Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted to compare the health consideration and defecation tendencies for Nursery School children and their parents living in Osaka (546, 425 and 465, respectively), Nara (248, 226 and 233, respectively), and Kanagawa (171, 108 and 147, respectively).
1) For infants, their food habits to be sufficient to maintain their health were 79% in Osaka, 69% in Nara, and 68% in Kanagawa (p<0.05 in infants of three regions). Consideration about food habits of mothers were higher than fathers in Osaka (p<0.001).
2) Knowledge about food intake requirements for infants were in the order of 61% in Osaka, 56% in Kanagawa, and 51% in Nara (p<0.05 in infants of three regions). Consideration about food habits of mothers were higher than fathers of the three regions (p<0.001 in Osaka, and p<0.01 in Nara).
3) Infants who do not miss the three regular meals were 86% in Osaka, 82% in Nara, 76% in Kanagwa. The frequency of skipping meals of fathers (between 17% and 24% of often miss) were higher than mothers (between 4% and 12% of often miss) in the three regions (p<0.001 in Osaka and Nara, and p<0.05 in Kanagawa).
4) The percentages of those with regular bowel movements every day of infants, were 71% in Osaka, 61% in Nara and 63% in Kanagawa, and bowel movements of less than three times a week were reported by 4%, 9% and 7% in Osaka, Nara and Kanagawa, respectively (p<0.05 in infants of three regions). Bowel movements of less than three times a week were of parents were 4% and 13% in Osaka, 12% and 18% in Nara and 6% and 16% in Kanagawa, respectively (p<0.001 in fathers of three regions, respectively). Defecation frequencies of mothers were lower than fathers, of the three regions (p<0.001, respectively).
