Child Obesity Study Lasts 20 Years

Kim Young-mi (not her real name, 26) was chubby in first grade at elementary school, 122cm tall, and weighed 23 kg. Today, 20 years later, Kim is big, standing at 171cm and weighing 109kg. Kim gained 20kg during the three years in high school and even more weight after giving birth.

There are research results that show that child obesity leads to adult obesity, and that chronic diseases like hypertension and coronary artery disease begin when young.

Professor Seo Il’s research team at the Department of Preventive Medicine of the College of Medicine, Yonsei University has been following the BMI (Body Mass Index), blood pressure, and cholesterol levels of a group of 257 first graders from 12 schools in the Ganghwa, Incheon area since 1986. They announced the results of its 20-year follow-up research project on April 27.

This project, dubbed “Ganghwa project’, is a study that followed a group’s health over their lifetime, much like the “Bogalusa Heart Study,” which first began in 1972 at Louisiana State University with the citizens of Bogalusa, Louisiana.

The research team divided six-year olds into four groups according to their BMI and blood pressure and analyzed each group’s average BMI.

Professor Seo explained, “Out of the 43 people with the lowest weight at the age of six, only two were overweight or obese after 20 years, but out of the heaviest group of 43 people at six years old, 14 of them are overweight or obese now.”

Also, out of the group of 43 people with the lowest blood pressure at six, only two have hypertension at 25, but of the group of 46 people with the highest blood pressure, nine have hypertension.”

Professor Seo stated, “Weight and blood pressure at a young age still affect people’s health 20 years later. The reason is because their eating habits and lifestyles do not change.”

Na-Yeon Lee larosa@donga.com