Involving families in school-based nutrition education program : an intervention trial on promoting preparation and cooking for breakfasts

京都市立R小学校では、2009年に家庭と連携し、児童に朝食準備の手伝いを課題とする「朝食週間」を行ったが、初回の高い実施率に反し、回を重ねるごとに手伝い実施状況が低下し習慣化するに至らなかった。そこで、2010年に児童の実施状況を改善する方法、すなわち、調理行動を習慣化させるために「朝食お手伝いポイント制」を導入した。これは、「朝食週間」以外の特定の期間に、朝食準備の手伝いをすると1日につき1ポイントが貯まり、その期間の目標ポイント数に達したらシールがもらえるという仕組みで、児童が友達と楽しく励まし合いながら取り組める方法であった。さらに、2011年にはポイント制をやめて変化を確認した。その結果、2010年には「朝食週間」中の手伝い日数が上昇し、2011年になってもそれが維持された。また手伝い日数の上昇にともない、朝食手伝い内容、野菜・果物の摂取を含めた朝食内容が有意に向上した。以上のことから、児童の興味を高める工夫をともなったこのような家庭と連携した取り組みが、児童の調理行動を促したと考えられた。研究プロジェクト総合報告 (Final research project reports

The importance of family breakfasts for school-aged children : an intervention study to promote family breakfasts

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between the frequency of families eating breakfast together (family breakfast) and lifestyle patterns among schoolaged children, including bedtime, time of waking up, and household chores.Children in grades 2 to 6 (N = 123) completed surveys before, during, and after the intervention. The surveys were conducted to assess the frequency of family breakfast and their daily lifestyle patterns. The duration of each intervention was four consecutive days, and the survey was collected on the fourth day.During the intervention period, the number of children who ate breakfast with their family increased significantly. The results indicated that children who ate breakfast with family members tended to go to bed and wake up earlier than those who ate breakfast alone. The survey also suggested that when children ate with parents/adults, the quality of their breakfast tended to be better than that of those who ate without adults. Moreover, most children felt happy when they were engaged in conversation with other family members, and consequently enjoyed their family breakfast.The results point to the conclusion that even a short-term intervention can have a positive impact on the behavior of school children as well as on the frequency of family breakfasts in their households. The study also suggests that caregivers play an important role in supporting the environment of a family meal, and thus they too need to be motivated and encouraged.論文 (Article

Characterization of Phenolic Constituents from Ephedra Herb Extract

Nine known compounds: trans-cinnamic acid, catechin, syringin, epicatechin, symplocoside, kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside 7-O-glucoside, isovitexin 2-O-rhamnoside, herbacetin 7-O-glucoside, and pollenitin B and a new flavonoid glycoside, characterized as herbacetin 7-O-neohesperidoside (1) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical evidence, were isolated from a traditional crude drug, “Ephedra herb extract”. Compound 1 had no effects on HGF-induced motility, whereas herbacetin, which is an aglycone of 1, significantly inhibited it

Indole Alkaloids from the Leaves of Alstonia scholaris

A new indole alkaloid, akuammidine-N-oxide (1) was isolated from the leaves of Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae) together with akuammidine (2), and the structure was elucidated by NMR spectral analysis and chemical correlation. Akuammidine (2) showed a moderate antiplasmodial activity