ACTION Teens: Perceptions and attitudes towards obesity among adolescents living with obesity, caregivers and healthcare professionals in South Korea

Background

In South Korea, the prevalence of adolescents living with obesity (ALwO) is rising.

Objectives

To evaluate perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and obstacles to effective obesity care among ALwO, caregivers, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in South Korea.

Methods

ACTION Teens (NCT05013359) was a multinational, cross-sectional survey conducted in 2021. Data from South Korean participants are reported (476 ALwO, 523 caregivers, 200 HCPs).

Results

Most ALwO/caregivers acknowledged that they/their ALwO had overweight, obesity or severe obesity (95 %/88 %, respectively) and were concerned about weight impacting their/their ALwO’s future health (94 %/91 %, respectively). The predominant information source on weight management for ALwO/caregivers was YouTube (62 %/35 %, respectively).

Most HCPs (87 %) indicated obesity had a strong impact on overall health; fewer ALwO (70 %) and caregivers (62 %) provided the same responses. ALwO recognized the societal challenges associated with overweight/obesity (versus healthy weight), with 50 %, 37 %, and 36 % reporting that overweight/obesity makes it harder to get a job, make friends, and perform well at school, respectively (compared with 41 %, 28 %, and 26 % of caregivers). A higher proportion of ALwO (80 %) than caregivers (45 %) thought weight loss was completely the ALwO's responsibility. While 82 % of ALwO reported they had made a recent weight-loss attempt, only 60 % of caregivers reported that their ALwO had made a recent weight-loss attempt; HCPs thought that, on average, 35 % of their ALwO patients had attempted to lose weight.

Conclusions

Disparities in respondents’ perceptions and attitudes toward obesity underscore the need for enhanced communication and increased understanding of obesity to improve healthcare strategies for South Korean ALwO.