Association between Lower Food Consumption and Body Mass Index in Young Japanese Women

Aim: For Japanese women, weight is an important issue since obesity and anorexia are increasing. Therefore, for establishing a dietary education program, we need to grasp the current situation to analyze dietary intake, body mass index, and complaints among young females.

Methods: The survey included 439 female university students in Tokyo, Japan, who provided informed consent. The population included 423 students (mean age: 19.6 ± 1.4); 16 students did not complete a survey. The subjects were asked to complete a dietary intake questionnaire (i.e., food frequency questionnaire with 82-food items) and self-completed lifestyle questionnaires. The Sagami Women’s University Ethics Committee approved this study.

Results: A total of 423 women were recruited with an average body mass index ± standard deviation of 20.7 ± 2.4. The distributions of the body mass index <18.5, 18.5 ≤ body mass index ≧ 19.9, and body mass index ≥ 25.0 were 15.6%, 26.6%, and 5.0%, respectively. The average number of complaints was 2.8 per subject. In the mentally alert group, consumption of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber at breakfast (p<0.01), energy intake at breakfast, iron intake at dinner, as well as consumption of potassium, calcium, and magnesium during the day (p<0.05) were significant.

Conclusion: This cross-sectional study highlighted a population at risk of health impairment due to deficiencies in the body mass index, energy intake, and nutrient intake. The results also indicated the association between breakfast intake and complaints.