The Relationship between High Energy/Low Nutrient Food Consumption and Obesity among Korean Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Consumption of foods with high energy and low nutrient values has been linked to various health issues including obesity and chronic diseases. This study investigated the high-energy/low-nutrient food consumption status and its relationship with obesity status and intake of energy and nutrients, using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2-18 year-olds was 8.4% and 10.8% in 2008 and 8.5% and 9.0% in 2009, respectively, in KNHANES. The prevalence of obesity among 12-18 year-olds was 13.9% in 2008 and 11.4% in 2009 in KNHANES, while it was 8.1% in 2008 and 8.2% in 2009 in KYRBWS. Consumption patterns of high-energy/low-nutrient foods were diverse depending on the particular food type. High-energy/low-nutrient foods such as cookies were most often consumed more frequently (2~3 times per week), but fast food type foods were generally consumed less frequently (once per week or less). No significant relationships between highenergy/low-nutrient food consumption and level of energy and nutrient intakes were found in either datasets. Adolescents who were not obese more frequently consumed ramen (p < 0.001), cookies (p < 0.001) and fast food (p < 0.001) than those who were obese in KYRBWS, however, such relationships were not found in KNHANES. This direction of the relationship could be probably attributed to the cross-sectional nature of the datasets. This study was limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data, therefore, further longitudinal research using various study techniques would be necessary to understand the effects of high-energy/low-nutrient foods on child obesity. (Korean J Community Nutr 17(2) : 226~242, 2012)

Analysis of consumption frequencies of vegetables and fruits in Korean adolescents based on Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey (2006, 2011)

“…The percentages of those who consumed fruits three times a day were also below 4% in both years. As this distribution was considered inadequate to analyze vegetable and fruit consumption based on three times a day, this study reclassified '1-3 times of food consumption per day' into 'Once or more a day (≥ 1/day)' as in the study of Heo et al [ 19 ]. From the 2006 survey, 'Once in 6-7 days', 'Once in 4-5 days', 'Once in 2-3 days', and 'Not consumed at all in the past week' were re-coded into 'Less than once a day (< 1/day).'…”

Analysis on the Relationship between Eating Behavior, Physical Activities and Youth Obesity: Based on the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey for High School Students in 2016~2018

“…A study by Moon and Lee [13] on youth obesity found that people consumed more soda, fruits, fast food, instant noodles, and snacks in the underweight group than in the obese group, while studies by Heo, Nam, Lee and Chung [14] also showed lower levels of consuming soda and instant noodles in the obese group than in the non-obese group. Studies on physical activity showed that the more physical activity decreased, the lower the rate of participation in school physical education classes in adolescents in obese groups [15] and the lower the rate of the obese group exercising compared to non-obese groups was, in particular, the great difference was in muscle-strengthening movements [13].…”

Diet and Physical Activity of Korean Female Adolescents in Their Peer Networks

“…Peers influence adolescents’ diet and PA behaviors in other countries, and could be important targets for modifying diet and PA to prevent or reduce adolescent obesity in Korea. However, the effects of peers on Korean adolescents’ diet and PA behaviors have not been studied (Heo, Nam, Lee, & Chung, ; Song et al., ), and studies in Western countries may not be relevant. Studies examining associations between Korean adolescents’ diets and PA and those of their peers could support culturally appropriate interventions.…”