Affiliation:
1. Department of Pediatrics Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital Changwon South Korea
2. Department of Pediatrics, Nowon Eulji Medical Center Eulji University Seoul South Korea
3. Department of Pediatrics Kyung Hee University Medical Center Seoul South Korea
4. Department of Pediatrics, Korea Cancer Center Hospital Seoul South Korea
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundThe age‐adjusted prevalence of child and adolescent obesity has been stabilized in the Korean population, although severe obesity has increased with adverse health effects. In this study, we detailed the prevalence of and trends in overweight, obesity, and severe obesity in Korean children and adolescents by age group and sex from a nationally representative sample, using a new, 2017 age‐ and sex‐specific reference for body mass index.MethodsWe collected Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from the years 2007–2020. A total of 23,595 subjects (11,210 females) aged 2–18 years were included in this study. We calculated the recent prevalence of overweight and obesity, including severe obesity, by weighted data from 2019 and 2020.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight and obesity (class II and class III obesity) was 23.5% and 14.2% (2.5% and 0.5%), respectively. Males showed a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. Adolescents aged 13–15 years showed the highest prevalence of severe obesity. A positive linear trend was significant for overweight (p = 0.025), class I obesity (p < 0.001), and class II obesity (p = 0.002) for both sexes and all ages combined. However, the trend of obesity prevalence was different in each subgroup. Comparing pre‐ and post‐ COVID‐19 pandemic, obesity prevalence seemed to increase, but not significantly.ConclusionsDespite previous reports that obesity in children and adolescents has remained stable, we found that the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity has increased in Korean children and adolescents. The effects of COVID‐19 on this trend require further evaluation.
Subject
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health