Special Feature 1 – Children’s Nutrition Revealed by big data!
Japanese school lunches reduce obesity
Japan is said to have low rates of adolescent obesity. One factor reportedly contributing to this is the school lunch program, which ensures that children all eat the same meals based on appropriate nutrition standards. Japan's world-class school lunch program has long been the focus of attention, but there had been no large-scale epidemiological studies of its effects. However, the last few years have seen the publication of results from epidemiological research with a public health perspective, based on diverse big data amassed across society. So, what emerged from these results?