Impact of childhood growth and obesity curves in school health examinations

Background With the revision of the Japanese School Health and Safety Law in 2016, the use of growth and obesity curves has been recommended. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of growth and obesity curve creation in elementary and junior high schools using government‐issued software in Japan between 2016 and 2019. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted with school nursing teachers in elementary and junior high schools in Osaka, Japan. The questionnaire was distributed and collected by e‐mail between 1 and 31 March 2020. Results The survey response rate was 87.1%. In total, 78.5% of the elementary schools, and 75.0% of the junior high schools had the software for creating the growth curves. The rate of adoption of growth curve creation using the software increased in elementary schools (from 16.2% in 2016 to 40.5% in 2019 and in junior high schools from 6.0% in 2016 to 33.6% in 2019. The detection rates of growth abnormalities also increased over the 4 years in elementary and junior high schools, as follows: short stature (2.48‐ and 3.81‐fold, respectively), tall stature (2.77‐ and 4.77‐fold, respectively), emaciation (2.62 and 4.85‐fold, respectively), mild obesity (2.66 and 5.15‐fold, respectively), moderate obesity (2.71‐ and 4.14‐fold, respectively), and severe obesity (2.45‐ and 3.32‐fold, respectively). The rates of receiving a recommendation slip and going on to consult a specialist for each growth abnormality were low. Conclusions By utilizing these curves, the detection rate of physical development abnormalities increased, but the rate of recommending a specialist consultation and the rate of actual consultation with a specialist were still low.