Assessment of energy expenditure using doubly labeled water, physical activity by accelerometer and reported dietary intake in Japanese men with type 2 diabetes: A preliminary study

The aim of the present study was to determine the total energy expenditure, physical activity and dietary intake of men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and control participants without type 2 diabetes mellitus who were matched for age and body mass index. The participants in the present study were 12 well‐controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 10 controls, aged 40–75 years, with a body mass index <30 kg/m2. Total energy expenditure under free‐living conditions was assessed using the doubly labeled water method, and physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. Dietary intake was assessed using a self‐recorded food intake diary during the measurement period. Participants were instructed to record their dietary intake over 3 days, including 2 weekdays. Total energy expenditure was not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.153), nor were energy (P = 0.969) or macronutrient intakes. In conclusion, when age and body mass index are matched, total energy expenditure and self‐reported energy intake are not significantly different between type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and healthy controls

Current Findings from the Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey

In this Special Issue, six articles using the Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) were published [...

Development of a screening method for determining sodium intake based on the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, 2020: A cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan.

BackgroundAlthough assessing nutrient intake through dietary surveys is desirable, it can be effort- and time-intensive. We aimed to develop a brief screening method for determining sodium intake in order to raise public awareness regarding the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (DRI-J) 2020.MethodsUsing data from the 2015 National Health and Nutrition Survey, we compared dietary behaviours obtained from a self-administered questionnaire according to sodium intake, which was assessed from one-day dietary records by a semi-weighed method. Participants were divided into 4 groups based on the reference values of sodium (salt equivalent) shown in the DRI-J. We also randomly divided the participants into development and validation groups, and used logistic regression analysis to identify predictive factors for sex-specific DRI-J (ResultsAmong the 6,172 Japanese individuals aged ≥20 years old, participants with lower sodium intake were found to use nutrition labels and had a lower frequency of eating out than those with higher intakes (P for difference ConclusionsThis method could easily identify sodium intake using dietary behaviours and specific food consumption, and is expected to be widely useful for health and nutrition education in Japan

Factors associated with physical growth status among children aged 12−59 months in the Japanese National Growth Survey on Preschool Children: A retrospective analysis

Abstract This study aimed to examine the factors associated with physical growth status among children aged 12−59 months in Japan. Data from the 2010 National Growth Survey on Preschool Children, a nationwide cross‐sectional survey, were used for this analysis (n = 4196). After adjustment for confounding factors, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that boys who were born small‐for‐gestational‐age were more likely to be underweight (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 12.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [6.76−23.3], p < 0.001), stunted (aOR: 5.78, 95% CI: [3.48−9.60], p < 0.001) and wasted (aOR: 7.02, 95% CI: [3.30−15.0], p < 0.001), while boys who were large‐for‐gestational‐age were less likely to be stunted (aOR: 0.26, 95% CI: [0.11−0.60], p < 0.01). Girls who were born small‐for‐gestational‐age were more likely to be underweight (aOR: 5.42, 95% CI: [2.73−10.7], p < 0.001), stunted (aOR: 4.04, 95% CI: [2.43−6.73], p < 0.001) and wasted (aOR: 6.27, 95% CI: [2.55−15.4], p < 0.001), while girls who were large‐for‐gestational age were more likely to be overweight (aOR: 5.90, 95% CI: [1.64−21.3], p < 0.001). Moreover, the following factors were associated with the physical growth status in children: maternal prepregnancy body mass index, complications during pregnancy, continuous breastfeeding, initiation age of complementary feeding, smoking status of the father or those living with the mother during pregnancy and birth order. Further research is needed to expand support for high‐risk families and to verify their effectiveness

Association between the Portion Sizes of Traditional Japanese Seasonings—Soy Sauce and Miso—and Blood Pressure: Cross-Sectional Study Using National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2012–2016 Data

While previous studies have reported the association between food portion size and health outcomes, the association between food seasonings and blood pressure (BP) has not been clarified. This study aimed to investigate the association between the portion sizes of traditional Japanese seasonings and BP. Data on 25,738 Japanese participants (10,154 men and 15,584 women) aged &#8805;20 years registered in the 2012&#8315;2016 National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) were used for this cross-sectional study. The portion sizes of soy sauce or miso were calculated from the reported weight of soy sauce or miso, and the number of dishes. Regression models were used to estimate BP and prevalence of hypertension, and their 95% confidence intervals according to the portion size of soy sauce or miso. We did not observe an association between the portion sizes of soy sauce or miso and BP. A larger portion size of soy sauce or miso was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension in the crude model among women, but no significant associations were observed in the multivariate model in both sexes. Our findings suggest that the portion sizes of soy sauce or miso are not associated with BP among Japanese adults

Possible Measures to Improve Both Participation and Response Quality in Japan’s National Health and Nutrition Survey: Results from a Workshop by Local Government Personnel in Charge of the Survey

Increasing participation rates are crucial to ensure the representativeness of national survey results of the population. This study aimed to identify measures that could be taken by local government personnel in charge of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS), Japan, to improve participation rates. The subjects were twenty-one health personnel who worked in 19 local governments and participated in the training course at the National Institute of Public Health. Qualitative data were collected through a workshop. They discussed the problems that seem to affect participation rates and identified possible solutions. The contents were coded and grouped to create categories, using the Jiro Kawakita (KJ) method. For data analysis, researchers combined and reviewed all codes and categories. The measures that could improve participation rates were divided into the following 12 categories: 1. standardization of survey methods, 2. investigator skills, 3. survey organization, 4. venue setting, 5. accessing target households, 6. time of survey, 7. responses during the investigation, 8. confirming meal contents reported in the nutritional intake status survey, 9. rewards/incentives, 10. possible rewards, 11. feedback on survey results, and 12. survey practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings represent viable initiatives for local health personnel to increase participation rates for the NHNS

Use of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) to Predict Malnutrition among Sri Lankan Schoolchildren

The double burden of malnutrition (under- and overnutrition) is a serious public health issue in childhood. The mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a simple tool for screening nutritional status, but studies of the optimal cutoff to define malnutrition are limited. This study aimed to explore the prediction of malnutrition by MUAC in Sri Lankan schoolchildren. The participants were 538 students (202 boys, 336 girls) aged 5&ndash;10 years. Spearman&rsquo;s rank correlation was calculated for MUAC and both body-mass-index-for-age z-score (BAZ) and height-for-age z-score (HAZ). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the ability of MUAC to correctly classify malnutrition, after stratifying for age and birth weight. MUAC correlated significantly with BAZ (r = 0.84) and HAZ (r = 0.35). The areas under the ROC curve for thinness, overweight, obesity, and stunting were 0.88, 0.97, 0.97, and 0.77, respectively. The optimal MUAC cutoff values for predicting thinness and stunting were 167.5 mm and 162.5 mm, respectively; the optimal cutoffs for predicting overweight and obesity were 190.5 mm and 218.0 mm, respectively. These cutoffs differed after stratification by age group and birth weight. Our results confirm MUAC to be a useful tool for monitoring growth in schoolchildren