Abstract
In the first part of a prospective cohort research project studying prevention of adult diseases from childhood, we investigated 1,007 preschool children born between June 1, 1990 and May 31, 1991, who live in Shanghai, China. The results of this study were as follows: the average height of these children was 98.6±4.5 (cm); the average weight was 15.0±1.8 (kg); the coefficient of correlation between the obesity index of the children and their father's and mother's BMI (Body Mass Index) was 0.16 and 0.15, respectively. These valves were significant, despite being relatively low. Almost all of the children studied (99.5%) had fixed meal-times ; 68% slept more than 10 hours a day ; 74% had bowel movements once a day ; 96% had a regular defecation time ; these practices and other life style factors in these children were well established. A positive relationship was identified between the amount of milk and other dairy products consumed and the obesity index, suggesting that obesity in children is influenced by life style.
