[Nihon kōshū eisei zasshi] Japanese journal of public health
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Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi · Jun 2013
[The effects of age, period, and birth cohorts on the rates of overweight and underweight students in 1977-2006 and a prediction of the rates in 2007-2016].
The increase in the overweight or underweight student population in Japanese schools is an important health issue. To assess the independent effects of age, period, and birth cohorts, we analyzed trends in the rates of overweight and underweight students from 1977 to 2006 using a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Additionally, we predicted the rates overweight and underweight students in 2007-2016. ⋯ The rate of overweight and underweight students was strongly influenced by age; however, period and birth cohort also played a role. The projections for the rates of overweight and underweight students indicated a steady trend until 2016. These results suggest that strategies based on age-, period-, and cohort-specific measures may be required for future interventions for preventing overweight and underweight among students.