Small, yet Steady Secular Gain in Height and Weight of School Children in the City of Sendai in Past 15 Years

HARUO NAKATSUKA; MARIKO OHASHI; TAKAO WATANABE; MASAYUKI IKEDA

doi:10.1620/tjem.156.341

HARUO NAKATSUKA, MARIKO OHASHI, TAKAO WATANABE, MASAYUKI IKEDA

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Keywords: height, Quetlet's index, Rohrer's index, secular trend, weight

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1988 Volume 156 Issue 4 Pages 341-350

DOI https://doi.org/10.1620/tjem.156.341

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Published: 1988 Received: September 16, 1988 Available on J-STAGE: August 31, 2006 Accepted: October 18, 1988 Advance online publication: - Revised: -
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Date of correction: August 31, 2006 Reason for correction: - Correction: ABSTRACT Details: Wrong : NAKATSUKA, H., OHASHI, M., WATANABE, T. and IKEDA, M. Small, yet Steady Secular Gain in Height and Weight of School Children in the City of Sendai in Past 15 Years. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1988, 156 (4), 341-350 - Secular changes in height and weight of primary (6th year grade) and junior high (3rd year grade) school children in the city of Sendai during the period of 1973 to 1987 were analyzed in comparison with the counterpart changes in Miyagi prefecture and all Japan. The regression analysis revealed that there was a linear relationship between the year of examination and the measures of height and weight both in boys and girls of primary and junior high schools. The secular gain was very steady, but the annual gain was small, i.e., about one third to one sixth of the counterpart value in 1960-1964 when the secular gain was the largest. Such reduction in secular gain is apparently common throughout the country. Rohrer's and Quetlet's indices stayed essentially unchanged throughout the 15 year study period among the school children in Sendai, in Miyagi and in Japan.
Right : Secular changes in height and weight of primary (6th year grade) and junior high (3rd year grade) school children in the city of Sendai during the period of 1973 to 1987 were analyzed in comparison with the counterpart changes in Miyagi prefecture and all Japan. The regression analysis revealed that there was a linear relationship between the year of examination and the measures of height and weight both in boys and girls of primary and junior high schools. The secular gain was very steady, but the annual gain was small, i.e., about one third to one sixth of the counterpart value in 1960-1964 when the secular gain was the largest. Such reduction in secular gain is apparently common throughout the country. Rohrer's and Quetlet's indices stayed essentially unchanged throughout the 15 year study period among the school children in Sendai, in Miyagi and in Japan.

Date of correction: August 31, 2006 Reason for correction: - Correction: CITATION Details: Wrong : 1) Danker, H., Thiel, P. & Tsiakalos. (1981) Untersuchungen zur Bevölkerungsbiologie Norddeutchlands. 2. Vergleichende Wachstumsuntersuchungen an Schulkindern in Bremen und der ländlichen Umgebung. Anthrop. Anzeiger, 39, 81-95. (German with English abstract)
2) Iizuka, T., Himaru, T., Nagata, A., Nakanishi, M., Iwasaki, Y. & Isokawa, M. (1980) Nippon Jin no Tairyoku Hyojun Chi (Physical Fitness Standards of Japanese People), 3rd ed., Fumaido Publishers, Tokyo, pp. 322-325, and 333-335. (Japanese)
3) Ikeda, M. & Watanabe, T. (1985) Constant growth of primary school children throughout four seasons of year. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 145, 413-418.
4) Ikeda, M., Watanabe, T., Koizumi, A., Kumai, M. & Fujita, H. (1983) Growth deceleration in Japanese schoolchildren with special reference to those in the city of Sendai. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 139, 113-119.
5) Kondo, S., Takahashi, E., Kato, K., Takahashi, S. & Ikeda, M. (1978) Secular trends in height and weight of Japanese pupils. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 126, 203-213.
6) Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Government of Japan. (1974-1988) Gakko Hoken Tokeichosa Hokokusho (School Health Statistics), published annually. Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, Tokyo. (Japanese)
7) Ministry of Health and Welfare (1975, 1980, 1985, 1988) Kokumin Eiyo no Genjo (Nutritional Status of Japanese People), Dai-ichi Shuppan Press, Tokyo. (Japanese)
8) Moriyama, M., Kashiwazaki, H. & Suzuki, T. (1977) A secular trend in age at menarche in Sendai city and its surroundings. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 123, 393-394.
9) Moriyama, M., Kashiwazaki, H. & Suzuki, T. (1980) A secular trend in age at menarche in Japan. Jap. J. Health hum. Ecology, 46, 22-32. (Japanese with English abstract)
10) Ravussin, E., Lillioja, S., Knowler, W.C., Christin, L., Freymond, D., Abbott, W.G.H., Boyce, V., Howard, B.V. & Bogardus, C. (1988) Reduced rate of energy expenditure as a risk factor for body-weight gain. N. Engl. J. Med., 318, 467-472.
11) Shear, C.L., Freeman, D.S., Burke, G.L., Harsha, D.W., Webber, L.S. & Berenson, G.S. (1988) Secular trends of obesity in early life: The Bogalusa heart study. Amer. J. publ. Health, 78, 75-77.

Right : 1) Danker, H., Thiel, P. & Tsiakalos. (1981) Untersuchungen zur Bevölkerungsbiologie Norddeutchlands. 2. Vergleichende Wachstumsuntersuchungen an Schulkindern in Bremen und der ländlichen Umgebung. Anthrop. Anzeiger, 39, 81-95. (German with English abstract)
2) Iizuka, T., Himaru, T., Nagata, A., Nakanishi, M., Iwasaki, Y. & Isokawa, M. (1980) Nippon Jin no Tairyoku Hyojun Chi (Physical Fitness Standards of Japanese People), 3rd ed., Fumaido Publishers, Tokyo, pp. 322-325, and 333-335. (Japanese)
3) Ikeda, M. & Watanabe, T. (1985) Constant growth of primary school children throughout four seasons of year. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 145, 413-418.
4) Ikeda, M., Watanabe, T., Koizumi, A., Kumai, M. & Fujita, H. (1983) Growth deceleration in Japanese schoolchildren with special reference to those in the city of Sendai. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 139, 113-119.
5) Kondo, S., Takahashi, E., Kato, K., Takahashi, S. & Ikeda, M. (1978) Secular trends in height and weight of Japanese pupils. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 126, 203-213.
6) Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Government of Japan. (1974-1988) Gakko Hoken Tokeichosa Hokokusho (School Health Statistics), published annually. Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, Tokyo. (Japanese)
7) Ministry of Health and Welfare (1975, 1980, 1985, 1988) Kokumin Eiyo no Genjo (Nutritional Status of Japanese People), Dai-ichi Shuppan Press, Tokyo. (Japanese)
8) Moriyama, M., Kashiwazaki, H. & Suzuki, T. (1977) A secular trend in age at menarche in Sendai city and its surroundings. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 123, 393-394.
9) Moriyama, M., Kashiwazaki, H. & Suzuki, T. (1980) A secular trend in age at menarche in Japan. Jap. J. Health hum. Ecology, 46, 22-32. (Japanese with English abstract)
10) Ravussin, E., Lillioja, S., Knowler, W. C., Christin, L., Freymond, D., Abbott, W. G. H., Boyce, V., Howard, B. V. & Bogardus, C. (1988) Reduced rate of energy expenditure as a risk factor for body-weight gain. N. Engl. J. Med., 318, 467-472.
11) Shear, C. L., Freeman, D. S., Burke, G. L., Harsha, D. W., Webber, L. S. & Berenson, G. S. (1988) Secular trends of obesity in early life: The Bogalusa heart study. Amer. J. publ. Health, 78, 75-77.

Date of correction: August 31, 2006 Reason for correction: - Correction: PDF FILE Details: -

Abstract

Secular changes in height and weight of primary (6th year grade) and junior high (3rd year grade) school children in the city of Sendai during the period of 1973 to 1987 were analyzed in comparison with the counterpart changes in Miyagi prefecture and all Japan. The regression analysis revealed that there was a linear relationship between the year of examination and the measures of height and weight both in boys and girls of primary and junior high schools. The secular gain was very steady, but the annual gain was small, i.e., about one third to one sixth of the counterpart value in 1960-1964 when the secular gain was the largest. Such reduction in secular gain is apparently common throughout the country. Rohrer's and Quetlet's indices stayed essentially unchanged throughout the 15 year study period among the school children in Sendai, in Miyagi and in Japan.

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