Japan launches study to try to reduce number of underweight young women

A 2019 government survey found that about one in five Japanese women in their 20s were underweight. Previous attempts to reduce the number have failed

Experts say having a low body mass index presents health risks and can endanger newborn children. Some say ‘mistaken societal standards’ are to blame

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Women sit in the shade in Tokyo on Friday. A 2019 survey found that some one-in-five Japanese women in their 20s were underweight. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 3:35pm, 4 Jul 2022Updated: 9:41pm, 4 Jul 2022

Japan’s government has set up a research group to investigate body image issues and diet and lifestyle habits as part of attempts to lower the number of young underweight women in the country, the health ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said it intends to use the group’s findings to improve understanding of the importance of maintaining a normal weight by spreading awareness on the risks of excessive and unbalanced diets, as being underweight can puts women’s health at risk and present dangers to newborn children.

A 2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey showed that 20.7 per cent – or about one in five – of Japan’s women in their 20s had an underweight body mass index of below 18.5, while 70.4 per cent had a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 deemed a normal weight, and 8.9 per cent had an overweight BMI of 25 or above.

Women wearing summer kimonos use portable fans as they walk on the street in Tokyo last month. Photo: Reuters

The government’s 10-year Health Japan 21 plan launched in 2013 was aimed at bringing the section of women in their 20s with an underweight BMI to below 20 per cent. But it has been unsuccessful.

Limiting food intake can lead to malnutrition and symptoms of anaemia, and there have also been cases of people wanting to be thin to the point of developing anorexia, health experts say.

Underweight mothers have a higher risk of giving birth to a baby weighing 2.5kg (5.5 pounds) or less. Children born underweight are more susceptible to lifestyle-related diseases in adulthood, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, according to experts.

Fumi Hayashi, an associate professor at Kagawa Nutrition University, said media and other sources had cultivated “mistaken societal standards that being thin is ideal”.