scholarly journals Changes in body weight and food security of adult North Korean refugees living in South Korea

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
HaYoung Jeong ◽  
Soo-Kyung Lee ◽  
Sin-Gon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Food Security ◽  
South Korea ◽  
North Korean Refugees

scholarly journals Weight Gain Predicts Metabolic Syndrome among North Korean Refugees in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8479
Author(s):  
Yoon Jung Kim ◽  
Yo Han Lee ◽  
Yun Jeong Lee ◽  
Kyeong Jin Kim ◽  
Sin Gon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
North Korean Refugees

Previous cross-sectional studies showed that immigrants from low-income to high-income countries have higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We investigated the association between weight gain during the resettlement in South Korea and risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among North Korean refugees (NKRs) in this cross-sectional study. In total, 932 NKRs aged 20–80 years in South Korea voluntarily underwent health examination from 2008 to 2017. We compared the risk of MetS and its components between the weight gain group (gained ≥5 kg) and the non-weight gain group (gained <5 kg, maintained or lost body weight) during resettlement in South Korea after defection from North Korea. Multiple logistic regression analysis predicted odds ratio of MetS on the basis of weight change, adjusting for covariates and current body mass index (BMI). We also evaluated the difference in body composition of NKRs between two groups. The prevalence of MetS in the weight gain group was 26%, compared to 10% in the non-weight gain group (p-value < 0.001). The weight gain group had a two-fold higher risk of MetS than the non-weight gain group after adjusting for current BMI (odds ratio 1.875, p-value = 0.045). The prevalence of central obesity, impaired fasting glucose, elevated blood pressure, and hypertriglyceridemia were higher in the weight gain group than the non-weight gain group (36% vs. 12%, p-value < 0.001; 32% vs. 19%, p-value < 0.001; 34 vs. 25%, p-value = 0.008; 19% vs. 13%, p-value = 0.025, respectively). The analysis of body composition showed that the percentage of body fat in the weight gain group was higher than in the non-weight gain group, indicating increased fat mass rather than muscle mass in the weight gain group as their body weight increased during resettlement (33.4 ± 6.53% vs. 28.88 ± 7.40%, p < 0.005). Excess weight gain after defection from North Korea increased the risk of MetS among NKRs in South Korea. It is necessary to monitor weight change among NKRs and their effect on their metabolic health in the long term.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Case Study on Influencing Factors of Parents’ Child Abuse of North Korean Refugees in South Korea

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Wonjung Ryu ◽  
Hyerin Yang
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
North Korean Refugees ◽  
Korean Parents ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Maternal Parenting Stress ◽  
Past Experiences

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influencing factors of parental child abuse by North Korean refugees who are living in South Korea. In-depth interviews were conducted with five parents who escaped from North Korea. The study identified three categories of factors impacting child abuse: the weakening of family functions from past experiences before and after defection, the stress of adapting to the culture of an unfamiliar society, and low parenting self-efficacy. North Korean parents suffered from emotional and functional crises from past traumatic events and, at the same time, experienced additional acculturative stress as a “minority” after entering South Korea, even as they continued to deal with Maternal Parenting Stress. These complex factors have been shown to lead to child abuse in migrant societies. This study contemplated the context of child abuse through specific examples. The results could provide thoughtful insights into child abuse among migrants and refugee parents, and provide evidence-based intervention plans for its prevention.

scholarly journals Vitamin D status and associated metabolic risk factors among North Korean refugees in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. e009140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyeong Jin Kim ◽  
Yoon Jung Kim ◽  
Sun Hwa Kim ◽  
Jee Hyun An ◽  
Hye Jin Yoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Metabolic Risk Factors ◽  
Metabolic Risk ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
North Korean Refugees

scholarly journals Employment information needs and information behaviour of North Korean refugees

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieun Yeon ◽  
Jee Yeon Lee ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Job Seeking ◽  
Related Information ◽  
North Korean Refugees ◽  
Social Accessibility ◽  
Group Interviews

Introduction. The employment-related information needs and behaviour of North Korean refugees during their settlement in South Korea were analysed, and provisions that public libraries should consider when providing employment-related information to North Korean refugees were suggested. Method. Semi-structured group interviews were conducted with twenty-one North Korean refugees who had job-seeking experience or who wanted to be employed. Also, five public and NGO workers that aid the employment seeking process for employment support services to North Korean refugees provided field data on the services provided and characteristics of North Korean refugees’ information behaviour. Analysis. The results were examined using content analysis according to the factors of Dervin’s sense-making theory—situation, gap, and use. We used NVIVO 12 to extract codes from interview parts according to the factors. Results. The employment situation of North Korean refugees in South Korea can largely be categorised into two types: employment-related and education-related. The frequent subjects of employment information needs were job posting, vocational education, and career. Participants suffered from a lack of intellectual, psychological, and social accessibility. North Korean refugees were most likely to get information from interpersonal sources, the Internet, and public institutions. Conclusion. We developed a model of North Korean refugees’ information behaviour based on the findings and provided guidance for public libraries on serving job-seeking North Korean refugees.

scholarly journals Disparities in the body, chest, and wing morphometric among three subspecies of local male chickens for genetic breeding

2021 ◽  
Vol 888 (1) ◽  
pp. 012012
Author(s):  
H D Putranto ◽  
Nurmeiliasari ◽  
Y Yumiati ◽  
A M Nur
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Food Security ◽  
The Body ◽  
Genetic Breeding ◽  
Wing Span ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Chest Girth ◽  
Average Body ◽  
Local Chickens

Abstract Local chickens in developing countries, including Indonesia, have great potential to be developed into natural superior breeds to support food security and improve farmer welfare. Meanwhile, the major endemic subspecies found in the Bengkulu province are burgo and kampung chicken, as well as ketarras which are recently bred intensively. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the disparities in the morphometrics of three subspecies of local male chickens specifically on the body weight, length, chest girth and length, as well as wing span. Based on the results, the male burgo chicken morphometrical size was significantly smaller than ketarras, while the ketarras chicken was significantly smaller than kampung (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the average body weights for the burgo, ketarras and kampung chicken were 1.0, 1.2 and 1.9 kg cock-1, respectively, while the average of body length, chest and chest length, as well as wing span were 29.9, 40.0, 47.7 cm cock-1; 26.2, 30.1, 36.3 cm cock-1; 12.6, 17.8, 20.3 cm cock-1, and 34.4, 41.9, 55.9 cm cock-1, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the burgo and kampung chicken have the smallest and biggest morphometric sizes respectively.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Suicidal Ideation and Related Factors among North Korean Refugees in South Korea

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Won Noh ◽  
Hyunchun Park ◽  
Young Dae Kwon ◽  
In Hye Kim ◽  
Yo Han Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
North Korean Refugees

scholarly journals The Issues of North Korean Refugees and the Policy Direction of South Korea

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-112
Author(s):  
Gil-Hyun Yang ◽  
고성준 ◽  
Kang Kun-Hyung ◽  
Chang,Won-Seok
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
North Korean Refugees ◽  
Policy Direction

Bitter Taste of Paradise: North Korean Refugees in South Korea

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Lankov
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Social Adjustment ◽  
Bitter Taste ◽  
Korean Society ◽  
South Korean ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
North Korean Refugees ◽  
North Korean Defectors ◽  
To Come

This article deals with the problems of North Korean defectors currently living in South Korea. In the past, most such defectors came from privileged groups in the North Korean population, and their adjustment to the new environment did not pose a significant problem. However, from the mid-1990s, defectors began to come from the far less privileged groups. They experience serious problems related to jobs, education, crime, and social adjustment. Recent years have seen a dramatic but not always openly stated change in the official South Korean attitude toward defectors: from a policy explicitly aimed at encouraging defection, Seoul has moved to the policy of quietly discouraging it. There are fears that encouraging defection will undermine the policy of peaceful engagement with the North. There is also the perception that refugees are outsiders, not quite adjustable to the conditions of South Korean society and thus a social and budgetary burden.

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