title: Meat intake frequency and anemia in Japanese children and adolescents.
abstract: The consumption of meat products is considered to be a feasible solution to prevent anemia, which is a critical health problem. The present study assessed hematological parameters and the prevalence of anemia in Japanese children and adolescents, and examined the association with the frequency of meat intake. Data from the Shunan Children Health Cohort Study were analyzed. The participants included male and female residents, 3373 children (aged 10-11 years), and 3085 adolescents (aged 13-14 years). The frequency of meat intake was determined with a questionnaire, and blood samples were analyzed. Anemia was defined according to the criteria of the World Health Organization. The prevalence of anemia in children was 3.6% and 2.5% in girls and boys, respectively, and in adolescents, it was 4.5% in girls and 0.8% in boys. The frequency of meat intake did not show a positive association with the hematological indices or the prevalence of anemia. These results suggest that the promotion of meat consumption is not an effective strategy to decrease anemia, and that other approaches are necessary to prevent anemia in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan. ichiro@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kunitsugu
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Norikazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshitake
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hobara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015930:Diet Records; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D015995:Prevalence