J Korean Matern Child Health .  2025 Jan;29(1):29-35. 10.21896/jkmch.2025.29.1.29.

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents From Immigrant Families Living in Korea

• Choi SW
• Kim SY
• Park KA

• KMID: 2565268
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21896/jkmch.2025.29.1.29

Abstract

Purpose
This study assessed the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity among children and adolescents from immigrant families living in Korea.
Methods
A total of 436 subjects (age: <18 years) from immigrant families were examined. The 2017 Korean National Growth Charts for Children and Adolescents were used to assess the malnutrition and obesity status of the subjects. Subjects with a height-for-age of <3rd percentile, weight-for-age of <5th percentile, body mass index (BMI)-for-age of <5th percentile, and BMI-for-age of ≥95th percentile were defined as stunted, underweight, wasted, and obese, respectively.
Results
The overall prevalence of stunted, underweight, wasted, and obese subjects was 5.5%, 9.0%, 8.8%, and 18.6%, respectively. Comparison of first- and second-generation immigrants revealed that the prevalence of malnutrition was higher in first-generation immigrants than in second-generation immigrants. Moreover, the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity in first-generation immigrants living in Korea for <5 years was not significantly different from that in first-generation immigrants living in Korea for ≥5 years. In addition, comparisons by family origin showed that children from Central Asian families had a higher prevalence of malnutrition than other children.
Conclusion
Children and adolescents from immigrant families still suffer from malnutrition after resettling in Korea. Therefore, nutritional programs should be provided to improve their malnutrition status.

Keyword

Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Refugees; Child; Nutritional status

Figure

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  Fig. 1. The prevalence of malnutrition and obesity.

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