The health and nutrition status of Vietnamese wives in Korea

Abstract

In recent years, international marriages have been rapidly increasing in Korea. The purpose of this study was to assess health and nutrition status for Vietnamese wives in Korea. The subjects were recruited from a medical examination center in Seoul. The mean age of the subjects was 24.7±0.3 years and mean length of residence in Korea was 2.8 years. The mean BMI (body mass index), systolic, diastolic blood pressure, HDL‐cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting blood glucose of the subjects were within the normal ranges. However, some subjects should abnormal anthropometry and hematological variables as follows high BMI; 7.4%, high blood pressure; 6.8%, low HDL‐cholesterol; 59.2%, high triglycerides; 12.8%, and high fasting blood glucose; 0.3%. Intakes of protein and vitamin C were above Estimated Average Requirements (EAR). However, intakes of vitamin A, iron, zinc and folate did not meet EAR. In conclusion, anthropometry and hematological variables were within the normal ranges. However, status of nutrient intakes was not satisfactory, especially intakes of antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin A and folate were lower than EAR. The society must give special attention so that the Vietnamese wives should be encouraged to lead a stable dietary life. (This study was supported by a grant of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2006‐347‐2910‐213‐207) and second stage of BK21 project in 2007.)