J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2001 Jan;22(1):78-86.

Measuring the status of obesity prevalence and food habit of children in Asan city

• Yoo SM
• Yoon SJ

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.

Keyword

child; obesity; food habit; prevalence

MeSH Terms

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