Systematic Review of the Frequency of "Thinness" among Children and Adolescents in Japan

DOI Web Site 5 Citations 50 References Open Access
  • Kaneda Fumi
    Division of Health and Nutrition Monitoring, National Institute of Health and Nutrition
  • Sugano Sachiko
    Miyazaki Prefectural Nursing University
  • Sano Ayami
    Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima
  • Nishida Misa
    Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan
  • Yoshiike Nobuo
    Division of Health and Nutrition Monitoring, National Institute of Health and Nutrition
  • Yamamoto Shigeru
    Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 我が国の子どもにおける「やせ」の現状：系統的レビュー
  • ワガクニ ノ コドモ ニ オケル ヤセ ノ ゲンジョウ ケイトウテキ レビュー
  • 系統的レビュー

Search this article

Description

The increasing prevalence of females with BMI of less than 18.5 throughout the past two decades has been emphasized by the National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and some experts have expressed concern that it is getting more prevalent among the younger generation. However, no previous study has systematically looked into this matter, so in order to identify the frequency of “thinness” in children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years, and factors associated with such conditions (i.e., the desire for thinness, unhealthy dieting, etc), we systematically reviewed articles published in Japan from 1995 to 2002 by retrieving major journals and through the “ICHU-SHI” electronic database.<br>A total of 21 studies was included in this review, and excluding one cohort study, all of them were cross-sectional studies, 19 out of 21 concerning adolescents. A quantitative analysis of the combined data to evaluate the overall frequency of “thinness” was not possible due to inconsistent standards. However, girls were more likely than boys to possess “desire for thinness” and “misconceived body image”, and more girls than boys were engaged in “dieting.” Corresponding studies in this review have reported that the psychophysiological risks would increase as the frequency of “thinness” and “unhealthy dieting” increased, so it is urgent to establish an effective intervention program to educate younger people about the importance of a healthy diet.

Journal

Citations (5)*help

See more

References(50)*help

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top