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Eating habits, activity, lipids and body mass index in Japanese children: the Shiratori Children Study
Insights
Japanese children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Childhood Obesity
- Cardiovascular Health in Children
Background:
- Dietary habits and physical activity levels are crucial determinants of children's health.
- Understanding these factors in diverse populations like Japanese children is essential for public health initiatives.
- Previous research indicates a link between lifestyle factors and lipid profiles in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the eating habits and physical activity of 10-year-old Japanese children.
- To examine the associations between diet, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and lipid profiles.
- To investigate the relationship between BMI and lipid parameters in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 457 fifth-grade children (10 years old) in Shiratori, Japan (1992-1994).
- Data collected via physical examinations and questionnaires assessing diet and physical activity.
- Analysis of eating habits, physical activity levels, BMI, and serum lipid concentrations (cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides).
Main Results:
- Children consumed a mixed diet of Japanese and Western foods; boys were more active than girls.
- Higher physical activity correlated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).
- Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) was associated with unfavorable lipid profiles (higher cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides; lower HDL-C).
- Elevated rice intake showed a positive association with BMI, potentially indicating an early obesity risk.
Conclusions:
- The study revealed Westernized diets and low physical activity among 10-year-old Japanese children.
- Obese children (BMI > 20) exhibited poorer lipid profiles compared to non-obese peers.
- High rice consumption may serve as an early indicator for future obesity in this population.
Objective:
To describe the eating habits and physical activity of Japanese children aged 10 y, and to investigate their relationship to lipids and body mass index (BMI); also to study the relationship between BMI and lipids in these children.
Design:
This was a cross-sectional study conducted at six schools in Shiratori, Japan during 1992-1994. Physical examinations and questionnaires were used to collect data from 457 fifth grade children, aged 10 y.
Results:
The diet of these children was mixed, with Japanese and Western foods almost equally reported. Boys were more active than girls. More active children had higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and children who ate a more Japanese diet had slightly lower HDL-C. BMI was positively related to cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and inversely related to HDL-C. The amount of rice intake was positively associated with the BMI of these children.
Conclusion:
In our study of Japanese children aged 10 y, their diets were fairly Westernized, and most children were fairly inactive based on our activity score. Although obesity is low in these young Japanese subjects (14.1%), children who were obese (BMI>20) had worse lipid profiles than those who were not obese. An exceptionally high rice intake was associated with obesity, and thus may be an early warning sign for future obesity.