Trends in Obesity Prevalence Among Korean Adolescents and Analysis of Factors Related to Obesity

South Korea has undergone rapid economic growth and social environmental changes, which have affected the health behavior and posture of adolescents. This study was to examine trends in obesity prevalence among Korean adolescents, identify factors related to obesity, and investigate changes in these factors over time. To investigate trends in obesity prevalence among Korean adolescents, we used raw data from the 2nd (2006), 7th (2011), 11th (2016), and 17th (2021) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The analysis included a total of 255,200 participants. In addition, we analyzed raw data from the 2nd (2006) and 17th (2021) surveys to investigate factors related to obesity and changes in these factors over time. The analyzed factors included demographic factors (5), dietary behavior factors (5), physical activity factors (4), mental health factors (2), and alcohol and smoking. All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 27.0, and cross-tabulation and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. The prevalence of obesity among Korean adolescents has dramatically increased from 5.8% in 2006, to 5.6% in 2011, 9.1% in 2016, and 13.4% in 2021. Factors related to adolescent obesity were analyzed and the following were found to be associated with high obesity rates both in 2006 and 2021: low academic performance, low parental education, low fruit intake frequency, low fast food consumption frequency, prolonged sitting time, and high perceived stress levels. Factors that were not associated with obesity in 2006 but were in 2021 included low economic status, living with a single parent, high frequency of carbonated beverage consumption, low frequency of muscle-strengthening exercise, and alcohol consumption. The prevalence of obesity among Korean adolescents continues to increase, and it was found that some factors related to obesity remain consistent over time, while others change with societal and environmental changes. Therefore, continuous research is needed to understand the changes in factors that contribute to obesity in order to prevent and manage adolescent obesity. None