Differences in psychosocial and behavioral characteristics between normal weight and overweight/obese children

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare psychosocial and behavioral characteristics between normal weight and overweight/obese children in South Korea. Methods: A non-experimental, cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 398 elementary school children were recruited from four elementary schools. The instruments included questions on sleep duration, stress perception, perceived health, eating habits, stages of change, exercise self-efficacy, pros and cons of exercise, and screen time (time spent on viewing TV/video, using computers, and playing video games). Questions on parental characteristics such as education levels, and mother's employment status were also included. The body mass index (BMI= kg/m2) was calculated based on the data of self-reported height and weight. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the students was 10.08 (SD=0.52) years, girls constituted 51.4%, and over 17 % of children were overweight or obese (≥ 85% BMI-for-age). Normal weight children showed better eating habits compared to overweight/obese children (p<.05). There were significant differences in the screen time and stage of change in exercise behavior between the two groups (p<.05). Perceived health (OR=0.413, 95% CI=0.246 ¨C 0.694), pros of exercise (OR=2.366, 95% CI=1.318 ¨C 4.246), and the education level of fathers (≥12 years; OR=3.124, 95%, CI=1.000 ¨C 9.758) were significantly associated with the children's BMI category as overweight or obese. Conclusions: School nurses need to help children obtain skills needed for adopting healthier behaviors through school health education and health promotion programs.