Prevalence of obesity in Korea

Abstract

During the past decade, obesity has substantially increased in Korea, and this is leading to dramatic increases in complications such as type 2 diabetes. In this review, we discuss the past and the current situation of obesity in Korea based on the national health and nutrition surveys of 1995, 1998, and 2001. Because Korea is geographically isolated with relatively few migrants and has a low level of genetic heterogeneity, this report demonstrates the impact of environmental factors on the development of obesity beyond epidemiological information about one of the Asian countries. The third national health and nutrition survey reported in 2001 announced that the overall prevalence of obesity [body mass index (BMI) > or = 25.0 kg m(-2)] in Korean adults is 30.6% (32.4% in men and 29.4% in women). The prevalence of obesity in adults and children has increased rapidly from 1990s through the beginning of the new millennium and is steadily increasing in parallel with our rapid socio-economic progress. In particular, special attention should be paid to two groups in hormonal transition: first, middle-aged men and women who experience a great increase in body weight, BMI and waist circumference because of andropause or menopause, and second, adolescents in middle to high school who are preparing for qualification or entrance examinations and are prone to overnutrition or nutritional imbalance and physical inactivity.

The Effect of Wearing Shoes Generating Micro-currents on Body Composition and Blood Lipid Concentrations of Overweight Females

“…However, in the present were found no significant differences in body fat mass in either the experimental or control group, probably indicating that exercise for at least 8 weeks, rather than 4 weeks, is essential for the decrease of body fat mass. This would corroborate the study by Kim et al 2) , who reported that decreases in body fat mass appeared after exercising for at least 8 to 16 weeks.…”

“…In many studies, obesity is identified as the worst chronic and progressive disease. Not only in Western society but also in South Korea, the number of obese men and women has rapidly increased at the rate of 1.3% per year from 1998 to 2001 2) . Obesity is becoming a dangerous problem that increases health risk factors.…”

A report on the diagnosis of intermediate hyperglycemia in Korea: A pooled analysis of four community-based cohort studies

“…The clinical characteristics of individuals with type 2 diabetes in Korea have different features compared with those in Western countries [14][15][16]. With rapid socioeconomic progress, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has markedly increased in Korea and is now similar to that in Western countries [17,18]. Of the community-based epidemiological studies reporting the prevalence of diabetes and its risk factors in Korea, the Committee of the Korean Diabetes Association on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus selected four recent studies (1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000) with complete datasets of OGTT results: the Yonchon study [19,20], the Chongup study [21], the Mokdong study [22], and the Ansan study [8].…”

Hospital admissions associated with body mass index in Canadian adults

“…[5][6][7] There is an increasing body of evidence for obesity epidemic from many other countries and regions as well, including Europe, 8 Latin America, 9 Australia 10 and Asian countries. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Obesity has already become a global health problem. Obesity and overweight contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality and account for a significant percentage of overall health-care costs.…”