Professor Park Kyung-hee of Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare for contributing to the prevention of obesity in children and adolescents
May 27, 2025
Park Kyung-hee, a professor of family medicine at Hallim University Sacred Heart Hospital, recently received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare for her contribution to the prevention and management of obesity in children and adolescents and the establishment of a national policy foundation.
Professor Park Kyung-hee is a clinician in charge of obesity treatment, an educator who fosters younger students, and a researcher who has accumulated academic grounds at the same time, and has devoted the past 20 years to mediating childhood obesity and improving policies in Korea through community and school-based health projects, national research, and academic activities.
Since his appointment to the Department of Family Medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in 2002, Park has started a school-based childhood obesity prevention project in Gyeonggi-do and participated in a cohort study of childhood obesity and metabolic diseases by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contributing to the establishment of epidemiological data for children and adolescents in Korea. In addition, Professor Park has continued to make academic contributions by conducting the first cohort study on adolescents in Korea and publishing in international journals that early obesity, sleep time, and socioeconomic factors at home are closely related to the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Professor Park is the general manager of the pediatric and adolescent high obesity intervention study 'ICAAN Project' with the support of the National Institute of Health of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2015 to 2024, and has planned an obesity intervention program suitable for the domestic situation, thereby securing scientific evidence and execution power. The study was operated in stages from a 16-week short-term pilot to 24-month long-term tracking, community-based, and platform-based non-face-to-face interventions. A total of 1,000 highly obese children and adolescents participated, showing significant health changes such as improving weight and fat percentage and alleviating the risk of fatty liver and metabolic diseases.
In addition, Professor Park has been trying to establish an integrated approach to childhood obesity intervention through intervention research using digital health platforms, development of complex intervention methods including psychological, family environment, and motivation-enhancing counseling, and research on improving the intestinal microbial environment.
Professor Park Kyung-hee said, "Child and adolescent obesity should be recognized as a social disease, not just an individual problem. It is a task that should be solved not only by medical care but also by communities and families. We will continue research, education, and practice in order to establish an intervention program and policy foundation suitable for the domestic situation."."
Professor Park graduated from Seoul National University School of Medicine and Graduate School and worked as a research professor at Harvard University Beth Israel Hospital in the United States. Currently, he is active as an editor of the international journal 『Metabolism』, a director of the Obesity Metabolism Research Society, and a member of the Korean Society of Obesity. In addition, through various media, columns, and health courses, we are striving to improve the correct awareness of obesity and to deliver health information.
Meanwhile, Professor Park has been carrying out community health projects to prevent childhood obesity since 2002, and in 2016, he received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare for related achievements.
Professor Park Kyung-hee is a clinician in charge of obesity treatment, an educator who fosters younger students, and a researcher who has accumulated academic grounds at the same time, and has devoted the past 20 years to mediating childhood obesity and improving policies in Korea through community and school-based health projects, national research, and academic activities.
Since his appointment to the Department of Family Medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in 2002, Park has started a school-based childhood obesity prevention project in Gyeonggi-do and participated in a cohort study of childhood obesity and metabolic diseases by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contributing to the establishment of epidemiological data for children and adolescents in Korea. In addition, Professor Park has continued to make academic contributions by conducting the first cohort study on adolescents in Korea and publishing in international journals that early obesity, sleep time, and socioeconomic factors at home are closely related to the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Professor Park is the general manager of the pediatric and adolescent high obesity intervention study 'ICAAN Project' with the support of the National Institute of Health of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2015 to 2024, and has planned an obesity intervention program suitable for the domestic situation, thereby securing scientific evidence and execution power. The study was operated in stages from a 16-week short-term pilot to 24-month long-term tracking, community-based, and platform-based non-face-to-face interventions. A total of 1,000 highly obese children and adolescents participated, showing significant health changes such as improving weight and fat percentage and alleviating the risk of fatty liver and metabolic diseases.
In addition, Professor Park has been trying to establish an integrated approach to childhood obesity intervention through intervention research using digital health platforms, development of complex intervention methods including psychological, family environment, and motivation-enhancing counseling, and research on improving the intestinal microbial environment.
Professor Park Kyung-hee said, "Child and adolescent obesity should be recognized as a social disease, not just an individual problem. It is a task that should be solved not only by medical care but also by communities and families. We will continue research, education, and practice in order to establish an intervention program and policy foundation suitable for the domestic situation."."
Professor Park graduated from Seoul National University School of Medicine and Graduate School and worked as a research professor at Harvard University Beth Israel Hospital in the United States. Currently, he is active as an editor of the international journal 『Metabolism』, a director of the Obesity Metabolism Research Society, and a member of the Korean Society of Obesity. In addition, through various media, columns, and health courses, we are striving to improve the correct awareness of obesity and to deliver health information.
Meanwhile, Professor Park has been carrying out community health projects to prevent childhood obesity since 2002, and in 2016, he received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare for related achievements.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
