The purpose of this study was to investigate the weight-control behavior of obese children, to understand parents' supervision and to explore related factors that influenced the weight-control behavior. A structured questionnaire was employed in this study. A random sample of 287 children and their parents was recruited from six elementary schools in Shihlin and Peitou districts of Taipei City. Criteria employed for recruitment of subjects were: third and fourth grade in elementary schools, and weight-for-length index ³ 1.2. Results: Fifty-six percent of the obese children were mildly obese and eleven percent were severely obese. Ninety-seven percent of the subjects adopted weight-control behavior, the most frequent one being avoiding fried food. The exercise frequency and time duration consistency were generally insufficient. Twenty-seven percent of the obese children were not in the habit of exercising. Factors that influenced the execution of weight-control behavior by the obese children included obesity level, mother's education, family structure, socioeconomic status of the family, parents' perception of their children's weight, parents' concern, and supervision. Our study found that severely obese children attempted to lose weight with inappropriate methods. Children staying in foster families or with grandparents, or from families of low socioeconomic status, had poorer weight-control behavior. Children whose parents were more concerned about their weight problem tended to have better weight-control behavior. Therefore, it is important to assist the parents of obese children to confront the issue of obesity and help the children solve their weight problem. It is also important to help foster families with low income to make the most of social resources to reinforce the family function.

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The purpose of this study was to understand and explore determinants of prenatal examination utilization by pregnant immigrant women in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study surveyed 101 pregnant Vietnamese women living in northern Taiwan. Data collection employed face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Main findings included that participants were relatively young (M +/- SD = 23.3 +/- 3.15 years old) and that length of residency in Taiwan averaged just over 1 year (M +/- SD = 13.3 +/- 9.48 months). Results also indicated the prenatal examination rate for this target group to be relatively high. First prenatal examinations were conducted, on average, 10.8 weeks into pregnancy (SD = 4.37 weeks). Most participants (83.2%) received prenatal examinations in accordance with the recommended schedule. Regional hospitals (35.6%) and local obstetrics clinics (35.6%) were the most frequently chosen locations for prenatal examinations followed by medical centers (15.8%) and district hospitals (12.9%). Participant spouses and/or mother-in-laws heavily influenced the decision regarding where to conduct prenatal examinations. The average general language ability score was 9.5 (SD = 2.05, range = 4-16), indicating a low to moderate average language ability. However, only 9.9% (n = 10) of participants utilized translation services offered by the hospital. In terms of factors influencing utilization of the prenatal examination service, this study identified significantly positive relationships between utilization and the variables life adaptation and perceived importance of the examination. In contrast, results showed loneliness to be negatively related to prenatal examination utilization. On the basis of these results, we suggest that more accessible information on the prenatal examination service needs to be provided to improve adaptation by immigrant women to life in Taiwan and that psychiatric support be offered to help reduce the feelings of depression felt by these women. The importance of prenatal examination to enable women to acquire more appropriate and comprehensive prenatal care and to improve prenatal care quality should be emphasized.