Abstract
Aim : To highlight the current status of obesity prevention among preschool children in Japan and to clarify the future research tasks related to this topic. Methods : A literature search was conducted in the Japanese Central Review of Medicine, NII Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator, and PubMed by using the key words "preschool children," "obesity," and "prevention." Twenty-two research papers published between 2000 and 2009 were selected as the target articles in this study. Results : There are only a few studies that investigate obesity prevention among preschool children. These studies employed various screening methods and diagnostic modalities. The settings in most of these studies were local health centers, but the public health nurses working at these centers did not adequately study the prevention of childhood obesity. The risk factors of obesity among preschool children included lifestyle, parents' attitude, and heredity. Because many of these studies were cross sectional, the relation between cause and effect was not clear. Discussion : The following three measures were required for obesity prevention among preschool children: (1) conducting research to standardize criterion for obesity among preschool children, (2) conducting research to examine opportunities and settings for intervention, and (3) performing cohort studies or randomized clinical trials including the risk factors of childhood obesity pointed out in not only previous Japanese studies but also overseas ones.
