Seoul records nation's largest drop in adult obesity rate, credits health app

Seoul's adult obesity rate fell 0.8 percentage points from the previous year, marking the steepest decline among all 17 cities and provinces nationwide. Participants in Sonmokdakto 9988 — the city's flagship health management app — showed significantly greater improvements in waist circumference and blood sugar levels than non-participants, confirming the effectiveness of everyday health management. Building on these results, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to upgrade Sonmokdakto 9988 into a "personal health physician in your hand" in the second half of this year and expand its Seoul Fitness Centers to 52 locations.

According to the Community Health Survey released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Tuesday, Seoul's adult obesity rate stood at 30.2 percent last year, down 0.8 percentage points from 31.0 percent in 2024 — the largest decline of any of the country's 17 cities and provinces. The drop came even as obesity rates rose nationally.

Seoulites also demonstrated high levels of healthy lifestyle practices. The walking rate reached 69.0 percent last year, 19.8 percentage points above the national average of 49.2 percent. The annual rate of weight-control attempts was 74.5 percent, compared with 68.5 percent nationwide.

The city plans to strengthen its life-stage-tailored health management programs to sustain obesity prevention and promote physical activity among residents.

To detect chronic diseases early and build residents' capacity for self-managed health care, the city is running a metabolic syndrome management project in partnership with public health centers across all 25 autonomous districts. Seoul residents between the ages of 20 and 69, as well as workers, self-employed individuals and university students based in the city, can visit dedicated metabolic syndrome management centers at their district health centers to have five key health indicators checked — waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol — and receive personalized consultations and ongoing care from doctors, nurses, dietitians and exercise specialists.

As of the end of May, 63,670 people had enrolled in the program. Among 31,752 new registrants, 9,852 were identified early as having conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, and the program provided a total of 357,598 personalized consultations and management sessions.

The city is also running "Metabolic Challenge 9988," a program linked to Sonmokdakto 9988 that lets participants check their health center test results through the app and complete personalized health missions covering walking, exercise and dietary improvement.

Used by 2.93 million residents, Sonmokdakto 9988 is a health management service that helps people monitor their health and improve their habits to prevent disease in daily life. It goes beyond simply counting steps — it uses measured health data to encourage users to build healthy habits, helping them take greater control of their own health.

A comparative analysis of National Health Insurance Service health screening data from 2021 and 2023, conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, found that Sonmokdakto 9988 participants had significantly lower rates of new-onset diabetes and hypertension — both metabolic syndrome-related conditions — than non-participants. Waist circumference and blood sugar levels, two major risk factors for metabolic syndrome, also improved significantly among participants compared with non-participants.

The more actively residents used the app, the greater the health benefits. Participants who logged on frequently — five or more times a week — showed a 41.9 percent improvement rate in weight and waist circumference, compared with 22.3 percent for those who logged on twice a week or less, a gap of 19.6 percentage points.

In the second half of this year, Sonmokdakto 9988 is set to expand its functions into a "personal health physician in your hand," enabling residents to routinely check and manage their health. The city also plans to add a "weight management mode" to the app, allowing users to view key obesity-related indicators — including weight, body fat percentage and body mass index — at a glance.

For residents who find it hard to start exercising or are unsure what to do or how much, the Seoul Fitness Centers serve as a reliable partner. At these centers, residents receive exercise consultations tailored to their physical characteristics and fitness levels based on their assessment results, and can track changes in their health through program participation and follow-up assessments.

The city currently operates 19 Seoul Fitness Centers, including a directly managed facility at the University of Seoul and locations in Gwangjin, Dobong and Jung-gu. Starting next month, eight additional centers will open in stages in Nowon, Gwanak (a second location), Gangnam, Yangcheon and Gangseo, and 25 AI-equipped Seoul Fitness Centers will be established at community-accessible public facilities such as comprehensive social welfare centers.

The city said it will continue to extend operating hours and improve access at the fitness centers, and will strengthen personalized consultations and links to local exercise programs to ensure that fitness assessment results translate into actual physical activity.

"We will expand personalized health management services centered on Sonmokdakto 9988 and the Seoul Fitness Centers, so that residents can check their physical condition and consistently manage their health close to home and work," said Jo Yeong-chang, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau.