Abstract
In order to evaluate the characteristics of fatigue symptoms and their association with the life style and the health status, we examined using data accumulated by the longitudinal surveys from 1992 to 1998, in 118 six-year primary school children and 129 second-year junior high school children. The complaints of “Drowsiness and dullness”, such as “Become drowsy” (71 %), “Give a yawn”(59%) and “ Want to lie down”(51 %), respectively, were most frequently observed. The proportion of these complaints was high before the first morning class, but decreased when the children leave school. Notably, the complaints of “Difficulty in concentration” annually have increased. Children with undesirable eating habits, particularly those who often eat salty foods, or poor life style, such as staying up late at night tended to have more complaints of fatigue symptoms. By correlation analysis, these complaints were significantly related to the obesity degree, blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and atherogenic index. These results support the hypothesis that fatigue symptoms increase or are associated with life style and health status. Consequently, it is necessary to improve the life style such as dietary habits and rhythm of life for the reduction of fatigue symptom. J Epidemiol, 2000 ; 10 : 241-248.
