Rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity in elementary school children

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Three critical periods have been suggested for the development of obesity during childhood: fetal, ages 4-6 y, and adolescence. The prevalence of obesity in elementary school children is increasing in Japan, and the present study examines whether this rising prevalence occurs during the elementary school period (age 6-11 y) or is occurring prior to entry into elementary school. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional sampling of cohorts of children for the prevalence of obesity. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS:The data from 81 264 first grade and 87 849 seventh grade children (94 and 87% of the total populations, respectively) between 1989 and 2002 in Kagoshima City were analyzed. Data were also obtained from nationwide surveys published by the Ministry of Japan between 1989 and 2001. MEASUREMENTS: Obesity was defined by the body mass index for an age-and sex-specific 95th percentile cutoff point in Japanese children. Trends in obesity and odds ratios of the prevalence of obesity were also determined. RESULTS: The period 1989-2001/2 showed significant increases in the prevalence of obesity for both genders, in both first and seventh grades, and in both Kagoshima City and nationwide. The odds ratios for the prevalence of obesity of 12-y-old children calculated against the prevalence of obesity within the same cohort at 6 y old revealed that a significant risk for development of obesity during the elementary school years applied only to boys from around 1993 onward in Kagoshima City and applied throughout the study period in nationwide Japan. CONCLUSION: Obesity prevalence increases for boys during elementary school years but does not significantly increase for girls. A rising trend for becoming obese before starting elementary school was present for both boys and girls over the period [1989][1990][1991][1992][1993][1994][1995][1996][1997][1998][1999][2000][2001]. Educational programs to improve nutrition and physical activity, especially for boys, are becoming increasingly necessary.

Coronary Risk Factor Profile and Prognostic Factors for Young Japanese Patients Undergoing Coronary Revascularization

“…25 Risk factor accumulation associated with lifestyle changes and the increased number of obese youths are becoming more serious health problems in Japan as well as in Western countries. 26,27 Concomitant Medical Therapies in Patients Aged ≤55 Years or >55 Years The practice patterns for medical therapies at hospital discharge were quite similar and the prescription rates of major preventive medicines for CAD, including anti-platelets, ACEI/ARB and β-adrenergic blockers, were comparable between the patients aged ≤55 years and those aged >55 years, except for a significantly higher prescription rate of statins in the younger patients. Considering the possibility of lower prevalences of comorbidities that might limit the use of drugs in older patients, the medical therapies for secondary prevention of CAD in younger patients might not have been optimal in real-world practice in Japan from 2000 to 2002.…”

Crossvalidation of anthropometry against magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue in children

“…The growing prevalence of childhood obesity [1][2][3][4][5] highlights two major problems for health professionals: (1) the identification and adoption of population-based prevention strategies involving healthy lifestyle beginning early in life, and, (2) the need to identify high risk obese children for targeted interventions. There is some agreement, especially in adults, that the assessment of fat distribution (visceral fat in particular), may be a useful approach for determining risk of disease associated with obesity.…”

The Basic Data for Residents Aged 15 Years or Younger Who Received a Comprehensive Health Check in 2011-2012 as a Part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey After the Great East Japan Earthquake

“…It is also reported that the prevalence of obesity and NAFLD in elementary school children in increas-BASIC DATA FROM THE PEDIATRIC COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CHECK ing. 12,13) Thus, to evaluate the frequency of children with lifestyle -related diseases including obesity and/or NAFLD more precisely, it is necessary to compare the number of pediatric patients with lifestyle -related diseases between the population living in the evacuation zone and the general population.…”