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 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

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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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