One in Four Elementary, Middle, and High School Students Nationwide Overweight or Obese... "Increase Over 5 Years"

Obesity 15.1% Overweight 10.7%
Higher Rural Than Urban Rates

Provided by the Ministry of Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] One in four elementary, middle, and high school students nationwide was found to be overweight or obese.

The Ministry of Education announced the results of the 2019 student health examination sample statistics analysis on the 22nd. This result analyzed health examination data from 1,023 sample schools nationwide for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Over the past five years, the average height of the highest grade in each school level showed little change for elementary students, while it continuously increased for both boys and girls in middle school. For high school students, both boys and girls showed an increase since 2017. Last year, the average height of 6th-grade elementary boys was 152.1 cm, 3rd-grade middle school boys were 170.5 cm, and 3rd-grade high school boys were 174.0 cm. For girls, the average heights were 152.3 cm for 6th-grade elementary, 160.4 cm for 3rd-grade middle school, and 161.2 cm for 3rd-grade high school.

The weight of the highest grade in each school level increased for both boys and girls compared to five years ago. Additionally, the rate of overweight or higher was 25.8%, with obesity at 15.1% and overweight at 10.7%. This rate has increased by about 1 percentage point annually over the past five years. By urban scale, rural areas had higher rates than urban areas.

For boys, the average weight was 48.8 kg for 6th-grade elementary, 65.3 kg for 3rd-grade middle school, and 71.5 kg for 3rd-grade high school. For girls, the weights were 46.1 kg for 6th-grade elementary, 55.3 kg for 3rd-grade middle school, and 58.0 kg for 3rd-grade high school.

The rate of skipping breakfast and consuming fast food at least once a week increased with higher school levels. The rates of consuming fast food at least once a week and ramen at least once a week were approximately 70-80% and 80-90%, respectively. The daily vegetable intake rate was below 30% across all school levels.

According to the health examination results, the most common problems among students were vision abnormalities and dental caries (cavities). Last year, the rate of vision abnormalities was 53.22%, showing a slight decrease over the past five years. Dental caries increased by 2.17 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 25.01%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.