• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.69-77
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to determine the probability of overweight throughout childhood in relation to the presence of overweight at birch or in early childhood, and presence of overweight in children's parents. Weight and height measures were collected at birth and at ages of 7, 10, 12 years from 655 6th grade primary schoolchildren. Childhood overweight was defined as a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile for age and sex, and overweight in children's parents as a body mass index at or above 27. The prevalence of overweight increased with age of the children. Overweight at birth was not associated with overweight at 12 years of ages. However, overweight at 12 years old was already related to overweight at 7 years old. In comparison to non-overweight peers, overweight children at ages 7(OR = 7.64, 95% CI = 4.32-13.51) and 10 years(OR = 19.69, 95% CI = 11.42-33.94) had a higher rick of becoming overweight at 12 years of age. Among children who was overweight at age 7years, 60.7% remained overweight 5 years later, Yearly increment in BMI of overweight children was larger than that of non-obese children (1.15-1.65kg/m$^2$vs 0.50-0.71kg/m$^2$. As compared with the lower case in mealy increment of BMI, the probability of being overweight at age of 12 years was greater in higher case. BMI values at age 7years were positively correlated with BMI values at age of 10 and 127ear,i, and with annual increments in BMI. But those relationships with birth weight were not observed. Children were at greater risk for overweight if at least ogle parent was overweight. The odds ratio for child overweight associated with maternal overweight was 2.41(95% CI = 1,13-5.IS), and those associated with paternal overweight 1.70(95% CI = 0.92-3.17). And parents' BMIs were positively correlated with children's BMI values and yearly BMI increment. In conclusion, overweight at early childhood and annual inclement in BMI can be important in predicting the prevalence of overweight and the risk that overweight will remain after 7 years of age. The risk of being overweight throughout the childhood increases by the parents'overweight.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.280-289
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated weight status in survivors of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and identified related factors. Methods: A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of survivors of childhood ALL (n=230) was conducted. We analyzed the survivors' characteristics, including sex, age, weight status at diagnosis, central nervous system involvement, risk classification, length of treatment, radiation therapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Analysis of variance and the chi-squared test were applied to investigate influencing factors. Results: The weight status distribution was as follows: 23 individuals (10.0%) were classified as underweight, 151 individuals (65.7%) were healthy weight, and 56 individuals (24.3%) were overweight/obese. Age at diagnosis (F=10.03, p<.001), weight status at diagnosis (x²=43.41, p<.001), and risk classification (F=10.98, p=0.027) showed significant differences among the weight status groups. Survivors who were older at diagnosis and those in the very high-risk category had a higher likelihood of experiencing underweight status during their survivorship, while survivors who were overweight/obese at diagnosis were more likely to remain overweight/obese at the time of survival. Conclusion: Considering the potential health implications related to an unhealthy weight status in survivors of ALL, it is imperative to undertake early identification and implement interventions for at-risk individuals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.173-182
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• 2013

Obesity during childhood is a dominant risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and is itself considered a disease that needs to be treated. Recently, the growth in childhood obesity in Korea has become stagnant; however, two in every ten children are still overweight. In addition, 60% or more of overweight children have at least one metabolic syndrome risk factor. Thus, childhood obesity should be controlled through lifestyle modification. This paper reviews studies of the modifiable risk factors of obesity in Korean children. According to the life-course approach, preschool-aged children (<5 years) are influenced by their parents rather than individual habits because they are under mostly parental care. Elementary school-aged children (6 to 11 years) are affected by overlapping individual and parental effects. This may mean that the establishment of individual behavior patterns begins during this period. The conditions of poor eating habits such as skipping meals, eating out, and high fat intake, along with low physical activity, facilitate increased obesity among adolescents (12 to 18 years). Notably, adolescent girls show high rates of both underweight and obesity, which may lead to the development of NCDs in their offspring. Therefore, the problem of NCDs is no longer limited to adults, but is also prevalent among children. In addition, early intervention offers cost-effective opportunities for preventing NCDs. Thus, children need primary consideration, adequate monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment to reduce the burden of NCDs later in adulthood.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.717-734
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify preschool children's eating behaviors associated with early childhood obesity and its multi-level, socio-ecological determinants. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of 364 mothers of preschool children aged 3-5 years, these children's healthy eating behaviors were assessed using a validated preschool nutrition quotient (NQ-P) questionnaire. The children's overweight or obesity statuses were determined based on body mass index percentiles from the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart. The associations between the NQ-P score and risk of overweight or obesity were examined using multivariable logistic regression. The associations of individual, maternal, physical, and media environmental factors with the NQ-P score were also examined using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: Preschool children with greater NQ-P scores were at a significantly lower risk of overweight or obesity (P < 0.01). The NQ-P score had a significantly positive association with maternal body mass index and an inverse association with household income (all P < 0.05). Maternal parenting and feeding practices exhibited associations with the NQ-P score. Positive associations were observed with "warm," "structured," and "autonomy-supportive" parenting as well as monitoring feeding practices (all P < 0.05). In addition, the NQ-P score had a significantly positive association with the childcare center's anti-obesogenic environment, such as the provision of nutritional and physical-activity support and vicinity of the built food environment to the home, including access to good-quality food, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat foods (all P < 0.05). Regarding media environments, the NQ-P score demonstrated more significant associations with viewing and eating and/or cooking content displayed on online video platforms (all P < 0.05) than with that on television. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the significance of healthy eating behaviors in early-childhood-obesity prevention and underscore the importance of multilevel maternal, physical, and media environmental interventions that effectively guide eating behaviors in preschool children.

• 대한가정학회지
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.199-219
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and to identify the related factors of overweight among young children. The study subjects were 138 children, aged 3-5, attending child care centers in the Kyungbuk area. We assessed a wide range of collected variables including general characteristics, anthropometric data, dietary habits, stress, food preferences, and food frequencies of young children, and anthropometric data and general characteristics of their parents. The results of this study were analyzed with $\chi$$^{2}$_ or t-test using SPSS package program. The subjects were classified into two groups using the weight for length index WLI criteria: normal group(n=101) and overweight group(n=37). Forty-nine percent of mothers of overweight children did not recognize their child's current overweight status. Scores for encountering criticized-violent situation stress, hurt-pride stress and total stress were higher in the overweight group than in the normal group. The frequency of snacking and the appetite of the overweight group were increased compared to those of the normal group. The overweight group had higher preferences for salad, kimbab, boiled rice with meat, vegetables and Chinese noodles, chicken, shell, banana, soybean milk, hotdog, and potato than the normal group. The overweight group showed higher consumption frequencies of pan-fried foods, egg, laver and strawbery compared to the normal group. Therefore, our results suggest that obese young children, as well as their parents, need more nutritional counseling education about dietary habits, food preference, recognition of normal weight and strategies for actively coping with stresstopreventandtreatobesityandtomaintainhealth. .

• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.170-178
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• 2010

We conducted this study to determine the factors associated with childhood obesity. The subjects were 170 preschool children in Busan. Data were collected by using questionnaires which asked for information about socioeconomic status, parental perception of their child's weight status and dietary/physical activity behavior. BMI was calculated for each child and their classification was determined, according to their age and sex, as follows: "overweight" at or above the 85th percentile, "normal" for the 15th-85th percentile, and with a BMI below the 15th percentile the children were deemed as underweight. Classification according to BMI percentile showed that 23.5% ($18.25{\pm}1.33\;kg/m^2$) of the children were overweight, 62.9% ($15.51{\pm}0.76\;kg/m^2$) normal, and 13.5% ($13.23{\pm}2.86\;kg/m^2$) were underweight. Socioeconomic status, as represented by the parents' level of education, the occupation of the father and the household income, did not affect the results. However, mothers working outside the household was a factor that was more likely to affect the weight status (p<0.05). Among mothers whose children were overweight, 30% underestimated their children's weight status (believing them to be of normal weight when they were overweight), and 25% failed to recognize the necessity of weight control for their overweight children. While sedentary activity and total daily activity levels were not related to BMI, the level of physically active leisure activity was inversely correlated with BMI (p<0.05). Although there were no differences in total energy intake, dietary behavior was significantly related to weight status. Overweight children had poor eating tendancies: they eat faster (in less than 15 minutes), overeat, and eat late at night. Based on our findings where hereby recommended the following interventions to help limit weight problems in Korean pre-schoolers: early promotion of active leisure behavior and healthy eating habits, along with attempting to correct parental misperception of healthy weight status for children.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.413-418
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• 1992

The prevalence of childhood and adolescents obesity at ages 6 to 17 in Seoul were investigated on 1992. The number of children and adolescents comprised of 3310 boys and 3270 girls. Obesity was defined as weight that exceeded the standard weighter for heigher and sex by more than 20%(relative weight>120%) The results were as follows : 1) The overall prevalence rate of childhood and adolescent obesity was 14.45% The prevalence rate of boys was 15.83% and that of girls was 13.06% on 1992. The overall difference of prevalence rate between boys and girls in significant(p<0.001) 2) The highest peak age is 11 years old. There were two peaks in the prevalence rate of obesity one is from 9 to 11 years old. the other is from 15 to 17 years old. 3) The prevalence rate of overweight that exceeded the standard weight by more than 20% to 29% was 8.62% by more than 30% to 49% was 5.58% and by more than 50% was 0.25% Our study suggests than the prevalence rate of obesity among the children and adolescent in Seoul, Korea is gradually increasing which will affect the future adult population. We feel it is needed further investigation to determine the causes of increasing rate of obesity and early establishment of preventive programs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.338-347
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• 2023

Objectives: Young children's feeding characteristics can play an important role in eating habits and health during later childhood. This study was conducted to examine the associations of feeding characteristics with dietary patterns and obesity in children. Methods: This study utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2013 and 2017. In total, 802 toddlers were included, with information on their demographic characteristics, feeding practices and duration, and 24-hour recall obtained from their parents. Feeding characteristics were categorized into feeding type, duration of total breastfeeding, duration of total formula feeding, duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and age when starting formula feeding. Dietary patterns were identified based on factor loadings for the food groups for 3 major factors, with "vegetables & traditional," "fish & carbohydrates," and "sweet & fat" patterns. Overweight/obesity was defined as ≥85th percentile in body mass index based on the 2017 Korean National Growth charts for children and adolescents. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine associations between feeding characteristics and dietary patterns. The association between dietary patterns and obesity was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The early introduction of formula feeding was inversely associated with the "vegetables & traditional" pattern (β=-0.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.34 to -0.02). A higher "vegetables & traditional" intake was associated with a lower risk of obesity (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.95). Conclusions: Feeding characteristics are associated with dietary patterns in later childhood, and dietary patterns were shown to have a potential protective association against obesity.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제44권5호
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• pp.226-233
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• 2011

Objectives: Being overweight or obese is central to metabolic syndrome, and these characteristics constitute dominant risk factors for chronic diseases. Although behavioral factors, including eating habits and sedentary lifestyles, are considered to be determinants of obesity, the specific childhood factors that contribute to this condition have not been clearly defined. Methods: The subjects consisted of 261 children aged 7- 9 years who were recruited from an elementary school during October 2003. Information was obtained from their parents using a questionnaire focused on eating behaviors and lifestyle factors, additional data were also collected via anthropometric measurements and biochemical examinations, including blood tests. Results: A total of 48 (18.4%) of the 261 children were overweight, and 34 (70.8%) had at least one other component of metabolic syndrome. Eating behaviors emerged as significant lifestyle-related risk factors for being overweight or obese. Those who engaged in overeating more than twice per week had three times the risk of being overweight (odds ratio [OR], 3.10, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39 to 6.92), and those who ate rapidly had three times the risk of being overweight (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.68 to 6.41). Those who had fewer family meals (fewer than 2?3/month) had a nine times higher risk of being overweight than those who had family meals more frequently (at least 1/day) (OR, 9.51; 95% CI, 1.21 to 74.82). Conclusions: This study showed that being overweight or obese during preadolescence is associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and is related to unhealthy eating behaviors. Thus, weight-control strategies and healthy eating behaviors should be developed early in life to reduce the risk for metabolic syndrome.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제18권6호
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• pp.644-651
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• 2013

Although there has been a significant increase in breast-feeding (BF) rate in Korea, it is plateaued since 2008 and still low compared with that of other countries. Because BF has been related to lower obesity prevalence in many studies and the increase in childhood obesity became evident in Korea, we wondered if a relatively lower BF rate has anything to do with this increase. Therefore, we looked into the relationship between mode & duration of BF during infancy and weight status of toddlers using the data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 through 2011. Number of 2-3 year old toddlers with complete information on BF, anthropometry and normal birth weight was 674. While 87% of them were ever-breastfed, 6.2% each of them were either obese or overweight based on the Standard Growth Chart for Korean Children. Not only the obesity prevalence was different among groups of different mode of feeding, but also the mean duration of BF was significantly longer in normal weight group (9.2 mo.) compared with obese group (5.5 mo.). Accordingly, overweight and obesity prevalence of the toddlers breast-fed for 12 months or longer was significantly lower than that of the toddlers breast-fed for less than 12 months (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.87). This study revealed that both BF and duration of BF affect the childhood obesity and, BF for 12 months or longer should be encouraged more aggressively as one of the main strategies to prevent and/or decrease childhood obesity in Korea.