Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

Original Articles

[English]
Comparison of Food and Nutrient Consumption Status between Displaced North Korean Children in South Korea and South Korean Children: Soo Kyung Lee, So Young Nam; Korean J Community Nutr 2012;17(4):407-418. Published online August 31, 2012; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2012.17.4.407

Many displaced North Koreans (NK) are living in South Korea (SK); however nutrition research with the displaced NK is limited. This study examined food and nutrient consumption status of displaced NK children (6-18 year-old) currently living in SK. A total of 154 children were recruited, and a pre-tested dietary behavior questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire, 24-hr recall method were used. Sex- and age-matched SK children (n = 462) randomly selected from 2009-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used as the comparison group. This study found that more NK children skipped breakfast (37%) and dinner (11%), and ate breakfast (38.8%) and dinner (18.2%) without family members than SK children. Many NK children reported that they rarely ate bread, rice cake, hamburger, pizza, fried food, candy. NK children consumed significantly less energy and nutrients (except calcium) and obtained more energy from fat and protein than SK children. Overall index of nutrient quality in NK children, however, was generally good. Length of stay in SK and breakfast skipping rates were significantly associated with lower diet quality. Therefore, nutrition education with displaced NK children should target those who recently came to SK. How to incorporate "new" foods, generally high in energy, sugar, or fat, in healthy ways and importance of breakfast should be emphasized. The growth patterns of the displaced NK children who were born and raised in food-deprived environments and will grow in food-affluent environments of SK should be monitored for health promotion of the NK children and for nutrition policy of the future united Korea.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Changes in the Prevalence of Malnutrition and Obesity of Children from North Korean Refugee Families in South Korea: Three Repeated Surveys from 2017 to 2023
Seong-Woo Choi, So-Yeong Kim
Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics.2024; 49(3): 224. CrossRef
Changes in the Nutritional Status of Children from North Korean Refugee Families Following Resettlement in South Korea
So-Yeong Kim, Hyae-Min Gu, Seong-Woo Choi
Journal of The Korean Society of Maternal and Child Health.2023; 27(2): 102. CrossRef
Growth and Nutritional Status of Children in North Korean Refugee Families
Seong-Woo Choi
Journal of The Korean Society of Maternal and Child Health.2020; 24(2): 96. CrossRef
Double burden of malnutrition and obesity in children and adolescents from North Korean refugee families
So-Young Kim, Seong-Woo Choi, Madhavi Bhargava
PLOS ONE.2020; 15(11): e0241963. CrossRef
Changes in body weight and food security of adult North Korean refugees living in South Korea
HaYoung Jeong, Soo-Kyung Lee, Sin-Gon Kim
Nutrition Research and Practice.2017; 11(4): 307. CrossRef
Growth retardation at early life and metabolic adaptation among North Korean children
S.-K. Lee, S.-Y. Nam, D. J. Hoffman
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.2015; 6(4): 291. CrossRef
Food security experiences of displaced North Korean households
Soo-Kyung Lee, So-Young Nam
Nutrition Research and Practice.2014; 8(2): 198. CrossRef
Food security experiences of displaced North Korean households
Soo-Kyung Lee, So-Young Nam
Nutrition Research and Practice.2014; 8(2): 198. CrossRef

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[English]
Status of Early Childhood and Maternal Nutrition in South Korea and North Korea: Jae Eun Shim, Jihyun Yoon, Seong Yeon Jeong, Mina Park, Yeon Sook Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2007;12(2):123-132. Published online April 30, 2007

Abstract PDF: The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional status of children aged 5 or under and women aged 20 to 34 years between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK: North Korea). For the source of nutritional status of North Koreans, the DPRK 2004 Nutrition Assessment-Report of Survey Results was used. As the comparable data of South Koreans, the anthropometric data for children and women were obtained from the reports of the Korean Pediatric Society and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, respectively. The blood hemoglobin data of South Korean women were obtained from the data file of the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey and analyzed. In regard to the North Korea, the prevalence of underweight (weight for age Z-score <-2.0) in children under 12 months was about 10~15%, and thereafter progressively increased until 30 to 35 months reaching 30%. In South Korea, the prevalence of underweight was less than 3% in most age groups both in boys and girls. In North Korea, the prevalence of stunting (height for age Z-score <-2.0) reached 20% in children under 12 months and increased with age over the level of 50% in children aged 54 to 59 months. In South Korea, the prevalence of stunting was less than 3% in children under 12 months and was less than 10% throughout the age groups. Maternal protein-energy malnutrition and anemia were assessed for the women aged 20 to 34 years using mid-upper arm circumference (< 22.5 cm) and blood hemoglobin level (< 12 g/DL), respectively. The prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition was 39.6%, 30.7%, 31.7% in North Korea and 12.5%, 5.0%, 1.5% in South Korea for the women in 20~24, 25~29, 30~34 years, respectively. The prevalence of anemia in the North Korean women was about 34~36% while that in the South Korean women was 15~18%. In conclusion, the disparity of nutritional status in early childhood and maternity between South Korea and North Korea is so huge that active and well-planned nutrition support policy and programs for women and children in North Korea is imperative to prepare for the future unified nation.

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[English]
Dietary Living in North Korea according to the Defectors: Young Sook Park, Kee Choon Ghee, Ki Young Lee, Eun Young Rhee, Soon Hyung Yi, Dae Nyun Kim, Youn Shil Choi, Deborah Seok; Korean J Community Nutr 1999;4(1):64-73. Published online March 31, 1999

Abstract PDF: We performed a study to understand the dietary situation in North Korea and to compare the difference between the North and the South. Two hundred North Korean defectors from the North since 1990 participated in this survey. Information was collected from December, 1997 to February, 1998 by mailing pre-tested questionnaires, which had been confirmed by 10 previous interviewers. The final data from 157 defectors(107 male and 33 female with 17 unidentified gender) were analyzed. We found that (1) North Koreans are lowr in height, weight and BMI than South Koreans, (2) The North Korean diet is very simple and monotonous. It is limite to their local and unprocessed foodsand dishes, which is far from the trend of globalization and readiness. (3) On the other hand, in the North, the government control on foods diminished because food shortage leads to free market activity where housewives manage their own foodservices, and to accelate their eating-out behaviors. (4) Profound differences between the South and the North in dietary life are noticed by the defectors as English words and Korean words. Efforts to understand and learn about each other is necessay before not too late.

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[English]
A Glance at the Health Status and Food Intake of North Koreans: young sook Park, Kee Choon Rhee, Ki Young Lee, Eun Young Rhee, Soon Hyung Yi, Dea Nyun Kim, youn Shil Choi; Korean J Community Nutr 1997;2(3):396-405. Published online August 31, 1997

Abstract PDF: We performed this study to understand the health status and food intake of North Koreans. Information was collected by individual closed in-depth interviews of 11 escapers from North Korea as well as books, newspapers and North Korean movies. Interviews were done from October, 1996 to May, 1997, covering their heights and weights, their appearance and disease, food system and intake of various main/side foods, concern about health and hygiene. North Korean's height and BMI were lower than those of South Koreans. Difference of BMIs between North and South Koreans was profound in middle aged women than in other age groups. Childrem showed many malnutrition appearances of moon face, large abdomem, arrow-like legs, flaky skin, decolored hair, etc.. Main foods in North Korea were rice-shaped corn, corn flour, wheat flour and wet noodle, and side foods were kimchi and/or soups and steamed soy paste. Food supply system there seemed not to work normally for many years, so foods, especially in cities, has been extremely short in government-operating shops, but some in private market. Many housewives were eager to make and sell simple snack food products, We noticed that North korea schools didn't check students' health even though their medical policy was based on preventive medicine. Their living environmental hygiene was shown to be oyt of control.

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