Eating quickly is associated with waist-to-height ratio among Japanese adolescents: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Central obesity, based on waist circumference (WC), has more adverse effects on health than general obesity, determined by body mass index. To date, eating quickly has been reported to be risk factors for overweight/obesity among children, adolescents, and adults. In contrast, there are few studies on the relationship between fast eating and central obesity among adolescents, particularly in Japan, where WC is not commonly measured in junior high schools. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between eating quickly and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), an index of central obesity, among adolescents in Japan. METHODS: Study subjects were 2136 seventh-grade school children (12 or 13 years of age) from Ina town junior high schools in Japan, between 2004 and 2009. Measurements of height, weight, and WC were performed, and information about eating habits was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) for WHtR ≥ 0.5. RESULTS: Eating quickly significantly increased the OR for WHtR ≥ 0.5 in boys (OR: 2.05, 95 % CI: 1.31–3.23) and girls (2.09, 1.15–3.81). When compared with the “not eating quickly and not eating until full” group, the OR for WHtR ≥ 0.5 in the “eating quickly and eating until full” group was 2.67 (95 % CI: 1.50–4.73) in boys and 2.59 (1.17–5.73) in girls, whereas that in the “eating quickly and not eating until full” group or the “not eating quickly and eating until full” group was not statistically significant regardless of sex. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that eating quickly was associated with WHtR ≥ 0.5, and “eating quickly and eating until full” had a substantial impact on WHtR ≥ 0.5 among adolescents. This study suggests that modifying fast eating to a slower pace may help prevent central obesity among adolescents.