Health problems and health behaviors of Korean preschoolers living with parents and under guardianship

Abstract

PURPOSE: A comparative analysis was conducted to identify and compare the health status and behaviors of preschoolers attending daycare centers in South Korea between children living with parents and those under guardianship.

DESIGN: The study design was descriptive and correlational.

SAMPLE: Data were collected from 152 parents and 85 guardians of preschool children using a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS: Of 237 children, 23.9-32.5% were overweight or obese, while 13.8-30.0% were underweight. Boys under guardianship were more likely to be obese. Hand-foot-mouth disease and atopic dermatitis were more prevalent among children living with parents, while those under guardianship were less likely to have dentistry visits, more likely to be absent from childcare due to pneumonia, and had significantly fewer health-related conversations with their guardians. In relation to health behaviors, the frequency of tooth-brushing and high-calcium food consumption was significantly lower among children under guardianship than among those living with parents.

CONCLUSION: Compared with children living with parents, those under guardianship were exposed to unfavorable circumstances in terms of health management practices and health behaviors, which implies that the guardians were less interested in health care and dealt inappropriately with the health problems of their foster children.