33% of Korean Adults Overweight or Obese

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Fri, December 8, 2023 | 08:31

33% of Korean Adults Overweight or Obese

Posted : 2009-10-23 11:17

Updated : 2009-10-23 11:17

One out of every three adults in South Korea is considered overweight or obese and faces increased risk of health problems, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday, quoting a report from the National Health Insurance Corp.

The report said 3.24 million, or 32.8 percent, out of 9.87 million adults who had regular checkups last year were overweight or obese.

The report said those categorized as overweight or obese had body mass index (BMI) measurements of 25 or higher. BMI measures an individual's height to determine ideal body weight. A person whose BMI reading is from 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.

According to the report, the ratio of South Korean adults with BMI readings of 25 or higher stood at 24.1 percent in 2007.

The number of adults with BMI readings of 40 or higher, which indicates excess body fat, was 23,613 last year, compared with 7,020 in 2007 and 7,957 in 2006, it showed.
In line with increased obesity, chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke were also on the rise, the corporation said.