Japan to launch survey on weight and dietary habits of young women

The government has set up a research group to investigate attitudes toward body image, diet and lifestyle habits as part of attempts to lower the high proportion of underweight young adult women in Japan, the health ministry said Monday.

Being underweight puts individual health at greater risk, and underweight mothers can present a danger to newborn children, so the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare intends to use the group's findings to promote the importance of maintaining a normal weight by spreading awareness of the risks of excessive and unbalanced diets.