Characteristic lifestyles in 6-year-old children with obese parents: Results of the toyama birth cohort study

Michikazu Sekine*, Takashi Yamagami, Tomohiro Saito, Seiichiro Nanri, Katsuhiko Kawaminami, Noritaka Tokui, Katsumi Yoshida, Sadanobu Kagamimori

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify characteristic lifestyles in children with obese parents. Methods: 8,030 children (4,072 males and 3,958 females) aged 6 to 7 years were investigated. A questionnaire relating to the lifestyles of children was distributed through elementary schools for completion by parents. The heights and weights of parents were self-reported. A parent with a body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) greater than the 90th percentile for gender (26.7 kg/m2 for fathers and 24.3 kg/m2 for mothers) was defined as an obese parent. A chi-square test for each trend was applied to evaluate an increasing trend in the frequency or level of each lifestyle in children with obese parents. Results: Children with obese parents were significantly associated with increasing trends in the proportions categorized by irregular intake of breakfast, faster eating, longer TV watching, and shorter sleeping hours. Conclusions: These lifestyles are considered to be possible risk factors for the development of obesity. These characteristic lifestyles observed in children with obese parents could strengthen the relationship between child and parental body compositions, in addition to the genetic predisposition to obesity in children with obese parents. These findings indicate that education with lifestyle modification for obese parents will be required to prevent further weight gain in children with obese parents.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)104-108
Number of pages5
JournalEnvironmental Health and Preventive Medicine
Volume6
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001/07

Keywords

  • children
  • lifestyle
  • obesity
  • parent
  • the Toyama Study

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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