“Currently, the average weekly time spent on the Internet by Korean middle and high school students is 431 minutes, which is three times the figure of 2005 (132 minutes),” said Dr. Jung. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, June 28 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study has revealed that youths who spend more time on the Internet are more susceptible to obesity than those who limit their Internet use.
A research team from the Catholic University of Korea, led by Dr. Jung Hye-seon of the Department of Preventive Medicine, analyzed the 2014 report ‘Health Behaviors in Youths’ by the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to arrive at their conclusion.
According to the team, middle and high school students who spent a weekly average of 600 minutes or more on the Internet were 1.4 times more likely to be at risk of obesity than those who spent less than 180 minutes.
Generally, the risk of obesity increased with student age. The study noted that 12th graders, who often experience higher levels of stress from college admissions tests, were 2.4 times more likely to become obese compared to 7th graders.
“Currently, the average weekly time spent on the Internet by Korean middle and high school students is 431 minutes, which is three times the figure of 2005 (132 minutes),” said Dr. Jung. “It seems to us that suitable measures are needed to prevent further increases in youth obesity.”
The full research results were published in the April edition of the Journal of the Korean Society of School Health.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
