Associations between adherence to Japanese food guide spinning top and nutrient density, climate impacts, and monetary cost: findings from the Saitama Prefecture Nutrition Survey 2017.

Purpose: To examine the associations between adherence to food-based dietary guidelines in Japan (Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top [JFGST]), considering food choices, specifically animal protein consumption pattern, and nutrient density, climate impact, and monetary costs.

Methods: The study used data from the 2017 Saitama Prefecture Nutrition Survey. A total of 479 participants (206 men and 273 women), aged 30-65 years from Saitama Prefecture, Japan, were analyzed.

Association between adherence to the Japanese meal-based dietary guideline and all-cause and cause-specific mortalities: A Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

Background: The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan has published a meal-based dietary guideline (Healthy Meal); however, its relationship with health outcomes remains unclear. This observational study examined the association between adherence to Healthy Meal and all-cause and cause-specific mortalities.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study (JPHC Study) with a mean follow-up of 19.

Effectiveness of recommendations in promoting the use of mobile health applications in health guidance: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Use of commercially available mobile health (mHealth) applications in supporting lifestyle improvements has become popular in recent years. However, the effectiveness of advice promoting the use of such applications based on individual behavioral goals in a health guidance setting remains unclear. This study explored how guiding participants of the Specific Health Guidance (SHG) program, a Japanese public health initiative to prevent cardiovascular disease, to use commercially available mHealth applications impacted their application usage, lifestyle habits, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Influence of previous health guidance history: impact and limitations of a single health guidance session.

Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a significant health concern in the working-age population. Since 2008, Japan has mandated health insurers to implement Specific Health Checkups to identify individuals with MS and preliminary groups, making Specific Health Guidance (SHG) compulsory for these groups. People receiving SHG multiple times is increasing as it is conducted as an annual public program.

Differences in the Values and Related Factors of Eating a Balanced Meal among the Younger Generation in Japan.

This study examined young Japanese adults' values regarding the consumption of balanced meals consisting of staples, main dishes, and side dishes and how these values relate to demographics, socioeconomic status, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and diet-related quality of life. Data were obtained from the "Survey on Dietary Habits of the Younger Generation" (2000 responses, ages 18-39), of which 1888 valid responses were analyzed. The principal component analysis identified three value patterns: PC1-valuable yet burdensome; PC2-environment-reliant, weak initiative; and PC3-low value due to hassle.

Determinants of Changes in the Diet Quality of Japanese Adults during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

This study evaluated changes in diet quality during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its association with variations in attitudes or behavior, as well as health status changes. Participants were Japanese adults aged 20-69 years who resided in 13 prefectures where specific cautions were announced to prevent the spread of the virus. An online survey was conducted in September 2021, and participants were those who shopped for food or prepared meals more than twice a week during the survey.

Desirable Diet to Lower the Japanese Nitrogen Footprint: Analysis of the Saitama Prefecture Nutrition Survey 2017.

With the growing interest in healthy and sustainable diets, studying diets with high nutritional quality and low environmental impact is needed. We focused on the nitrogen footprint (NFP)-an indicator of reactive nitrogen loss that causes various environmental impacts-of Japanese diets using individual dietary records and identified the characteristics of lower NFP diets. This cross-sectional study was a secondary data analysis from the 2017 Saitama Prefecture Nutrition Survey.

[Relationship between the dietary behavior targets of Health Japan 21 (second term) and perceived food environment and health literacy].

Objective　The interim evaluation of Health Japan 21(second term), a national health promotion plan, suggested that improvements in the food environment did not lead to improvements in individual dietary habits. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the dietary behavior targets of Health Japan 21 (second term) and perceived food environment and health literacy.Method　We conducted an online cross-sectional survey in March 2019 among adults aged 20-64 years.

Factors Influencing Changes in Food Preparation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Food Intake among Japanese Adults.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with changes in food-preparation practices during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan and its associations to food-group intake. To examine this, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in July 2020. Participants were 2285 adults aged 20-69 years who resided in any of 13 prefectures in Japan where specific COVID-19 regulations had been implemented.

Effect of workplace dietary intervention on salt intake and sodium-to-potassium ratio of Japanese employees: A quasi-experimental study.

Objectives: Excess salt intake is a major risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Modifying workplace environments has been recognized to be important for reducing salt intake. However, studies examining the effects of improving the workplace environment regarding salt reduction are limited.

[Changes in dietary behaviors and food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the COVID-19 pandemic: comparison based on household economic status].

Objective　This study aimed to assess the household income changes during COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese adults, and to evaluate how this was related to changes in dietary behaviors and food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the emergency period.Method　We conducted an online cross-sectional survey in July, 2020 among residents (aged 20-69 years) of the 13 prefectures under special confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were asked about their dietary behaviors before the pandemic (before February 2020) and during the confinement period (April-May 2020), as well as about their food-related accessibility issues and information needs during the confinement period.

[Change in dietary consciousness and its related factors among Japanese adults under the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis using Dietary Consciousness Scale].

Objectives　This study aims to develop a dietary consciousness scale and examine its reliability and validity, as well as investigate the changes in psychological aspects that influence diet among Japanese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and clarify its related factors.Methods　An online survey was conducted from July 1, 2020 to July 3, 2020. Participants were adults aged between 20 and 69 years selected from 13 prefectures where the government declared the state of emergency from April to May 2020.

[Consumption of ultra-processed foods and relationship between nutrient intake and obesity among participants undergoing specific health checkups provided by National Health Insurance].

Objective　Obesity associated with an increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has been reported by studies abroad using the NOVA food classification system, an international framework for classifying food according to the degree of processing. However, no such study has been conducted in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the association between UPF consumption, nutrient intake, and obesity using the NOVA system.

Phylogeny, Prevalence, and Shiga Toxin (Stx) Production of Clinical Escherichia coli O157 Clade 2 Strains Isolated in Shimane Prefecture, Japan.

This study investigated the genetic and pathogenic variation of the subgroups of clade 2 strains of Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157. A total of 111 strains of STEC O157 isolated in Shimane prefecture, Japan, were classified in clade 2 (n = 39), clade 3 (n = 16), clade 4/5 (n = 3), clade 7 (n = 14), clade 8 (n = 17), and clade 12 (n = 22) by single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis and lineage-specific polymorphism assay-6. These results showed a distinct difference from our previous study in which clade 3 strains were the most prevalent strains in three other prefectures in Japan, indicating that the clade distribution of O157 strains was different in different geographic areas in Japan.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods decreases the quality of the overall diet of middle-aged Japanese adults.

Objective: To estimate the consumption of ultra-processed foods and determine its association with dietary quality among middle-aged Japanese adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study using data from the Saitama Prefecture Health and Nutrition Survey 2011. Dietary intake was assessed using one- or two-day dietary records.

Dietary intake and weight status of urban Thai preadolescents in the context of food environment.

Little attention has been devoted to the importance of understanding the association between dietary intake and childhood obesity in Thailand. This study aimed to explore food types affecting the weight status of preadolescents in urban settings, where obesity is remarkably prevalent. This study was conducted in 2015-2016 and assessed the dietary intake of 263 children aged 10-12 years from Bangkok Metropolitan Regions through three- nonconsecutive-day 24 h recall.

Rapid and Accurate Diagnosis Based on Real-Time PCR Cycle Threshold Value for the Identification of Campylobacter jejuni, astA Gene-Positive Escherichia coli, and eae Gene-Positive E. coli.

We previously developed a multiplex real-time PCR assay (Rapid Foodborne Bacterial Screening 24 ver.5, [RFBS24 ver.5]) for simultaneous detection of 24 foodborne bacterial targets.

[Nutritional status and dietary intake among pregnant women in relation to pre-pregnancy body mass index in Japan].

Objective The present study examined nutritional status and dietary intake of pregnant women in Japan in relation to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI).Methods Participants included 141 Japanese women with singleton pregnancies, from the outpatient department of the S hospital, Gunma prefecture, Japan. Two-day food records, dietary assessment questionnaires, and clinical records were obtained at 20 weeks gestation.

[Use of focus group interviews with public health nurses to identify the efforts of and challenges faced by branches of the Japan Health Insurance Association to achieve good performance of the Specific Health Guidance initiatives].

Objectives Aiming at improvement of the Japan Health Insurance Association's Specific Health Guidance initiatives and human resource development, we conducted a qualitative study to clarify the features necessary for and the challenges hindering the achievement of good performance of the initiatives.Methods From November 2014 to January 2015, we conducted 10 focus group interviews, each 90 minutes long, with 64 public health nurses from 10 Japan Health Insurance Association branches. In addition, self-administered questionnaires were administered to obtain the participants' basic characteristics.

Effectiveness of a Nutrition Education Program to Improve Children's Chewing Habits.

This quasi-experimental study determined whether the nutrition education program we developed to promote chewing food properly influenced children's chewing habits successfully. Four kindergarten classes in Japan (150 children, aged 5-6 years) were studied; one class received the educational program in the classroom and at home (Group A) and three classes received the program in the classroom only (Group B). The educational program was integrated into the classes' daily curriculum for five weeks.

Why Is Creating a Healthy Food Environment So Crucial to Making Improvements in Diet-Related NCDs?

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes are the leading cause of death worldwide. To decrease the global burden of NCDs and strengthen national efforts to combat NCDs, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020. This plan provides established procedures and several policy options for member countries and other partners.

Association of enjoyable childhood mealtimes with adult eating behaviors and subjective diet-related quality of life.

Objective: This study examined whether the experience of enjoyable mealtimes at home during childhood was related to eating behaviors and subjective diet-related quality of life in adulthood.

Methods: The study used data (n = 2,936) obtained from a research program about Shokuiku (food and nutrition education) conducted by the Cabinet Office in Japan in November and December 2009. The study employed logistic regression adjusted for all predictor variables.