Relationship between obesity in Korean adolescents and the frequency of alcohol consumption, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the frequency of severe alcohol intoxication.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the frequency of alcohol consumption, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the frequency of severe alcohol intoxication are related with obesity in Korean adolescents. In 2009, 72,399 students from the 7th to 12th grades participated in the 5th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS-V) project. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess whether body mass index (BMI) was associated with the frequency of alcohol consumption, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the frequency of severe alcohol intoxication, after controlling for covariate variables such as age, parent's education level, household economic status, frequency of vigorous and moderate physical activities, and frequency of muscular strength exercises during the week, sedentary lifestyle during the week, mental stress, and sleep duration. No relationship was observed between the frequency of alcohol consumption and body weight in adolescents. However, for boys, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) between becoming overweight and the amount of alcohol consumed was 0.678 (range, 0.534-0.862; p = 0.002) for 2 to <3 bottles of beer and 0.810 (range, 0.674-0.973; p = 0.025) for 3 to <4 bottles of beer. The odds ratio (95% CI) between becoming obese and the amount of alcohol consumed was 0.794 (range, 0.653-0.964; p = 0.020) for 3 to <4 bottles of beer and that between becoming obese and the frequency of severe alcohol intoxication was 0.758 (range, 0.598-0.959; p = 0.021) when alcohol was consumed 1-2 times per month. For girls, the odds ratio (95% CI) between becoming overweight and the amount of alcohol consumed was 0.752 (range, 0.579-0.978; p = 0.033) for 3 to <4 bottles of beer and that between becoming obese and the amount of alcohol consumed was 1.753 (range, 1.033-2.972; p = 0.037) for ≥4 bottles of beer. We conclude that there is no relationship between the frequency of alcohol consumption and becoming overweight or obese. Although weight gain and obesity in boys and girls due to moderate consumption of alcohol are less prevalent, high alcohol consumption can increase weight gain in girls.:

Prevalence of obesity in adolescents with history of pregnancy and associated factors in Korea.

BACKGROUND: The pregnancy was a risk factor for excessive weight gain for women. However, there is no information about the prevalence of obesity and its relationship with a history of pregnancy in girls. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the prevalence of obesity in adolescent females with a history of pregnancy and factors associated with it, in Korea. METHODS: In 2009, 69 of 34,247 female students revealed that they had experienced pregnancy in response to the 5(th) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS-V) project by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDCP). The body mass index (BMI) and experienced pregnancy categories of the KYRBWS-V were assessed, and, for data analysis, the independent t-test, chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression were used. RESULTS: The risk of pregnancy was increased by approximately 47% per unit increase in age, and 331% per unit increase in depression, respectively. Conversely, the risk decreased by 19% per unit increase in BMI and 33% per unit increase (ranged from 1: very rich to 5: very poor) in the family economic state. CONCLUSION: Obesity in adolescent females is minimally affected by a history of pregnancy, if at all, despite the fact that pregnancy was a risk factor for excessive weight gain in women. However, adolescent females with a history of pregnancy have higher levels of depression than do normal peers in Korea.

Association between Times Spent on the Internet and Weight Status in Korean Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates whether the amount of time that Korean adolescents spend on the Internet per day is related to their weight status. METHODS: For this purpose, we analyzed data from the 2009 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey-V (KYRBWSV), in which 72,399 students from the 7(th) to the 12(th) grade participated. We assessed the relationship between the amount of time spent on the Internet per day and body mass index (BMI) by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: For boys, the odds ratio (OR; confidence interval (CI): 95%) between becoming overweight and the amount of time spent on the Internet per day was 1.225 (1.042-1.441; P=0.014) for >4 hour. The ORs (CI: 95%) between becoming obese and time spent on the Internet per day were 1.238 (1.096-1.399; P=0.001) for >2-≤3 hours, 1.208 (1.021-1.428; P=0.027) for >3-≤4 hours, and 1.303 (1.109-1.532; P=0.001) for >4 hours. For girls, the ORs (CI: 95%) between becoming overweight and time spent on the Internet per day were 1.265 (1.089-1.469; P=0.002) for >2-≤3 hours and 1.338 (1.080- 1.659; P=0.008) for >3-≤4 hours. The ORs (CI: 95%) between becoming obese and amount of time spent on the Internet per day were 1.239 (1.014-1.513; P=0.036) for >2-≤3 hours and 1.541 (1.182-2.010; P=0.001) for >3-≤4 hours. CONCLUSION: Korean adolescents who spend more time on the Internet are predisposed to weight-related problems, regardless of age, time spent in physical exercise, mental stress, sleep duration, etc.

Prevalence of obesity in korean adolescents and its relationship with the weekly frequency of the physical education classes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the prevalence of obesity among Korean adolescents and to determine the relationship of obesity prevalence with weekly frequency of physical education (PE) classes. In 2009, 72,399 students from grades 7 to 12 participated in the fifth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS-V) project. Body mass index (BMI) and the frequency of PE classes attended were assessed by the KYRBWS- V. BMI was computed to classify the participants as underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese. The association between the frequency of PE classes and BMI were examined using one-way ANOVA and logistic regression analysis. The differences in the weekly frequency of PE classes and the BMI values among both the boys and girls were significant (p < 0.001). A post-hoc test showed that underweight boys and girls attended the PE classes more frequently (p < 0.001), and overweight girls attended these classes less frequently (p < 0.01) than the other groups did; moreover, obese boys and girls, compared to boys and girls in the other groups, attended less number of PE classes per week while at school (p < 0.05). Besides, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval, CI) for normal-weight vs. underweight boys attending 1 PE class, 2 PE classes, and ≥ 3 PE classes per week were 1.168 (1.011-1.349, p = 0.035), 1.621 (1.450-1.812, p < 0.001), and 3.023 (2.704-3.381, p < 0.001), respectively, compared with those for boys who did not attend PE classes. The OR (95% CI) of normal-weight vs. obese boys attending ≥ 3 PE classes attended across normal vs. obese boys was 0.862 (0.762-0.974, p = 0.017), compared with those of boys who did not attend PE classes. The OR (95% CI) for normal-weight vs. underweight girls who attended 2 PE classes and ≥ 3 PE classes per week were 1.235 (1.131-1.349, p < 0.001) and 2.238 (2.048-2.446, p < 0.001), respectively, compared with those of girls who did not attend PE classes. The OR (95% CI) of for normal-weight vs. overweight girls who attended ≥ 3 PE classes per week were 0.886 (0.787- 0.997, p = 0.045) and 0.772 (0.679-0.878, p < 0.001), respectively, compared with those of girls who did not attend PE classes. The OR (95% CI) for normal-weight vs. obese girls who attended 2 PE classes and ≥ 3 PE classes per week were 0.788 (0.675-0.919, p = 0.002) and 0.709 (0.599-0.838, p < 0.001), respectively, compared with those of girls who did not attend the PE class. Increase in the frequency of PE classes should be considered in any attempt for curbing weight-related problems in Korean adolescents. Key pointsIncrease in the frequency of PE classes is a factor that should be considered to improve weight status.