A Study on the Physical Growth and Food Habits of Obese Children

For the purpose of ascertaining the status of physical growth and food habit of obese children, a study was made of 1086 primary school children ranging between 2nd and 3ra grades living in Kwang-ju City in Korea. 66 subjects were selected from an anthropometrical point of view and they were classified into two groups, an obese group and a control group, according to their relative body weight. Food habits of each group were observed by means of questionnaires. In the statistical analysis of the data, percentage calculation and T-score test were used. The results of the study can be summarized as follows; 1) Viewed from relative body weight, 3.0% of the 1,086 subjects turned out to be obese, and the measure of skinfold showed 2.4%. 2) Physical growth of the obese growth is superior to that of the control group in all aspects. 3) The average score of food preference by means of Hedonic scaling method by the obese group is 3.90, while that of food preference by the control group is 3.76. The most favored food by the obese group is ice cream (4.91), while that of most favored food by the control group is banana (4.75). The statistically meaningful foods of the two groups are cucumber (0.02>p>0.01), orange (pp>0.02), watermelon (p p>0.02). The excessive food intake per meal of the obese group is 45.4%, while that of the control group is 19.7% (0.05>p>0.02). Ratio of taking severely unbalanced food by the obese group is 15.1%, while that of the control group is 50.0% (p