Obesity & Body Weight in Japanese Children
Obesity Study Aim
Investigate tracking of body weight from childhood to adulthood in obese
Japanese children who were treated for obesity. Investigate the relation
between the changes in body weight status and morbidity, and identify
correlates of the changes in body weight status. Twelve-year retrospective
cohort study.
Obesity Study Subjects
A sample of 276 subjects (176 males and 100 females) who responded to
a questionnaire mailed in 1998 to 1047 children (age 10.6±2.2)
treated for obesity at Mie National Hospital in Japan between 1976 and
1992.
Obesity Study Measurements
Based on height and weight from medical records during childhood, the
relative weight (RW; weight expressed as a percentage of the standard
body weight for age, height, and sex) was calculated. Degrees of childhood
obesity were based on RW: slight obesity, moderate obesity, and severe
obesity. Adult body mass index (BMI), which was obtained from the mailed
questionnaires, was classified as normal, overweight and obese according
to the WHO/NIH criteria. Body weight tracking by degree of obesity was
evaluated. Subjects with severe obesity during childhood were examined
for their weight status in adulthood, prevalence of chronic diseases in
adulthood, and factors such as parental obesity, dietary and exercise
habits and obesity treatment during childhood.
Obesity Study Results
Childhood obesity tracked into adulthood obesity or overweight in 54.7%
of all cases. Severely obese children (36.7%) were more likely to be obese
as an adult than moderately obese children (16.8%). The prevalence of
adult obesity tended to be greater in boys with moderate childhood obesity
than in girls (29.7% in boys vs. 14.9% in girls). Among the severely obese
children who became normal-weight adults, the prevalence of chronic diseases
was about one-fifth of those who remained obese in adulthood. Four factors
were associated with changes in body weight status: maternal BMI at entry,
the changes in dietary and exercise habits after treatment, and satisfaction
with obesity treatment in childhood.
Obesity Study Conclusion
Severely obese children have a higher risk of becoming obese adults even
when they received obesity treatment in childhood. The risk of adulthood
obesity was twice as high in moderately obese boys than in girls. On the
other hand, many cases of childhood obesity can be corrected with obesity
treatment, which in turn can decrease the risk for adult chronic diseases.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(2002)
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