Health problems and health behaviors of Korean preschoolers living with parents and under guardianship.
OBJECTIVE
A comparative analysis was conducted to identify and compare the health status and behaviors of preschoolers attending daycare centers in South Korea between children living with parents and those under guardianship.


METHODS
The study design was descriptive and correlational.


METHODS
Data were collected from 152 parents and 85 guardians of preschool children using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
Of 237 children, 23.9-32.5% were overweight or obese, while 13.8-30.0% were underweight. Boys under guardianship were more likely to be obese. Hand-foot-mouth disease and atopic dermatitis were more prevalent among children living with parents, while those under guardianship were less likely to have dentistry visits, more likely to be absent from childcare due to pneumonia, and had significantly fewer health-related conversations with their guardians. In relation to health behaviors, the frequency of tooth-brushing and high-calcium food consumption was significantly lower among children under guardianship than among those living with parents.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with children living with parents, those under guardianship were exposed to unfavorable circumstances in terms of health management practices and health behaviors, which implies that the guardians were less interested in health care and dealt inappropriately with the health problems of their foster children.
Kim
Hee-Soon
HS
Nursing Policy Research Institute, College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Ham
Ok-Kyung
OK
Lee
Chung-Yul
CY
Lee
Tae-Wha
TW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002654:Child Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires