Childhood Obesity of Elementary School Students in Kangnung and Seoul Areas -Effects of Area and Parental Socio.Economic Status-

강릉과 서울의 일부 초등학교 고학년 아동의 비만 발생에 관한 연구 -지역 및 부모의 사회.경제적 수준이 미치는 영향-

This study was designed to compare the prevalence rate of obesity, food attitude, food frequency and food habits between children in Kangnung and Seoul areas. 1,005 children aged 9-12 were included in this study. They were composed of 343 children living in Kangnung from one elementary school, and 662 children in Seoul from two elementary schools. The body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences of children were measured and food frequency scores of Korean and Western foods were examined by questionnaire. And questionnaires about food attitude, food habits and life style were administered to the mother of each child. There was no significant difference in body weight and obesity index among three groups(one school of Kangnung area and two schools of Seoul area). The male children\`s prevalence rates of obesity in Kangnung and two schools(A, B) of Seoul were 10.3%, 10.3% and 7.3%, respectively. Female children\`s prevalence rate were 5.4%, 4.7%, and 6.3%, respectively. Children in Seoul turned out to more frequently eat such Korean foods like pulkogi, kalbi and fried rice and such western foods like butter, margarine, hamburger, pizza, and fried chicken. Children in Seoul had more tendency to eat regularly and spent less time in sleeping and watching TV and more time in exercise than the respondents in Kangnung. The obesity index of parents had a significantly positive correlation with that of children. These results suggest that children in Seoul have tendency to eat high-energy food frequently and to have more energy expenditure than children in Kangnung. In conclusion, further studies on the evaluation of energy intake and energy expenditure of obese and normal children different in area should be conducted. (Korean J Nutrition 34(1) : 198∼212, 2001)