Trends in Childhood Obesity in Japan over the Last 25 Years from the National Nutrition Survey

Abstract

MATSUSHITA, YUMI, NOBUO YOSHIIKE, FUMI KANEDA, KATSUSHI YOSHITA, AND HIDEMI TAKIMOTO. Trends in childhood obesity in Japan over the last 25 years from the National Nutrition Survey. Obes Res. 2004;12:205-214. Objective: To describe the 25-year changes in BMI (measured in kilograms per meters squared) and the prevalence of obesity in Japanese children with special reference to urban-rural differences. Research Methods and Procedures:We used the data sets from the cross-sectional annual nationwide surveys (National Nutrition Survey, Japan) conducted from 1976 to 2000 and comprising 29,052 boys and 27,552 girls between 6 and 14 years of age. We carried out the trend analyses with the data on sex and age groups and on residential areas according to the size of the municipality (metropolitan areas, cities, and small towns). Results: The mean (age-adjusted) BMI increased by ϩ0.32 kg/m 2 per 10 years in boys and by ϩ0.24 kg/m 2 per 10 years in girls, increases that were remarkable in small towns. The prevalence of obese boys and girls increased from 6.1% and 7.1%, respectively, in the time-period 1976 to 1980, to 11.1% and 10.2% in 1996 to 2000. The increasing trend was most evident in 9-to 11-year-old children of both sexes living in small towns, whereas no changes were observed in girls in metropolitan areas. Discussion: Our data clearly show increasing trends in obesity prevalence in Japanese school children. Degrees of the increasing trends, however, differed across sex and age groups and residential areas, demonstrating a particular phenomenon that girls in metropolitan areas were unlikely to become obese. These epidemiological aspects indicate the priorities for intervention in population strategies to control obesity in children.

The influence of obesity and metabolic risk variables on brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in healthy adolescents

“…4 In recent decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing in developed countries. 5,6 Some studies have shown that severe obesity in teenagers is associated with an adverse metabolic profile 7,8 and produces endothelial dysfunction and reduced arterial distensibility. 9,10 Furthermore, the early structural changes are a sign of an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis in adulthood.…”

Validity of body mass index and waist circumference in the classification of obesity as compared to percent body fat in Chinese middle-aged women

“…[1][2][3] Obesity is a global health problem with increasing prevalence in many parts of the world. [4][5][6][7] Accurate classification of obesity is important for both the individual and health professionals in risk assessment and weight management. Although body composition or percentage body fat (%BF) can be measured by using several approaches, such as, underwater weighing, body densitometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, magnetic resonance imaging, isotope dilution method, etc., 8 such methods are complicated and costly, and none has been widely used in individual or epidemiological settings, particularly in developing countries.…”

Lower Birth Weight Associated with Current Overweight Status Is Related with the Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Japanese Children

“…The prevalence of obesity among Japanese children has increased dramatically and recently has become a serious public health problem (1). Obesity is the most common cause of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia (2) and is strongly associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and the metabolic syndrome (MS) in childhood.…”