ArticleBMJ open2025
Has the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity in children from North Korean refugee families improved after resettlement in South Korea? A longitudinal cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Health Resilience and Inequality in Healthcare Utilization: A Longitudinal Comparison Between North Korean Refugees and South Korean Residents.Journal of migration and health · 2026Article
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Abstract
objectivesThis study assessed changes in the prevalence of malnutrition and obesity in children from North Korean (NK) refugee families resettling in South Korea (SK).
designA longitudinal cohort study.
settingThis study, conducted between 2017 and 2023, recruited participants through snowball sampling using local Hana Centres, alternative schools, religious organisations, civic groups, and other community-based networks.
participantsOf the 441 children initially recruited, 406 participated in the baseline survey after excluding 35 with missing height or weight data. Among them, 187 (46.1%) completed a follow-up survey conducted at least 1 year later. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalences of stunting, underweight, wasting and obesity were defined according to the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart: stunting as height-for-age below the third percentile, underweight as weight-for-age below the fifth percentile, wasting as weight-for-height below the fifth percentile for ages 0-23 months or body mass index (BMI)-for-age below the fifth percentile for ages 2-18 years and obesity as BMI-for-age at or above the 95th percentile for ages 2-18 years.
resultsThe prevalence of stunting was 7.5% at baseline and 5.4% at follow-up, while those of underweight and wasting were 6.4% vs 5.4% and 11.2% vs 5.9%, respectively; however, none of these changes were statistically significant. In contrast, the prevalence of obesity increased significantly from 11.1% at baseline to 18.8% at follow-up (p=0.045).
conclusionDespite residing in SK for an extended period, children from NK refugee families continue to experience malnutrition, while the prevalence of obesity is rising significantly.
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