Abstract
BackgroundAbnormal body weight, dietary concerns, and unhealthy weight loss behaviors are increasingly being observed in young females in Japan. Our previous research has shown that the irregular lifestyles of female Japanese and Chinese students are significantly related to their desire to be thinner. In the present study, we compare the food habits and body shape preferences of female university students in South Korea and Japan to explore body shape perceptions in those populations.MethodsA total of 265 female university students aged 19 – 25 years participated in this study. University students in Korea (n = 141) and university students in Japan (n = 124) completed a self-reported questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the demographic characteristics of the students and parametric variables were analyzed using the Student's t-test. Chi-square analyses were conducted for non-parametric variables.ResultsComparison of body mass index (BMI) distributions in Japan and Korea showed the highest value in the normal category (74%) together with a very low obesity rate (1.2%). Significant differences were observed between the two countries in terms of eating patterns, with more Japanese eating breakfast daily and with Japanese students eating meals more regularly than Korean students. A difference was also observed in frequency of meals, where Korean students reported eating meals two times per day (59%) and the majority of Japanese students reported eating meals three times per day (81%). Although most subjects belonged to the normal BMI category, their ideal BMI classification was the underweight category (BMI: 18.4 ± 3.4).ConclusionFew studies have compared the health related practices of Japanese and Korean university students. The present results suggest the necessity of nutrition and health promotion programs for university students, especially programs emphasizing weight management.
Highlights
Abnormal body weight, dietary concerns, and unhealthy weight loss behaviors are increasingly being observed in young females in Japan
The findings of the present study show that body mass index (BMI) distributions of female students in both Japan and Korea have the highest values in the normal BMI category, together with very low obesity rates
In terms of eating patterns, significant differences were observed between the two countries, with more Japanese students reporting eating meals regularly and eating breakfast daily than Korean students
Summary
Dietary concerns, and unhealthy weight loss behaviors are increasingly being observed in young females in Japan. Our previous research has shown that the irregular lifestyles of female Japanese and Chinese students are significantly related to their desire to be thinner. We compare the food habits and body shape preferences of female university students in South Korea and Japan to explore body shape perceptions in those populations. Incidence of metabolic syndrome is more than 15% in South Korea despite a low prevalence of obesity [2]. We studied the health related attitudes and body shape perceptions of female Japanese and Chinese university students and compared them with those of other Asian populations [3,4]. Our results showed that despite a very low prevalence of overweight students, the majority of female subjects in both countries have a desire to be thinner
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