Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify trends in intervention studies on childhood obesity in Korea.
Methods
From 1996, when the first research paper on childhood obesity intervention was published, to 2015, 192 published papers were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results
The number of studies increased sharply between 1996 and 2007, but declined slightly from then. The majority of studies involved only children as intervention participants. Most were elementary students, and overweight and obese children. Exercise therapy was the most common type of intervention. Parental participation was found in 35 studies, while teacher’s participation was found in only one study. In many studies physiological indicators were used as measurement variables, but follow-up was done in only 10 studies. Finally, only a few studies applied a conceptual framework, while a quasi-experimental research design was used for most studies.
Conclusion
Examination of trends in intervention studies on childhood obesity in Korea, shows there has been a quantitative increase but not enough improvement in terms of the quality of interventions. Findings in the present study suggest that it is necessary to seek diversity in terms of study participants, interventions and evaluation method along with quality improvement in research methodology.

Citations

• Association between dietary fat and fatty acid intake and overweight and obesity among Korean children and adolescents
  Sumin Kim, Kyungho Ha
  Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.2026; : 104666.     CrossRef
• What Are the Challenges of School Nurses in South Korea in Managing Obese Children From Low-Income Households?
  Jeonghyun Cho, Jiyoung Park, Chongwon Park, Jinah Lee, Jina Oh, Gahui Hwang
  The Journal of School Nursing.2023; 39(6): 506.     CrossRef
• Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training Intervention on Physical Fitness and Body Mass Index of Overweight Primary Schoolchildren
  Aleksander OSİPOV, Irina ORLOVA, Tatyana RATMANSKAYA, Tatıana LEPİLİNA
  Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences.2023; 14(1): 63.     CrossRef
• Additive Effects of Exercise or Nutrition Intervention in a 24-Month Multidisciplinary Treatment with a Booster Intervention for Children and Adolescents with Overweight or Obesity: The ICAAN Study
  Sarah Woo, Young-Su Ju, Young-Gyun Seo, Yoon-Myung Kim, Hyunjung Lim, Kyung-Hee Park
  Nutrients.2022; 14(2): 387.     CrossRef
• Effects of a 12-Week Diet versus Diet plus Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Program on Acylated and Desacylated Ghrelin, and Ghrelin O-Acyltransferase in Adolescent Girls with Obesity
  Hyun Jun Kim, Young Jin Tak, Sang Yeoup Lee, Jeong Pyo Seo
  International Journal of Environmental Research an.2022; 19(3): 1480.     CrossRef
• The Let’s Eat Healthy and Move at School program for adolescents in South Korea: Program design, implementation, and evaluation plan using intervention mapping
  Jiyoung Park, Gill A. Ten Hoor, Seolhyang Baek, Sochung Chung, Yang-Hyun Kim, Gahui Hwang
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(3): 225.     CrossRef
• Effectiveness of a combined obesity prevention program in South Korea for children from low-income families that included primary caregiver participation
  Namhee Park, Mihae Im
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(3): 211.     CrossRef
• Service Providers’ Perspectives on Barriers of Healthy Eating to Prevent Obesity among Low-income Children Attending Community Childcare Centers in South Korea: A Qualitative Study
  Jiyoung Park, G. A. Ten Hoor, Jeonghyun Cho, Soobin Kim
  Ecology of Food and Nutrition.2020; 59(3): 311.     CrossRef
• Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Obesity: Recommendations from the Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition
  Dae Yong Yi, Soon Chul Kim, Ji Hyuk Lee, Eun Hye Lee, Jae Young Kim, Yong Joo Kim, Ki Soo Kang, Jeana Hong, Jung Ok Shim, Yoon Lee, Ben Kang, Yeoun Joo Lee, Mi Jin Kim, Jin Soo Moon, Hong Koh, JeongAe You, Young-Sook Kwak, Hyunjung Lim, Hye Ran Yang
  Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition.2019; 22(1): 1.     CrossRef
• Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric obesity: recommendations from the Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition
  Dae Yong Yi, Soon Chul Kim, Ji Hyuk Lee, Eun Hye Lee, Jae Young Kim, Yong Joo Kim, Ki Soo Kang, Jeana Hong, Jung Ok Shim, Yoon Lee, Ben Kang, Yeoun Joo Lee, Mi Jin Kim, Jin Soo Moon, Hong Koh, JeongAe You, Young-Sook Kwak, Hyunjung Lim, Hye Ran Yang
  Korean Journal of Pediatrics.2019; 62(1): 3.     CrossRef
• An Integrative Literature Review of Interventions for School-aged Overweight and Obese Children
  Juhyun Jo, Sang-Youn Jang, Dajeong Kum, Jihee Lim, Jeongeun Kim
  Perspectives in Nursing Science.2019; 16(2): 75.     CrossRef
• A Systematic Review of Forest Therapy Programs for Elementary School Students
  Min Kyung Song, Kyung-Sook Bang
  Child Health Nursing Research.2017; 23(3): 300.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to develop an emotional self-regulation program for obese children and to examine the program's effectiveness on depression, eating habits, and body mass index.
METHODS
The emotional self-regulation program was developed from theory-based strategies and a pre-post pilot study was conducted with 46 children (19: intervention, 27: control). The program included 6 weekly group sessions over 2 months. The embedded experimental model of concurrent mixed methods was used to better understand research outcomes by converging both quantitative and qualitative data. Anthropometric measurements and surveys were performed before and after the intervention. Three focus group interviews were conducted with all participants after intervention to explore their experiences.
RESULTS
The intervention group displayed decreased depression levels in the quantitative outcomes. The participants also expressed positive outcomes such as improvements in confidence, impulse management, intimacy, happiness, and losing weight.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that emotional self-regulation skills are crucial factors for obese children not only to manage their emotional problems but also to control their weight. Further research is needed with a larger sample size and randomized controlled trials.

Citations

• Effectiveness of obesity interventions among South Korean children and adolescents and importance of the type of intervention component: a meta-analysis
  Siyoung Choe, Jaesin Sa, Jean-Philippe Chaput, Deokjin Kim
  Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics.2022; 65(2): 98.     CrossRef
• Physical Activity Assessment of Preschool Children Using Accelerometer - Including Comparison of Reintegrating Counts of Different Epoch Lengths -
  Ji-Yeon Kim, Yeon-Jung Choi, Mun-Jeong Ju, Eun-Kyung Kim
  Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association.2016; 22(3): 214.     CrossRef