Population-based waist circumference reference values in Japanese children (0–6 years): comparisons with Dutch, Swedish and Turkish preschool children

Abstract

BackgroundDuring 1978–1981 the Japanese Standards Association conducted a national survey to collect 64 distinct body measurements for Japanese children and adults. During 1978–1981, the prevalence of childhood obesity was relatively low yet the population was well nourished in Japanese children. The aim of this study is to construct waist circumference and waist circumference to stature ratio reference centile curves for Japanese preschool children.MethodsWe utilized 1978–1981 national survey data on body sizes. There are 4937 boys and 4758 girls age 0–6 years for waist circumference measurements. Waist circumference was measured at the level of the umbilicus. Using LMS method, centile curves were constructed for waist circumference and waist circumference to stature ratio. These reference values were compared with those of Dutch, Swedish and Turkish children.ResultsCentile reference curves were made for clinical and epidemiological use. Japanese children had smaller waist circumference centile values as compared to waist circumference measured at the midpoint of the lowest rib cage and the iliac crest of Dutch, Swedish and Turkish children. However, Japanese children had comparable waist circumference to stature ratio centile values to those of Dutch and Turkish children.ConclusionsThis study presents the first age-, sex-, and ethnicity-specific reference values for waist circumference and waist circumference to stature ratio in Japanese preschool children.

Secular changes in the waist, hips circumferences and selected associated indicators, among preschool children from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2018

“…Moreover, circumference measurements are quite simple to obtain and inexpensive, which makes them a great tool to use during field studies, including large groups of children (Rönnecke et al, 2019). It should also be mentioned, that data regarding the described parameters in children below the age of 6 is less extensive, compared to studies in older groups, which further validates the need for more research on this topic (Inokuchi et al, 2021).…”

Obesity in children and adolescents: epidemiology, causes, assessment, and management

“…9 For waist circumference there are regional and international growth references allowing adjustment for age and sex. 10 , 11 , 12 A waist-to-height ratio of more than 0·5 is increasingly used as an indicator of abdominal adiposity in clinical and research studies, with no need for a comparison reference. 13 …”

Population-based references for waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip and waist-to-height ratios for children and adolescents, and evaluation of their predictive ability

“…Moreover, a decrease in WC was the main predictor of regression of left ventricular hypertrophy and subclinical arterial injury in hypertensive children [12]. Although WC reference percentiles are available in many countries [13][14][15], only a few cover the age range from preschool to adolescence [16][17][18]. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), as a measure of central obesity, is also useful in predicting cardiovascular risk factors in both children and adults [19,20].…”