The Relationship between Eating Behavior and a Japanese Well-Balanced Diet among Young Adults Aged 20‐39 Years

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the association between a Japanese well-balanced diet and eating behavior in young adults. The subjects were respondents involved in the 2016 Hyogo Diet Survey. Among them, data for 343 male and female respondents aged 20‐39 years without any missing items were used for analysis. The subjects were divided into two groups based on their weekly consumption of a Japanese well-balanced diet (i.e., staple food, main, and side dishes) at least twice a day and their eating behaviors were compared using the chi-squared test. Using each eating behavior as an independent variable and the Japanese well-balanced diet as the dependent variable, logistic regression analyses were then conducted after adjusting for sex, age, residence status, employment status, and BMI. As a result, 227 (66.2％) and 116 (33.8％) respondents were classified into groups showing a high and low frequency of consumption of a Japanese well-balanced diet (HFJWBD: ≥4 times per week, LFJWBD: ≤3 times per week), respectively. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significantly higher odds ratio for HFJWBD among respondents who ate breakfast frequently (≥4 times per week), ate out less (≤3 times per week), and ate rice frequently (≥5 times per week). In conclusion, eating breakfast frequently, eating out less, and eating rice frequently were associated with a high frequency of consuming a Japanese well-balanced diet.