J Obes Metab Syndr.
2024 Mar;33(1):27-35. 10.7570/jomes24012.
2023 Obesity Fact Sheet: Prevalence of Obesity and Abdominal Obesity in Adults, Adolescents, and Children in Korea from 2012 to 2021
- Jeong SM1,2,3
- Jung JH4
- Yang YS1,5
- Kim W6
- Cho IY7
- Lee YB8
- Park KY9
- Nam GE10
- Han K
11 - on Behalf of the Taskforce Team of the Obesity Fact Sheet of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 2Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
- 3Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Health Service Center, Seoul, Korea
- 4Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
- 5Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea
- 6Department of Family Medicine, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Korea
- 7Family Medicine & Supportive Care Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
- 8Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 9Department of Family Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 10Department of Family Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 11Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2554526
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.7570/jomes24012
Abstract
- Background
The 2023 Obesity Fact Sheet aims to present an updated overview of obesity prevalence across all age groups, including children and adolescents.
Methods
This study included individuals aged ≥20 years (n=16,941,423 in 2021) who underwent health checkups provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service between 2012 and 2021. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was standardized by age and sex using data from the 2010 population and housing census. For children and adolescents (6 to 18 years) (n= 884 in 2021), we used the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2012 to 2021), and obesity was defined by the corresponding sex- and agespecific body mass index percentile of 95th or greater based on the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart for Children and Adolescents.
Results
The overall prevalence of obesity in 2021 is 38.4% (49.2% in men and 27.8% in women), which is a 1.27-fold increase from 30.2% in 2012. The prevalence of obesity has increased across all age groups, particularly among those aged 20, 30, and 80 years. The prevalence of class III obesity substantially increased from 0.35% (men) and 0.42% (women) in 2012 to 1.21% and 0.97% in 2021, with 3.46- and 2.31-fold increases, respectively. This increase was particularly pronounced in young adults. The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents has surged from 9.7% in 2012 to 19.3% in 2021, with a greater increase among boys.
Conclusion
Our study provides information on the current status of obesity prevalence based on the 2023 Obesity Fact Sheet, emphasizing the urgency of implementing timely strategies to reverse this increasing trend.
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