Comparison of Eating and Exercise Behaviors between Normal Weight Obesity and Obesity in Korean University women

A new syndrome named Normal Weight Obesity (NWO) has attracted much attention in obesity-related researches. NWO i s a normal B ody Mass I ndex (BMI) a ssociated with a l arge p roportion of % Body Fat(%BF). Previously, NWO was known as a problem associated with aging. However, recent years, it has appeared to many young women. Lookism is the largest cause. Lookism has been shown to spread in our society, excessive diet and irregulareating habits, was supposed to lead to results, such as body weight regulation of in an unusual way. The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of NWO, and the eating and exercise behaviors of Korean university women. We studied 422 volunteers, 138 were interviewed. 140 university women had bioelectrical impedance analysis to estimate body composition. All the participants filled out the Questionnaire that eating and exercise behavior. The percentage of Standard was 48.6%, NWO was 32.0% and Obesity is 10%. Interestingly, significant differences between Standard and NOW in exercise behaviors (p.001). But, there were no significantly different in eating behaviors (p.001). In contrast, both of eating and exercise behaviors were significantly different between Standard and Obesity (p.01). As expected, NWO and Obesity were significant differences eating Behavior only (p.05). The findings of the study represent important directions for the future planning of intervention programs designed to prevent NWO. Exercise interventions are warranted to prevent NWO in university women.