Criteria for medical intervention in obese children: A new definition of ‘Obesity disease’ in Japanese children

Abstract

The Committee of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity reported the new criteria for 'obesity disease' for Japanese adults in 2000. We defined the criteria for the diagnosis of obesity in children with medical problems, corresponding to the 'obesity disease' criteria in adults. Obesity in childhood was defined as follows: percentage of overweight (POW) and body fat exceeded the criteria. 'Obesity disease in childhood' was defined as obesity associated with health or medical problems, and with indications for medical intervention. Medical problems with indications for immediate intervention were grouped as A problems, which consisted of (i). hypertension; (ii). sleep apnea or hypoventilation; (iii). Type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance; and (iv). increased waist circumference or accumulation of visceral adipose tissue. Metabolic derangements or equivalent associated with obesity were grouped as B problems: (i). liver dysfunction; (ii). hyperinsulinemia; (iii). hypercholesterolemia; (iv). hypertriglyceridemia; (v). low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; (vi). acanthosis nigricans, and (vii). hyperuricemia. Obese children over 5 years of age with following conditions were diagnosed as 'obesity disease in childhood': (i). any 'A problem', (ii) POW >or= 50% and any 'B problem', or (3) POW < 50% and more than one 'B problem' or equivalent. We decided to take physicosocial problems related to obesity into consideration as the criteria. The resultant criteria are proposed by the Committee for Research of Appropriate Body Build in Children*.

Lower Birth Weight Associated with Current Overweight Status Is Related with the Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Japanese Children

“…POW was calculated based on the standard body weight of Japanese children published in 1990 by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (13,14). Waist and hip circumferences were measured to the nearest 1 mm.…”

Obesity in Korean pre-adolescent school children: comparison of various anthropometric measurements based on bioelectrical impedance analysis

“…2 Percentage-weight-for-height (PWH) has been commonly used in several countries including Korea for the screening of obesity in children. 3,4 It measures an individual's weight as a function of his/her desirable weight, which is based on population-specific, reference values.…”

CCL2 level is elevated with metabolic syndrome and CXCL10 level is correlated with visceral fat area in obese children

“…Normal weight date based on age-and sex-specific standard body weights for height were obtained from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Theoretically, POW that is unique to Japan is not influenced by height, therefore it is a highly useful index for longitudinal studies and has been widely used in school health checkups to evaluate children's weight periodically [22,23]. Among 44 obese subject, 22 (14 boys and 8 girls) met the Japan criteria for mild to moderate obesity (POW up to 50%), 22 obese subjects (11 boys and 11 girls) for morbidly obesity (POW ≥50%).…”