Changes in the effects of living with no siblings or living with grandparents on overweight and obesity in children: Results from a national cohort study in Japan

<div><p>Effects of living without siblings and living with grandparents on overweight and obesity may change with child’s age. We aimed to examine these effects from early childhood to school age at the national level in Japan. Subjects were 43,046 children born in Japan during two weeks in 2001 who were followed annually from 2.5 to 13 years of age in the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21^st Century. We used measured body height and weight reported by participants at each survey and followed the criteria of the International Obesity Task Force to define overweight and obesity. Random-effects logit models by sex, adjusted for time-varying and time-invariant covariates, assessed odds ratios of overweight and obesity for living without siblings and for living with grandparents at each age. The likelihood of overweight and obesity was significantly higher at 8 years and older among children living without siblings, compared with those living with siblings, and odds ratios were highest at 11 years of age in boys (1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49, 2.33) and at 10 and 13 years of age in girls (1.75 [95% CI: 1.36, 2.23] and 1.73 [95% CI: 1.30, 2.31], respectively). It was also significantly higher at 5.5 years and older among children living with grandparents, compared with those living without grandparents, and odds ratios were highest at 10 and 13 years of age in boys (1.53 [95% CI: 1.30, 1.80] and 1.54 [95% CI: 1.27, 1.86], respectively) and at 11 years of age in girls (1.51, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.84). In Japan, living without siblings and living with grandparents may increase the likelihood of overweight and obesity at 8 and 5.5 years and older, respectively. Child’s age should be considered during formulation of strategies for prevention of overweight and obesity in these groups.</p></div

Changes in the effects of living with no siblings or living with grandparents on overweight and obesity in children: Results from a national cohort study in Japan - Fig 1

<p><b>National prevalence (%) of overweight and obesity among boys and girls between the ages of 2.5 and 13 years (2003–2014), by status of living with siblings (A) and with grandparents (B)</b>.</p

Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of overweight and obesity for those living with no siblings and those living with grandparents, by age and sex^†.

<p>Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of overweight and obesity for those living with no siblings and those living with grandparents, by age and sex^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0175726#t004fn003" target="_blank">†</a>}.</p

Distribution (%) of time-varying covariates on sociodemographic characteristics and a behavioral mediating factor used in the analysis in selected survey years, in boys, in the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21^st Century, Japan.

<p>Distribution (%) of time-varying covariates on sociodemographic characteristics and a behavioral mediating factor used in the analysis in selected survey years, in boys, in the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21^st Century, Japan.</p

Additional file 3: Table S1. of Construction of a simulation model and evaluation of the effect of potential interventions on the incidence of diabetes and initiation of dialysis due to diabetic nephropathy in Japan

Calibrated incidence rates of diabetes and dialysis initiation due to diabetic nephropathy. (DOCX 11 kb

Additional file 8: Figure S7. of Construction of a simulation model and evaluation of the effect of potential interventions on the incidence of diabetes and initiation of dialysis due to diabetic nephropathy in Japan

Sensitivity analysis after incorporating changes in diabetes incidence rates and dialysis initiation rates – from constant to allowing exponential change. a) Total population with diabetes. b) Total population on dialysis due to diabetic nephropathy. (TIFF 28569 kb