title: Still life with less: North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea show continued poor nutrition and physique.
abstract: North Korean defectors who settle in South Korea have experienced severe food shortage and transition of food environment which could affect their health status. However, little is known about their anthropometric measurements and dietary intake after settlement in South Korea. The purpose of this study is to compare anthropometric measurements and dietary intake between North Korean young adults who defected to South Korea and those of South Koreans. We hypothesized that North Korean young adults' physiques and dietary intake would be poorer than that of South Koreans. We compared anthropometric measurements and dietary intake from 3-day food records in a cross-sectional study of 103 North Korean young adult defectors, aged 12 to 24 and 309 South Korean subjects. North Korean subjects were significantly shorter (4.9 to 10.8 cm) and lighter (6.0 to 12.5 kg) than the control group. Body mass index were significantly different between North and South Korean groups only in men. North Korean young adult defectors had lower mean daily intakes of energy and most nutrients and food groups compared to the control group, while North Korean subjects had higher nutrient density diet than that of South Koreans. The proportion of subjects who had dietary intakes of nutrients of less than the Estimated Average Requirement was higher in North Korean subjects than in controls except for in the cases of vitamin A and vitamin C. In conclusion, we recommend providing nutrition support programs for North Korean young adult defectors to secure adequate nutrient intake.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Health & Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea.
authors.forename: Seul Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sang Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyojee
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Joung
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001 Jun;55(6):394-8
references.pmid: 11350995
references.citation: J Nutr. 1995 Aug;125(8 Suppl):2233S-2238S
references.pmid: 7542705
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Aug;84(2):322-7; quiz 466-7
references.pmid: 16895878
references.citation: BMJ. 2001 Apr 21;322(7292):949-53
references.pmid: 11312225
references.citation: Proc Nutr Soc. 1993 Feb;52(1):77-84
references.pmid: 8493279
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001 Jun;55(6):404-5
references.pmid: 11350997
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2004 Feb;7(1A):101-21
references.pmid: 14972056
references.citation: J Intern Med. 2000 Oct;248(4):326-32
references.pmid: 11086644
references.citation: Eur J Clin Nutr. 1993 May;47(5):307-16
references.pmid: 7686486
references.citation: Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 May;61(2):251-7
references.pmid: 12133207
references.citation: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001 Jun 1;37(7):1765-74
references.pmid: 11401109