Prevalence and trends of underweight and BMI distribution changes in Japanese teenagers based on the 2001 National Survey data

Background: Excessive thinness has been glamorized among Japanese adolescent girls, and unhealthy dieting to lose weight has become a popular practice among them. The prevalence of underweight in contemporary Japanese girls in comparison with that of boys, however, remains to be studied.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and trends of underweight in contemporary Japanese teenagers of both sexes using nationally representative cross-sectional data.

Subjects and methods: Underweight was defined as BMI?<?3rd percentile by age and sex of the 1978–1981 reference population as previously reported. These reference values were compared with BMIs of the contemporary population based on the 2001 Cross-sectional National Survey data of Japanese teenagers (215 972 boys and 216 496 girls).

Results: The prevalence of underweight was approximately 2–3% in junior high school students of both sexes, 12.5–14.5 years of age, approximately 3% in senior high school students of both sexes, 15.5–16.5 years of age, and approximately 4% in senior high school students of both sexes, 17.5 years of age.

Conclusion: The prevalence of underweight decreased among Japanese teenage students of both sexes during the past decades. Female preponderance in the prevalence of underweight was not confirmed.     

Age of menopause in Japanese women: trends and recent changes

The age of menopause was investigated in a survey conducted in 1987 in 13,996 Japanese women aged 22-86 years, the findings being as follows: (1) The percentage of post-menopausal women showed a sharp linear increase between the ages of 49 and 53 years, the figure being 42.7% at age 50. The rate of increase was slightly lower after 50 years of age. (2) Among the 6477 post-menopausal women, the age at which the peak number had undergone menopause was 50 years (17.7%), followed by 49, 52 and 48 years. The crude mean age of menopause was 49.33 years in post-menopausal subjects aged over 40. The mean age of menopause in urban and rural women was not significantly different. (3) The crude mean age of menopause, calculated by classifying those aged 50 (born in or before 1937) into groups corresponding to 5-year age intervals, was highest in the 1928-32 birth-year group, followed, in descending order, by the 1923-27, 1918-22, 1917 or earlier and 1933-37 groups in all post-menopausal and in urban subjects, while in rural subjects it was highest in the 1918-22 group. However, overall, the adjusted mean age of menopause was highest (50.2 +/- 3.24 years) in the 1928-32 birth-year group, followed by the 1923-27 and 1933-37 groups.     

Prevalence and incidence of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in Swedish teenagers

In 1987. we studied the prevalence of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in 1112 grade-eight students in the town of Umeå. northern Sweden. The present study IS based on the same cohort, reinvestigated in 1991. We aimed to estimate the changes in the prevalence of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis and to examine some presumed risk factors of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis. A postal questionnaire on present asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, symptoms from the upper and lower airways, and the need for medication was used. Questions about living conditions, smoking and present education were also included. The questionnaire was answered by 89% (990) of the subjects. The prevalence of self-reported asthma was 10.8% (boys 7.9%. girls 13.7%). The incidence rate/year was 1.1%, the remission rate/year was 5.7%, and the relapse rate/year was 10%. The risk factors for developing asthma appeared to be atopy, having a family history of asthma or rhinoconjunctivitis. and smoking. The prevalence of selfreported rhinoconjunctivitis was 14.3% (boys 15.6%, girls 13.1%). The incidence rate/year was 1%, the remission rate/year was 22%, and the relapse rate/year was 11%. Stopping smoking and having no family history of rhinoconjunctivitis or asthma appeared to favor remission in rhinoconjunctivitis.     

The Prevalence of Short Sleep Duration by Industry and Occupation in the National Health Interview Survey

Study Objectives:

To explore whether employment in industries likely to have non-standard work schedules (e.g., manufacturing and service) and occupations with long work-weeks (e.g., managerial/ professional, sales, and transportation) is associated with an increased risk of short sleep duration.

Design:

Cross-sectional epidemiologic survey.

Setting:

Household-based face-to-face survey of civilian, non-institutionalized US residents.

Participants:

Sample adults interviewed for the National Health Interview Survey in 1985 or 1990 (N = 74,734) or between 2004 and 2007 (N = 110,422). Most analyses focused on civilian employed workers interviewed between 2004 and 2007 (N = 66,099).

Interventions:

N/A

Measurements and Results:

The weighted prevalence of self-reported short sleep duration, defined as ≤6 h per day, among civilian employed workers from 2004-2007 was 29.9%. Among industry categories, the prevalence of short sleep duration was greatest for management of companies and enterprises (40.5%), followed by transportation/warehousing (37.1%) and manufacturing (34.8%). Occupational categories with the highest prevalence included production occupations in the transportation/warehousing industry, and installation, maintenance, and repair occupations in both the transportation/warehousing industry and the manufacturing industry. In the combined sample from 1985 and 1990, 24.2% of workers reported short sleep duration; the prevalence of short sleep duration was significantly lower during this earlier time period compared to 2004–2007 for 7 of 8 industrial sectors.

Conclusions:

Self-reported short sleep duration among US workers varies by industry and occupation, and has increased over the past two decades. These findings suggest the need for further exploration of the relationship between work and sleep, and development of targeted interventions for specific industry/occupation groups.

Citation:

Luckhaupt SE; Tak S; Calvert GM. The prevalence of short sleep duration by industry and occupation in the National Health Interview Survey. SLEEP 2010;33(2):149-159     

Prevalence, subtypes, and correlates of DSM-IV conduct disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

BACKGROUND: Prior research indicates that conduct disorder (CD) is associated with a range of co-morbid mental disorders. However, the actual prevalence, subtypes and patterns of co-morbidity of DSM-IV-defined CD in the general US population remains unknown. METHOD: Retrospective assessment of CD and other DSM-IV disorders was conducted using fully structured diagnostic interviews among a nationally representative sample of respondents (n=3199) in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). RESULTS: The estimated lifetime prevalence of CD in the US is 9.5% (12.0% among males and 7.1% among females), with a median age-of-onset of 11.6 (0.2) years. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified five CD subtypes characterized by rule violations, deceit/theft, aggression, severe covert behaviors, and pervasive CD symptoms. A dose-response relationship was revealed between CD subtype severity and risk of subsequent disorders. Results also indicated that CD typically precedes mood and substance use disorders, but most often occurs after impulse control and anxiety disorders. Although both active and remitted CD is associated with increased risk of the subsequent first onset of other mental disorders, remitted CD is associated with significantly lower risk of subsequent disorders. CONCLUSIONS: CD is prevalent and heterogeneous in the US population, and more severe subtypes and the presence of active CD are associated with higher risk of co-morbid disorders. Future prospective studies using general population samples will further inform the nature and course of this disorder.     

Death trends based on autopsy data compared to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil

The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide, especially in Brazil, currently one of the leading countries in number of infections and deaths. The beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil is uncertain due to the low number of tests done in the country. The excess number of deaths can suggest the beginning of the pandemic in this context. In this article, we used an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to investigate possible excesses in the number of deaths processed by the São Paulo Autopsy Service according to different causes of deaths: all-cause, cardiovascular, and pulmonary causes. We calculated the expected number of deaths using data from 2019 to 2020 (n=17,011), and investigated different seasonal patterns using harmonic dynamic regression with Fourier terms with residuals modeled by an ARIMA method. We did not find any abnormalities in the predicted number of deaths and the real values in the first months of 2020. We found an increase in the number of deaths only by March 20, 2020, right after the first COVID-19 confirmed case in the city of São Paulo, which occurred on March 16, 2020.     

性别与BMI对儿童动态足底压力分布的影响

目的 通过比较肥胖儿童和正常儿童男女平地自然行走时的足底压力分布参数以及考察体重指数（body mass index,BMI）与各参数的相关性,探讨性别和BMI对儿童动态足底压力分布的影响。方法 采用0.5 m footscanUSB平板测试系统（RSscan International公司,比利时）对79名儿童自然行走时的步态进行测试,数据采用SPSS16.0进行统计处理。结果（1） 对于肥胖儿童和正常儿童,男女之间大部分的足底压力参数均没有显著性差异;（2） 正常男女儿童足中部与地面冲量的百分比以及在M5、MF和HL等区域的压强峰值出现时间存在显著性差异;（3） BMI与足支撑分期、足中部与地面冲量百分比、T25压强峰值、HM和HL压强峰值出现时间无显著相关性;(4)BMI与其余足底压力分布参数均有良好相关性。结论（1） 性别对肥胖儿童动态足底压力分布没有显著影响,但正常儿童部分动态足底压力分布参数受性别的影响;（2） BMI大的儿童行走的稳定性差,行走效率低;（3） BMI大的儿童行走易疲劳,易引起踝关节等部位损伤。     

Secular trends for takeoff and maximum adolescent growth for eight decades of Japanese cohort data

The presence of secular trends in the onset or takeoff of the adolescent growth spurt and subsequent adolescent growth of Japanese boys and girls were investigated using data published in “The Statistical Report of the School Health Survey” by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan. An optimum kernel regression method was used to derive the biological parameters of the adolescent growth curve. An increasing trend in height at takeoff (i.e., height at the onset of the adolescent growth spurt) and height at peak height velocity (PHV) among Japanese children was evident during the 8 decades covered in this study. Age at PHV (i.e., the timing of the maximum adolescent growth) for each sex has decreased. Age at takeoff (i.e., the timing of the onset of the adolescent growth spurt) has decreased in boys during this century, but was almost constant in girls at about 7.8 years of age. Moreover, the interval between age at takeoff and age at PHV in girls has gradually decreased over this century. Since the birth year 1915, velocity at takeoff for girls was markedly greater than that for boys, whereas peak height velocity for girls was significantly less than that for boys (P < 0.05). Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:702–712, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Prevalence of dominant mutations in Spain: effect of changes in maternal age distribution

We studied the birth prevalence of autosomal dominant mutations in Spain and estimated how a decrease in maternal age distribution may lead to reduction in dominant mutations. The data were collected by the Estudio Colaborativo Espa?ol de Malformaciones Congénitas from April, 1976, to December, 1985. Among 553,270 liveborn infants monitored during the period, 66 infants with autosomal dominant conditions were identified. These included Apert, Crouzon, Hay-Wells, Treacher-Collins, Robinow, Stickler, Adams-Oliver, and the blepharophimosis syndromes, achondroplasia, cleidocranial dysostosis, and thanatophoric dysplasia. The overall rate of autosomal dominant conditions was 1.2 per 10,000 liveborn infants. Thirteen (20%) had an affected relative, and 52 (79%) had a negative family history. One case was excluded because of insufficient family data. The rate of autosomal dominant mutations was 0.9 per 10,000 liveborn infants, or 47 per 1 million gametes. A reduction in the maternal age distribution of mothers age 35 years and older from the current 10.8% to 4.9%, as in Atlanta, Georgia, would reduce the rate of Down syndrome in Spain by 33% and through a change in parternal age distribution may lead to a reduction in dominant mutations of about 9.6%. This suggests that a public health campaign to reduce older maternal age distribution in Spain may also lead to a reduction in dominant mutations and emphasizes the potential that a direct campaign for fathers to complete their families before age 35 years may have a small, but measurable, effect in the primary prevention of dominant mutations.     

Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Children Based on Data From the 2008-2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Population-based studies of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korean children are lacking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, geographic distribution, and risk factors of AD in the Korean pediatric population. We examined AD prevalence using data from the 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which was a cross-sectional survey of 8,947 children up to age 18 throughout the country. Overall, 13.50% of children reported a diagnosis of AD. The age-standardized prevalence ranged from 9.13% to 17.67% between cities and provinces, with the highest prevalence-observed in many of the larger cities at low latitudes, as well as Jeju-do. After adjusting for confounders, high economic status was found to be a significant factor for predicting increased prevalence of AD, with an odds ratio of 1.35 (95% confidence interval of 1.02-1.79, P=0.0034). Urban living (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval of 1.00-1.53, P=0.0526) was also associated with a higher prevalence of AD. In this first large scale, nationwide study in Korean children, we found that the overall prevalence of AD depends on age, household income, and geographic distribution.     

Prevalence of Osteoporosis in the Korean Population Based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2008-2011

Purpose

We analyzed age-related changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and compared with those of U.S and Japanese participants to investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis in Korea.

Materials and Methods

The data were collected in the 2008-2011 in Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) IV and V to select a representative sample of civilian, noninstitutionalized South Korean population. Bone mineral measurements were obtained from 8332 men and 9766 women aged 10 years and older.

Results

BMD in men continued to decline from 3rd decade, however, in women, BMD remained nearly constant until the 4th decade and declined at rapid rate from the 5th decade. The prevalence of osteoporosis in Korea is 7.3% in males and 38.0% in females aged 50 years and older. The prevalence of osteopenia in Korea is 46.5% in males and 48.7% in females, aged 50 years and older. The lumbar spine and femur BMD in Korean females 20 to 49 years of ages was lower than in U.S. and Japan participants.

Conclusion

There was obvious gender, and age differences in the BMD based on the 2008-2011 KNHANES IV and V, a nationwide, cross-sectional survey conducted in a South Korean population. We expect to be able to estimate reference data through ongoing KNHANES efforts in near future.     

男性青少年群体X线片手腕部骨骺融合程度推断其年龄的研究

目的根据手腕部骨骺融合程度推断男性青少年年龄。方法利用X线拍片法对中山大学中山医学院法医学系骨龄鉴定室281名15~19周岁涉案男性青少年拍摄左手手腕部后前位X线片,选取与年龄变化关系密切的16项骨骺融合指标,并用CHN法进行手腕部骨龄评价,同时对其进行分级、评分,用SPSS17软件进行统计学处理,建立了在手腕部用一个部位多关节骨骺融合程度推断男性青少年年龄的多元回归方程。结果骨龄大于自报年龄0.28岁,选取了其中2个复相关系数最高(r=0.946和r=0.944),且标准误最低(SE=0.340和SE=0.340)的多元回归方程用于判定男性青少年的年龄。结论根据手腕部关节的骨骺融合情况综合评价判定男性青少年的年龄,可提高年龄判定的准确性;利用本方程可推断国人15~19周岁男性青少年的活体年龄。     

Return of depressed men: changes in distribution of depression and symptom cases in Norway between 1990 and 2001

BACKGROUND: Women's elevated risk of depression compared to men is a common finding in psychiatric epidemiology. Studies conducted in the 1950s and 1970s, however, documented approximately equal prevalence of sex rates. AIM: This study investigated changes in depression rates between 1990 and 2001 in Norway. Further, differences in severity were examined between men and women. METHOD: A study population (later to be called OsLof) was established in 1990, supplemented in 2001, and analysed as two cross-sectional datasets to compare sex and age differences in ICD-10 diagnoses and HSCL-25> or =1.75 caseness. Organic depression and the DSM-IV Major Depressive Episode were also examined in 2001. RESULTS: There was no significant change in the prevalence of depression or HSCL-25 caseness from 1990 to 2001. However, a major shift in prevalence occurred over time within the 18-34 year old age category with significantly higher rates among younger men (1% to 10%) and lowered rates among younger women (10% to 4%). Among persons depressed, no significant differences were found for severity between the sexes. LIMITATIONS: A selection of healthier participants than found in the source population might have resulted in lower prevalence than real. CONCLUSION: There was no indication of an overall increase in depression from 1990 to 2001, neither by diagnosis nor by symptom checklist scores. However, a major shift in prevalence occurred within the 18-34 year old age category with significantly higher rates among younger men and lowered rates among younger women. No sex differences existed in terms of severity of depression.