Obesity among Women in Fishing Villages and a Mountain Village in Shimane Prefecture-A Comparative Study

• Published in: JOURNAL OF THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 915 - 923
• Main Authors: FUKUZAWA, Yoichiro, TADA, Manabu, KISHIMOTO, Takuji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE 30.11.1989
• ISSN: 0468-2513; 1349-7421
• DOI: 10.2185/jjrm.38.915

Based on the results of health examinations and questionnaires, this study was made to find out about the health characteristics of women aged 30-69 who live in fishing villages and a mountain village, Shimane Prefecture. The subjects were divided into the obese group and the normal group in accordance with the Minowa method to clarify the difference in various health factors between the two groups. The normal group was made up of those women who have a normal body weight. The major findings are as follows: 1. A significant difference was noted in TG, blood pressure level and hypertension incidence (based on WHO criteria) between the two groups. 2. The frequency of complaints about subjective symptoms of disorder in locomotive organs and other parts of the body was higher among the obese group than the normal group. The number of those women undergoing medical treatment was also larger among the obese group than the normal group. 3. Women in both groups were concerned about obesity because they were well aware of the consequences of adult diseases. 4. Only half of the women in the obese group succeeded in decreasing their body weight after they tried to control obesity by using moderation in eating sweets, improving their nutrition, practicing exercises and so on.