In this transcultural comparison, we examined areas of stress, coping strategies and psychosomatic symptoms resulting from such strategies in Chinese, Korean-Chinese and Korean high school students. A total of 1,042 second-year high school students participated in this study: 213 Chinese from Yanbien, China: 368 Korean-Chinese from Yanbien, China ; and 466 Koreans from Seoul, Korea. We administered the Stress Questionnaire Form for High school Students(Won and Lee 995), the Ways of Coping-Revised(Lazarus and Folkman 1984) and the Physical Symptom Scale of Stress(Allen and Hyde 1980) to investigate areas of stress, coping strategies and psychosomatic symptoms, respectively. The findings were understood and interpreted from focus group discussions. Although there were no differences in total stress scores among the three groups, there were significant differences in areas of stress. Chinese students manifested the highest stress scores in peer relation, family problem, heterosexual problem, the future-employment, and religious problem. Koreans scored the highest in academic performance, school life, extracurricular activity, psychological-personality problem, value system, and the future-employment. The Korean-Chinese students scored the highest in extracurricular activity, family-economic problem. In terms of collectivism versus individualism, Chinese students' stress was related more toward the collective situation, whereas the Korean students faced increased stress regarding the individual situation. In coping strategies, the Chinese were characterized by active coping, Koreans by passive coping and the Korean-Chinese by a mixture of the two. Koreans had the highest scores in psychosomatic symptoms, suggesting unfavorable coping strategies. The Korean-Chinese students seemed to lie intermediate between Koreans and Chinese in all three study areas, implying their cultural pluralism.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Cross-Cultural Comparison* ; Cultural Diversity ; Ethnopsychology ; Family Relations ; Focus Groups ; Heterosexuality ; Humans ; Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence rate of dyslipidemia and the level of related factors in adolescents groups in Seoul and Yangpyong area. METHODS: Design; School based survey during May-Jun 1996 in Seoul and Yangpyong county. Subject; 2,453 boys and girls, aged 13 to 19 years; 1,137 Seoul and 1,316 Yangpyong county. Main Outcome Measures; Prevalence rates of raised serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, decreased HDL-cholesterol, obesity, and levels of energy intake and expenditure RESULTS: Energy intake and fat intake of boys were higher than those of girls and they were higher in Seoul. Energy expenditure per day of boys was bigger than that of girls too. Prevalence rate of obesity was higher in boys of Seoul(15.2%) and girls in Yangpyong county(14.0%). Serum lipid profiles(total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol) were higher among girls and all prevalence rates of dyslipidemia were higher in boys in Seoul and in girls in Yangpyong county. Especially, girls(29.1%) in Yangpyong had raised serum cholesterol level(> or =170 mg/dl). In contrast, boys in Seoul had higher level of decreased HDL-cholesterol(46.8%) compared to Yangpyong(23.6%). The relationships between serum lipid profiles and relative weights and sex are highly significant. And the relationship between triglycerides and energy intake is significant(p=0.038). But, the associations between serum lipid profiles and energy expenditure had borderline significances. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercholesterolemia rates in girls were higher. Obesity prevalence rate was highest in boys of Seoul. Relative weight and sex are significantly related to lipid profiles. Therefore, Korea is in need of preventive strategies for different obesity and gender groups.
Adolescent* ; Cholesterol ; Dyslipidemias ; Energy Intake ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Korea ; Obesity ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Triglycerides ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: Few studies have attempted to explain the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity in Korea. Especially the studies on same race with different SES at same time are good for SES influence estimation. The present study highlights the influence of SES of parents on adolescent obesity. The subjects are the same race, but live in different areas, with different SES, Seoul and Yangpung in Korea, and Yanbian in China. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Mar-Jun 1996. We carried out anthropometry, 24 hour-recall diet survey, self-reported questionnaire about sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity. For SES indicators, we used income and education of parents. RESULTS: The relationship between SES of parents, defined as educational status, and obesity in boys in Korea and China is direct, but not significant. The relationship is inverse and non-significant among Korean girls. However, for the Korean girls in severe obesity, the relationship is significant. For the Korean-Chinese girls, there is an inverse relationship between the education level and obesity but a direct relationship between the income level of parents and obesity. For the Korean adolescent, there are a direct association between the SES of parents and the nutrients factors such as energy, protein, and fat intake. The energy expenditure of adolescent has no relationship with SES of parents. CONCLUSION: Among boys, the higher the SES, the greater the risk of obese. Among girls in Korea and Korean-Chinese, on the other hand, the lower the educational status of parents, the greater the risk of obese.
Adolescent* ; Anthropometry ; China ; Continental Population Groups ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet Surveys ; Education ; Educational Status ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Obesity, Morbid ; Parents* ; Pediatric Obesity* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul* ; Social Class*