Studies have shown that the obesity rate of children and teenagers in South Korea is consistently on the rise, and a new report indicates it is the highest in East Asia.
In 2022, 43 percent of males and 24.6 percent of females aged 5-19 in the country were found to be obese, according to a 2024 report by a joint research team comprising the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, SoonChunHyang University Bucheon Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital and Korea University College of Health Science. South Korea marked the highest obesity rate in that age group among all nations in East Asia, followed by Taiwan (31 percent of boys and 20.5 percent of girls), China (24.9 percent of boys and 19.9 percent of girls) and Japan (19 percent of boys and 13.6 percent of girls).
Compared to 2010, the boys' obesity rate rose by 6.8 percentage points while girls' obesity rate increased by 3.1 percentage points. "The substantial increase in obesity rates, particularly among Korean boys, is worrisome. ... There needs to be a multiangle solution (for this issue) such as promoting healthy eating habits, increasing physical activities and implementing effective public health policies," the researchers noted in the study.
A 2023 report by the Ministry of Education found that 29.6 percent of the country's elementary, middle and high school students were obese, up from 23.9 percent in 2017. It showed that 34.4 percent of the students in rural areas were obese, compared to 28.7 percent among those living in urban areas.
South Korea applies a stricter definition of obesity than some other countries and international organizations. It defines a body mass index of 25 as obese, the cutoff used by the WHO for the Asia-Pacific region, whereas more generalized international standards define obesity as a BMI of 30 or above. Domestic researchers, including those mentioned above, used the lower cutoff point to calculate the obesity rate figures.
The World Obesity Federation, using the BMI 30 definition, ranks South Korea No. 38 in the world for boys' obesity with a rate of 19.89 percent, and No. 99 for girls' obesity with 8.07 percent, as of 2022. According to the 2022 figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, South Korea's adult obesity rate stands at 5.9 percent, ranking No. 31 of 32 OECD members, just above Japan.
Both local and international data consistently point to a growing obesity problem among South Korean children.
A 2023 report by the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity showed that the obesity rate for those aged 6-18 has increased among all age groups from 2012 to 2021, with the obesity rate for children aged 10-12 increasing by 2.5 times and the rate of the 16-18 group doubling in that period.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
