaviors were examined. RESULTS: Distribution of the subjects by BMI was 74.5% of normal and 25.5% of obese. There were significant differences between self-perceived current body image and self-perceived ideal body image. The dissatisfaction of body image was higher in obese than in normal groups (p < 0.001). 51.4% of female students were unsatisfied with their body image, while 2.6% were very satisfied. Among the students unsatisfied with their body image, 150 (52.1%) were of normal weight and 48 (49.4%) were obese. EAT-26 total scores were significantly higher in the obese group (16.42 +/- 8.23) compared with normal group (13.72 +/- 8.10) (p < 0.01). Attempted to weight control were significantly different by the BMI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that there was desire to become thinner than current status in female students, even those with normal BMI. Many female students were dissatisfied with their body image and attempted to lose weight. It is harmful to their health and nutritional status if they choose undesirable methods. These findings suggested that there are needs to encourage female students for maintaining healthy weight. A higher score of EAT-26 was associated with dissatisfaction of selfbody image and this may lead to unhealthy behaviors in obese female students.
Body Image* ; Body Mass Index* ; Eating* ; Female ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul