Knowledge of the risks associated with being underweight and body shape differences among young Japanese women: a
Mariko Ogawa1, Michiko Nakazato2, Jinko Yokota3
1Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University, 1, Hikarigaoka, Fukushima City, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan. mushioda@gmail.com.
Insights
Young Japanese women often have insufficient knowledge regarding the risks of being underweight, particularly adverse pregnancy outcomes. Their body image perceptions, not health knowledge, may influence their weight status.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutritional Science
- Women's Health
Background:
- Young Japanese women exhibit a high prevalence of being underweight (approx. 20%), exceeding rates in other developed nations.
- Underweight status in young women is linked to serious health issues including amenorrhea, eating disorders, osteoporosis, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the awareness of health risks associated with being underweight among young Japanese women.
- To identify factors influencing this knowledge and its relation to body image and eating disorder tendencies.
Main Methods:
- A web-based survey was administered to 984 Japanese women aged 18-29.
- Participants were categorized by Body Mass Index (BMI) into underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), normal weight (18.5-25 kg/m²), and obese (≥25 kg/m²).
- The study compared body image, perceived healthy weight, and knowledge of underweight-related risks across BMI and eating disorder tendency groups.
Main Results:
- 31.5% of participants were underweight, with a majority perceiving underweight as ideal and healthy.
- While awareness of amenorrhea as a risk was high (73.2%), knowledge of infertility, eating disorders, osteoporosis, and adverse pregnancy outcomes was limited.
- Underweight women showed similar risk awareness to normal-weight women, but those with eating disorder tendencies demonstrated greater awareness of osteoporosis and eating disorder risks.
Conclusions:
- Young Japanese women possess inadequate knowledge concerning the adverse pregnancy outcomes linked to being underweight.
- Awareness of health risks associated with being underweight does not differ between underweight and normal-weight women.
- Knowledge of health issues related to being underweight may not significantly influence the body shape perceptions of young women.
Background:
In Japan, approximately 20% of young women are underweight, a rate higher than that of other developed countries. For women, being underweight at a young age has been associated with amenorrhea, eating disorders, osteoporosis, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. We investigated young women's knowledge of these risks and associated factors.
Methods:
A web-based survey was conducted among 984 Japanese women aged 18-29 years. The survey included questions about actual body weight, perceived healthy weight, body image, eating disorder tendency, knowledge of various risks and factors associated with being underweight, and sources of this knowledge. Participants were divided into underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5-25 kg/m2), and obese (≥ 25 kg/m2) groups based on their body mass index (BMI). The body image and knowledge of health risks associated with being underweight were compared across the three groups and with women with and without an eating disorder tendency.
Results:
Among the participants, 31.5% were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2). Of these, 87.4% considered their subjective ideal weight to be underweight, and 66.1% viewed their subjective healthy weight similarly. Underweight women reported greater body satisfaction than did those in other body shape groups. While 73.2% recognized amenorrhea as a risk of being underweight, only approximately half identified infertility, eating disorders, and osteoporosis as risks and associated factors, and few were aware of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Knowledge levels did not differ between underweight and normal-weight women. Conversely, women with a tendency toward an eating disorder were more aware of the risks of osteoporosis (58.6% vs. 49.0%) and eating disorders (66.8% vs. 55.2%) than were women without a tendency toward an eating disorder.
Conclusions:
Young Japanese women had insufficient knowledge about the adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with being underweight. Underweight women are not less aware of the health risks and associated factors associated with underweight than normal-weight women. The body shape of young women may not be influenced by their knowledge of health issues associated with being underweight.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
01:27Signs of Puberty
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:24Obesity
01:12Relative Risk