Korean J Community Nutr.  2012 Apr;17(2):226-242. 10.5720/kjcn.2012.17.2.226.

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

• Heo GJ
• Nam SY
• Lee SK
• Chung SJ
• Yoon JH

• KMID: 2267399
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2012.17.2.226

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 high-energy/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.

Keyword

high energy/low nutrient food; Korean children and adolescents; KNHANES; KYRBWS

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Child
Chronic Disease
Fast Foods
Humans
Korea
Nutrition Surveys
Obesity
Overweight
Prevalence
Risk-Taking

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