Current Nutritional Status of Korean Adolescents and Countermeasures

Jin Soo Moon

doi:10.5223/kjpgn.2010.13.Suppl1.S10

Journal List > Korean J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr > v.13(Suppl 1) > 1043487

Go to TopGo to Top Go to BottomGo to Bottom

TOOLS

Moon: Current Nutritional Status of Korean Adolescents and Countermeasures

Review Article

Korean Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition

Korean Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 2010; 13(Suppl 1): S10-S14.

Published online: 31 December 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5223/kjpgn.2010.13.Suppl1.S10

Current Nutritional Status of Korean Adolescents and Countermeasures

Jin Soo Moon, M.D.

Department of Pediatrics, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.

Corresponding author (jsmoon@paik.ac.kr)

Received 29 November 2010 Accepted 30 November 2010

Abstract

The importance of healthier nutrition and lifestyle in children and adolescents is growing more and more nowadays in the era of exponential increase of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. But the situation of the adolescent nutrition in Korea looks no so good. According to the several recent surveys in Korea, 67% increase in obesity during the past decade was striking. Prevalence of wasting in school girls was increasing, which were accompanied by high prevalence of eating disorder prone factors. Unhealthy eating behavior and selective deficiency of nutrient intake were common. Calcium and potassium were the most common deficient minerals of adolescents, whose usual dietary intake was below Korean Recommended Guidelines. To meet the upcoming challenges of nutrition in adolescence, we should prepare the new multidisciplinary policy including healthier school nutrition environment and enrollment of the health care clinics or hospitals as primary prevention providers.

Keywords: Adolescents, Nutrition, Obesity, Eating disorder, Wasting

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Recent rates of low body mass index in high school girls (below 5 percentiles according to 2007 Korean Standards) suggest increment tendency of inappropriate weight control in school girls. Analysis was based on 2007~2008 school health examination data in Korea.

Fig. 2

Percentages of children and adolescents, aged 7~12 and 13~19, whose usual dietary intake below Korean Recommended Guidelines for energy, selected vitamins and minerals were very high (data from the Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).

Table 1

Selected Data from Korea Youth Health Risk Behavior Online Survey (2007)

Table 2

Dietary Guidelines for Adolescents in Korea (2009, unofficially translated by author of this article)

References

1. Stang J, Story M. Guidelines for adolescent nutrition services. 2005. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Leadership, Education and Training in Maternal and Child Nutrition.

2. Hagan JF, Shaw JS, Duncan PM. Bright futures: guidelines for health supervision of infants, children, and adolescents. 2008. 3rd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

3. Oh K, Jang MJ, Lee NY, Moon JS, Lee CG, Yoo MH, et al. Prevalence and trends in obesity among Korean children and adolescents in 1997 and 2005. Korean J Pediatr. 2008. 51:950–955.

4. Adolescent health. WHO. Accessed 25 November, 2010. at http://www.who.int/topics/adolescent_health/en.

5. Kliegman R, Nelson WE. Nelson textbook of pediatrics. 2007. 18th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders.

6. The Third Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. 2008. Seoul: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7. Moon JS, Lee SY, Nam CM, Choi JM, Choe BK, Seo JW, et al. 2007 Korean National Growth Charts: review of developmental process and an outlook. Korean J Pediatr. 2008. 51:1–25.

8. Moon JS, Lee CG, Hwang SS, Park HW, Lee HK, Lee GO. Analysis of 2007 school health examination data and development of revisional plan for the school health screening system in Korea. 2008. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

9. Lee KO, Moon JS, Hwang SS. Analysis of 2008 school health examination data and sample design for 2009 school health survey. 2009. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

10. Food behavior associated with obesity in Korean Adolescents - Survey for the adolescent's thinking about obesity and weight control. 2010. Korea Food and Drug Administration.

11. The Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005). 2006. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

12. Gidding SS, Dennison BA, Birch LL, Daniels SR, Gillman MW, Lichtenstein AH, et al. Dietary recommendations for children and adolescents: a guide for practitioners. Pediatrics. 2006. 117:544–559.

13. Dietary guidelines for Korean. 2009. Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family.

14. Krebs-Smith SM, Reedy J, Bosire C. Healthfulness of the U.S. Food Supply Little Improvement Despite Decades of Dietary Guidance. Am J Prev Med. 2010. 38:472–477.

15. Sebastian RS, Wilkinson Enns C, Goldman JD. US adolescents and MyPyramid: associations between fast-food consumption and lower likelihood of meeting recommendations. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009. 109:226–235.

16. Scholtens S, Middelbeek L, Rutz SI, Buijs G, Bemelmans WJ. Differences in school environment, school policy and actions regarding overweight prevention between Dutch schools. A nationwide survey. BMC Public Health. 2010. 10:42.

17. Durant N, Harris SK, Doyle S, Person S, Saelens BE, Kerr J, et al. Relation of school environment and policy to adolescent physical activity. J Sch Health. 2009. 79:153–159.

18. Masse LC, Frosh MM, Chriqui JF, Yaroch AL, Agurs-Collins T, Blanck HM, et al. Development of a School Nutrition-Environment State Policy Classification System (SNESPCS). Am J Prev Med. 2007. 33:S277–S291.

19. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Report of a joint WHO/FAO expert consultation. 2003. Geneva: World Health Organization.

20. McGill HC, McMahan CA, Gidding SS. Are pediatricians responsible for prevention of adult cardiovascular disease? Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med. 2009. 6:10–11.

21. Kelder SH, Perry CL, Klepp KI, Lytle LL. Longitudinal tracking of adolescent smoking, physical activity, and food choice behaviors. Am J Public Health. 1994. 84:1121–1126.

22. Story M, Holt KA, Sofka D. National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (U.S.). Bright futures in practice: nutrition. 2002. 2nd ed. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health.

TOOLS

Similar articles