Relationships between ideal figure, lifestyle habits, physical activity and self-rated health in Japanese female healthcare students [post]

Makoto Ohtsuki, Yusuke Wakasugi, Takuhiro Narukawa, Shunsuke Uehara, Takeshi Ohkubo
2020 unpublished
Background Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective perception of an individual's overall health, is widely used in public health. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a critical period, with significant changes in lifestyle and dietary habits. It is therefore important to understand the self-rated health of young Japanese women. The aim of this study to provide basic data on the epidemiological features of SRH in female students of healthcare subjects, including their recognition
more » ... of appropriate physique, lifestyle habits, and levels of physical activity. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a total of 1101 female students of healthcare subjects in Japan. Body mass index was calculated from body height and weight using data from periodic health examinations, and lifestyle habits, physical activity, and self-rated health were self-reported using several previously-validated scales. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between self-rated health and scores for lifestyle habits and physical activity, adjusting for grade and smoking. Results The odds ratio of poor/fair self-rated health was 1.87 (95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.13–3.24) for lower vs higher levels of activity, 5.38 (3.59–8.10) for those with vs. without insomnia, and 0.44 (0.28–0.69) for the group who wanted to be thin, rather than those whose ideal weight was standard. Conclusions Young women tend to want to be thin, so it is important to provide health education that will help them to understand appropriate weight on a medical basis, and prevent health problems caused by the inappropriate idealization of thinness.
doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-37289/v1 fatcat:yezu2r4fqbctlaxzhppqzdob2u