Obesity has doubled in 4 years due to Corona… Nutrient deficiencies are also on the rise.

HIRA, ‘Nutrition Deficiency and Obesity Statistics’ released… Causes of changes in food-exercise habits

The biggest increase in obesity among teenagers… 1,000 people → 4,000 people ‘surge’

Nutrient deficient patients also increased 2.2 times, and 70% were vitamin D deficient.

Obesity has doubled in 4 years due to Corona… Nutrient deficient patients also increase rapidly (CG)

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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Gyuri Park = Obesity patients have increased more than double in the past four years since 2017.

Changes in food intake and exercise habits due to the COVID-19 pandemic are believed to have had an impact.

The increase in obese patients was particularly noticeable in children and adolescents, and the number of obese teens increased 3.6 times during this period.

On the 21st, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service announced the results of the analysis of ‘2017-2021 Nutrient Deficiency and Obesity Statistics’.

According to the analysis, there were 31,170 obese patients last year, which more than doubled to 14,966 in 2017.

Among all the patients, there were 9,676 males, an increase of 3.4 times from 2017 (2,832), and 24,944 females, an increase of 1.7 times from 2017 (12,134).

Looking at the age group of obese patients last year, those in their 30s accounted for the most with 6,666 (22.1%), followed by those in their 40s (6,504), teens (4,457), and 50s (3,984).

Student Obesity (PG)
Student Obesity (PG)

[정연주 제작] illustration

The increase was greatest in the teenage years. In 2017, the number of teenage patients increased from 1,227 to 4,457 (3.6 times) last year.

The number of patients under the age of 10 also tripled from 1,014 to 3,102 during the same period.

Patients in their 30s and 40s, the largest proportion of all patients, increased by 59.8% and 80.4%, respectively, from 2017.

One of the factors contributing to the increase in obesity patients is the diet and exercise habits that have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the ‘2020 Community Health Survey’ released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 38.5% of people said that their intake of food delivery increased due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and 52.6% said that their physical activity decreased compared to before the Corona 19 epidemic.

The HIRA analyzed, “Increased intake of instant and delivery food, along with aggravated lack of exercise, might be seen as the cause of the recent increase in obese patients.”

He emphasized, “In order to prevent obesity among teenagers, which has rapidly increased, active attention and efforts from schools, parents, and students are necessary.”

Number of patients by age group in 2017 and 2021
Number of patients by age group in 2017 and 2021

Provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Resale and DB ban

On the other hand, while the number of obese patients is rapidly increasing, the number of malnourished patients has also increased significantly.

The number of undernourished patients increased 2.2 times from 149,791 in 2017 to 335,441 last year.

Last year, there were 254,383 women and 81,58 men. By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the most with 85,407 (24.0%), followed by those in their 60s (7547 people), 40s (56,215 people), and 30s (36,829 people).

The proportion of patients under the age of 10 was small, but the rate of increase was high. The number of people under the age of 10 doubled from 3,928 in 2017 to 7,822 in 2021, while the number of teenagers increased 2.8 times from 4,802 to 13,522.

Number of undernourished patients by age group in 2021
Number of undernourished patients by age group in 2021

Provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Resale and DB ban

Among all malnutrition patients last year, vitamin D deficiency patients accounted for the most at 247,77 (73.7%). Then, 36,673 patients with vitamin A deficiency accounted for 10.9% of the total.

Vitamin D is a hormone that controls the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, and when it is deficient, calcium and phosphorus cannot accumulate in the bones, which can weaken the skeleton.

Among the vitamin D deficiency patients, 193,625 women were 3.5 times the number of men (55,452).

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in men was 925, which was 2.1 times higher than that of women (444). Excessive drinking is known to be the cause of thiamine deficiency.

The HIRA recommends, “In order to prevent vitamin D deficiency, you should eat a balanced diet and get exposure to sunlight through appropriate outdoor activities.

curious@yna.co.kr

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