Latest news with #ParkHoon-ki
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Do kids really gain more weight when moms work longer hours?
Study says long working hours for moms linked to higher risk of abdominal obesity in children, but what about dads? Children whose mothers work long hours are more than twice as likely to develop abdominal obesity, according to a recent South Korean study examining the link between maternal working hours and metabolic health risks in adolescents. The study, conducted by Park Hoon-ki's team from the department of family medicine at Hanyang University Hospital, analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2020, involving 2,598 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18. Researchers investigated the presence of metabolic syndrome in these youths, which is diagnosed when abdominal obesity is present along with at least two other conditions, such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or high triglyceride levels. People with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke. The team classified mothers' weekly working hours into five groups: not employed, one to 19 hours, 20 to 39 hours, 40 to 52 hours and over 53 hours. They then compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors in children across these categories. Under current labor laws in South Korea, regular working hours must not exceed 40 hours a week. This can be extended to 52 hours when including overtime, which is not to exceed 12 hours a week. The findings showed that children whose mothers worked more than 53 hours a week had 2.27 times higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than those whose mothers were not employed. Although the overall risk for metabolic syndrome increased by 1.93 times, this result did not reach statistical significance, the report said. A gender-based breakdown revealed a sharper disparity among girls, as the daughters of mothers working over 53 hours a week were 6.07 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome compared to girls whose mothers did not work. The researchers suggest that longer maternal working hours may reduce the time available for healthy meal preparation and physical activity guidance, both critical factors in preventing childhood obesity and related health problems. Previous international studies have also noted a correlation between increased maternal working hours and higher body mass index in children. 'While we confirmed a significant association between mothers' extended working hours and increased risk of metabolic syndrome in children, especially daughters, further long-term studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship,' Park noted. The Korea Herald asked whether the findings factored for fathers working long hours, but the researchers had not responded by press time. jychoi@
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Do kids really gain more weight when their moms work longer hours?
Study says long working hours for moms linked to higher risk of abdominal obesity in children, but what about dads? Children whose mothers work long hours are more than twice as likely to develop abdominal obesity, according to a recent South Korean study examining the link between maternal working hours and metabolic health risks in adolescents. The study, conducted by Park Hoon-ki's team from the Department of Family Medicine at Hanyang University Hospital, analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2020, involving 2,598 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18. Researchers investigated the presence of metabolic syndrome in these youths, which is diagnosed when abdominal obesity is present along with at least two other conditions, such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or high triglyceride levels. People with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke. The team classified mothers' weekly working hours into five groups: not employed, 1-19 hours, 20-39 hours, 40-52 hours and over 53 hours. They then compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors in children across these categories. Under current labor laws in South Korea, working hours must not exceed 40 hours a week. This can be extended to 52 hours when including overtime, which may not exceed 12 hours a week. The findings showed that children whose mothers worked more than 53 hours a week had 2.27 times higher odds of abdominal obesity than those whose mothers were not employed. Although the overall risk for metabolic syndrome increased by 1.93 times, this result did not reach statistical significance, the report said. A gender-based breakdown revealed a sharper disparity among girls: daughters of mothers working over 53 hours a week were 6.07 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome compared to girls whose mothers did not work. The researchers suggest that longer maternal working hours may reduce the time available for healthy meal preparation and physical activity guidance, both critical factors in preventing childhood obesity and related health problems. Previous international studies have also noted a correlation between increased maternal work hours and higher body mass index in children. 'While we confirmed a significant association between mothers' extended working hours and increased risk of metabolic syndrome in children, especially daughters, further long-term studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship,' Dr. Park noted. The Korea Herald asked whether the findings were unrelated to fathers working late hours, but the researchers had not responded by press time
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Do kids really gain more weight when their moms work longer hours?
Study says long working hours for moms linked to higher risk of abdominal obesity in children, but what about dads? Children whose mothers work long hours are more than twice as likely to develop abdominal obesity, according to a recent South Korean study examining the link between maternal working hours and metabolic health risks in adolescents. The study, conducted by Park Hoon-ki's team from the Department of Family Medicine at Hanyang University Hospital, analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2020, involving 2,598 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18. Researchers investigated the presence of metabolic syndrome in these youths, which is diagnosed when abdominal obesity is present along with at least two other conditions, such as high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or high triglyceride levels. People with metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke. The team classified mothers' weekly working hours into five groups: not employed, 1-19 hours, 20-39 hours, 40-52 hours and over 53 hours. They then compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors in children across these categories. Under current labor laws in South Korea, working hours must not exceed 40 hours a week. This can be extended to 52 hours when including overtime, which may not exceed 12 hours a week. The findings showed that children whose mothers worked more than 53 hours a week had 2.27 times higher odds of abdominal obesity than those whose mothers were not employed. Although the overall risk for metabolic syndrome increased by 1.93 times, this result did not reach statistical significance, the report said. A gender-based breakdown revealed a sharper disparity among girls: daughters of mothers working over 53 hours a week were 6.07 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome compared to girls whose mothers did not work. The researchers suggest that longer maternal working hours may reduce the time available for healthy meal preparation and physical activity guidance, both critical factors in preventing childhood obesity and related health problems. Previous international studies have also noted a correlation between increased maternal work hours and higher body mass index in children. 'While we confirmed a significant association between mothers' extended working hours and increased risk of metabolic syndrome in children, especially daughters, further long-term studies are needed to clarify the causal relationship,' Dr. Park noted. The Korea Herald asked whether the findings were unrelated to fathers working late hours, but the researchers had not responded by press time jychoi@
