Biomedical subjects

Karen Hye-cheon Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Karen Hye-cheon Kim.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The WORD (wholeness, oneness, righteousness, deliverance): a faith-based weight-loss program utilizing a community-based participatory research approach.

Despite multidisciplinary efforts to control the nation's obesity epidemic, obesity has persisted as one of the U.S.'s top public health problems, particularly among African Americans. Innovative approaches to address obesity that are sensitive to the unique issues of African Americans are needed. Thus, a faith-based weight-loss intervention using a community-based participatory research approach was developed, implemented, and evaluated with a rural African American faith community. A two-group, quasi-experimental, delayed intervention design was used, with church as the unit of assignment (treatment n=2, control n=2) and individual as the unit of observation (treatment n=36, control n=37). Weekly small groups led by trained community members met for 8 weeks and emphasized healthy nutrition, physical activity, and faith's connection with health. The mean weight loss of the treatment group was 3.60+/-0.64 lbs. compared to the 0.59+/-0.59-lb loss of the control group.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Religion, weight perception, and weight control behavior.

Religion's relationships with weight perception and weight control behavior were examined using data (3032 adults aged 25-74) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. Religion was conceptualized as denomination, religious attendance/practice, religious social support, religious commitment, religious application, and religious identity. Weight perception was conceptualized as underestimating body weight, overestimating body weight, and accurately assessing body weight. Respondents also reported whether they had engaged in any intentional weight loss (yes/no) in the last 12 months. Logistic regression was used, with significant results being set at a p-values of <.01 and <.05. Accurately assessing body weight was the reference category for all weight perception analyses. Women with greater religious commitment and men with greater religious application had greater odds of underestimating their body weight. This relationship remained significant, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, and income. Jewish women had greater odds of overestimating their body weight. There were no relationships between religion and weight control behavior. Relationships between religion, weight perception, and weight control behavior illustrate religion's multidimensionality.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Religion, social support, fat intake and physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: Most research on diet and exercise has focused on these health behaviours as proximate causes of disease, rather than examine the context of how diet and exercise are developed and maintained. This study examined religion and social support in relationship to fat intake and physical activity. DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Data from surveys of 546 adults aged 17-91 years, residing in one upstate New York county, were analysed. RESULTS: Most relationships between the multiple facets of religion, fat intake and physical activity were not statistically significant. After controlling for demographics and social support, Conservative Protestant women and women specifying an "Other" religious affiliation reported higher fat intakes than did Catholic women. There were no relationships between religion and fat intake in men. In women, religious commitment was associated with greater moderate and vigorous physical activity, whereas in men, divine social support was associated with greater moderate physical activity. Social support did not substantially change the magnitude of the relationships between religion, diet and physical activity. CONCLUSION: Overall, there were few relationships between religion, fat intake and physical activity, suggesting that in contemporary US society religion may play a small role in the context of how diet and exercise are developed and maintained. The limited range of religiosity in the sample, however, may have underestimated the role of religion. Significant relationships between religion and physical activity in women suggest that further research is needed to more clearly delineate religion's relationship with health behaviours.

Adolescent↗