• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.110-122
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• 2009

Along with the increasing interests of modem-day society toward topics of health and beauty, various studies are being actively conducted on the effects of diet for obesity prevention, and separate from aspects of disease prevention and health promotion. This study aimed to examine individual perceptions of obesity by age, and to prepare basic data for implementing an age-based weight control system, by comparing attitudes toward weight control. The research and analysis were conducted using questionnaires, provided to high school students(teenagers, 189 students), college students(20 or older, 116 students), and adults(30 or over, 88 adults) living in Daegu City. In terms of the respondents' perceptions of obesity, among those who described themselves as overweight, only about 10% were actually proven to be overweight. Also, significantly more female students than male students perceived themselves as overweight, despite the fact that they were in a normal weight range(p<0.007). There was no significant difference in the cause of obesity by gender, but it was found to be attributed to a lack of exercise for teenagers, and poor eating habits for those in their twenties and thirties. Concerning the intention to participate in a weight management class, the female teenagers showed significantly more interest than the male teenagers(p<0.017). Also, with regard to the respondents' attitudes toward weight control, the teenage females showed significantly higher interest in weight control than the teenage males p<0.003 and those in their twenties p<0.001. Moreover, regarding the period in which the respondents became most interested in weight, the teenage male students were most interested in weight during their middle school years and teenage females became most interested during their high school years. Therefore, the information from this study leads us to propose there is a need to correct the suggested reckless dieting that is occurring within an appearance-based society, as well as a need to establish a systematic weight control system, along with gathering subsequent basic data.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3271-3274
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• 2012

Purpose : This study was performed to assess whether the weight status is associated with screening rates of breast and cervical cancer in Korean women. Methods: Study participants included women aged between 30 and 80 years from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2009. Body mass index was classified into ${\sim}18.4kg/m^2$ (underweight), $18.5{\sim}22.9kg/m^2$ (normal), $23{\sim}24.9kg/m^2$ (overweight), $25.0{\sim}29.9kg/m^2$ (moderate obesity) and $30.0kg/m^2$~ (severe obesity) according to the Asia Pacific Standards of WHO recommended definition of obesity. Screening rates of breast and cervical cancer were estimated by the recommendation of the National Cancer Screening Program of the National Cancer Center, Korea. Results : The overall screening rates for breast and cervical cancer were 51.3% and 50.1%, respectively. After covariate adjustment, the screening rates for breast cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 0.97) and cervical cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.53 to 0.94) were significantly lower in the women with severe obesity. Conclusion: Obesity is associated with lower compliance with breast and cervical cancer screening guidelines in Korean women.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.126-137
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• 2005

New insights in the complex metabolic pathways and its control mechanism for energy homeostasis have refined our understanding of the pathophysiology of obesity. It is now recognized that there are several additional regulatory mechanism such as peripheral signals including leptin, ghrelin, GLP-1 and PYY and cellular signals including uncoupling proteins and ${\beta}$ Adrenergic receptors, which contribute to the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure, respectively. In addition, the function of adipocyte as an endocrine organ in energy homeostasis has been recently emphasized. Recent findings suggest that elevated levels of adipokines, such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin and TNF-${\alpha}$, in addition to increased free fatty acid level could be related to the pathophysiology of insulin resistance in obesity. For effective treatments and prevention of obesity, further studies on the circuits of neural and endocrine interactions in the regulation of energy homeostasis are needed.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2003

Animals possess a highly sophisticated mechanism of storing energy in adipose tissue inside their bodies. However, in humans it has been clarified that adipocyte (fat cell), which composes the body fat (adipose) tissues, development and the extent of subsequent fat accumulation are closely associated with the occurrence and advancement of various common diseases (e.g., type-2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and hypertension) resulting from obesity. Recent exciting progress in clinical and biochemical studies of adipocytes has rapidly clarified the functions of adipocytes and adipose tissue. Interesting findings are the function of white adipocytes as "secreting cells" and the molecular mechanism undelying adipocyte differentiation at the transcriptional level in relation to nuclear receptors. Consequently, the adipose tissue is being targeted for the prevention or treatment of many common diseases. In this review, I will focus on recent information on characteristics of adipocytes and the relationship between obesity and common obesity-related diseases. diseases.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to obesity of mid-age women and to examine the relationship between obesity and chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Methods: Using data from Korean American adults living in California, we analyzed the health behavior (diet, exercise, smoking, and binge drinking) and psychological stress of obese women with body mass index ${\geq}25$ by using chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to investigate independent effects of obesity on chronic diseases, after controlling for risk factors. Results: The prevalence of obesity appeared about 16.9%. The Obese group was less likely than the non-obese group to eat vegetables and more likely feel psychological stress. There were no significant differences in smoking, alcohol intake, and physical exercise between the two groups. Obesity was strongly related to chronic diseases (OR=4.642, 95% CI=1.328-16.222). Conclusion: This study suggests that obesity of mid-age women could be reduced by encouraging health behavior such as eating vegetables daily, performing physical exercise regularly, and taking care of emotional stress. Diet and physical activity interventions and emotional supports should be developed for weight loss and prevention of weight gain in mid-age women.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.95-103
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• 2006

Purpose: With remarkable increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increased, The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of the increase liver enzymes, lipid levels and fasting blood glucose level in normal and obese children. Methods: A total of 2206 elementary students were grouped according to obesity index; normal group and obesity group(mild, moderate, severe). Aspartate aminotransferase(AST, SGOT) and alanine aminotrausferase(ALT, SGPT) were measured with tota1 cholesterol, triglyceride and fasting blood glucose. Results: Compared with the 2.7% of ALT > 50 IU/L in normal group, obese groups showed significantly higher prevalence; 6.7% in mild obesity group, 11.8% in moderate group and 15.0% in severe group. The prevalence of hypertriglyceremia was 12,4% in normal weight group, which is significantly lower than obesity group(mild obesity group 24.8%, moderate and severe 32.1% each). Conclusion: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver increased along with severity of obesity. Of Nutritional assessment, intervention, and preferably prevention are necessary for health promotion elementary students.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2017

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify prevalence and identify factors related to sarcopenic obesity among community-dwelling elderly women. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the prospective cohort study. Our analysis included 338 elderly women (${\geq}65$ years old) in South Korea as a part of the Community-dwelling Older Adult Health Cohort (COHC) Study (2014-2015). Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the Asian Working Group of Sarcopenia recommendations and upper two quintiles for percentage body fat. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors related to sarcopenic obesity including chronic diseases, medications, stress, fatigue, depression, exercise, level of proteins on body compositions, smoking, and alcohol use. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 6.2%. A lower protein on body compositions (OR 0.017, 95% CI 0.003-0.081, p< .001), a larger number of medications (OR 2.104, 95% CI 1.404-3.152, p< .001), and a higher level of fatigue (OR 1.255, 95% CI 1.023-1.541, p= .030) were related factors of sarcopenic obesity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that nutritional interventions focusing on protein intakes should be needed to prevent sarcopenic obesity among the elderly women. Polypharmacy issue for preventing adverse outcomes and level of fatigue as indicator for early identification are also considered to develop community prevention programs.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to discuss the overall and oral health conditions that affect obesity in middle-aged women in Jeju and to help them operate the effective obesity program in the future. Methods: Participants of this study were 171 middle-aged women living in Seogwipo City, Jeju Special Self - Governing Province. Data were collected through the convenience sampling method. Body mass index and waist circumference of each participant were measured, and a self-report questionnaire was applied. Results: The overall health status of obesity comprised depression, stress, diabetes, and menopause. The oral health conditions affecting obesity were bad breath and chewing. Hypertension was the main factor affecting body mass index and depression was the main factor influencing waist circumference. Obesity was more influenced by overall health status factors than by oral health status factors. Conclusions: The results of this study are expected to be useful as basic data for efficient health care services in the prevention of obesity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.7023-7027
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• 2013

To evaluate the relationship between obesity, diet, physical activity and breast cancer in Thai women, we conducted a case control study with 1,130 cases and 1,142 controls. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and a structured questionnaire was performed by trained interviewers to collect information on demographic and anthropometric data, reproductive and medical history, residential history, physical activity and occupation as well as dietary habits. A significant positive association with an increased risk of breast cancer was observed in women body mass index (BMI) of ${\geq}25mg/m^2$ (OR=1.33, 95%CI 1.07-1.65), the risk being higher in postmenopausal women (OR=1.67, 95%CI 1.24-2.25). In addition, underweight BMI at ages 10 and 20 years showed an inverse association in all women (OR=0.70, 95%CI 0.56-0.88 and OR=0.74, 95%CI 0.59-0.93, respectively) and in those with a premenopausal status (OR=0.69, 95%CI 0.51-0.93 and OR=0.76, 95%CI 0.56-0.99, respectively). Regular exercise was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer (OR=0.78, 95%CI 0.68-0.98). Interestingly, analysis by type of activity revealed significant protective effects for women who reported the highest levels of walking for shopping (OR=0.58, 95%CI 0.38-0.88). High consumption of vegetables and fruit were associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer, while high consumption of animal fat showed an increased risk in postmenopausal women. In conclusion, our results indicate that obesity and high consumption of animal fat are associated with breast cancer risk, particularly in postmenopausal women, while recreational physical activity has protective effects. It seems that primary prevention of breast cancer should be promoted in an integrated manner. Effective strategies need to be identified to engage women in healthy lifestyles.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.33-46
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• 2008

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the obesity rate in elementary school students in Daejeon and the relevant factors such as social-demographical factors, genetic factors, birth factors, diet factors and intelligence factors. Methods: For the research, 443 fourth grade students, 405 fifth grade students and 417 sixth grade students from six elementary schools in Daejeon Metropolitan City Participated in this study and classified into three groups: normal-weight group, mild obesity group, and moderate or severe obesity group. Results: The total obesity rate of the elementary school students in the school district of Daejeon Metropolitan City was 14.2%; the rate of mild obesity was 7.2%; the rate of moderate obesity was 5.5%; and the rate of severe obesity was 1.5%. The obesity rate of surveyed boys was 16.9%, and the obesity rate of girls was 11.1%. The significant factors for girls' obesity were fathers' EMI, mothers' EMI, living standards, constant demand of foods, preference for greasy foods, frequency of eating snacks, and daily walking hours. It was found that students' subjective mind and objective health index were related to obesity. In the case of obese students, they had more concern about their health and more stress from the dissatisfaction of their physical appearance than normal students. Conclusions: From the above evidences, it is apparent that the obesity of elementary school students has strong relations with eating habits rather than physical activities. It is to be hoped that obesity prevention programs such as effective meal guidance. parental guidance for watching TV, and intense physical activities will be included in the curriculums of health education for elementary school students.