Objective: The data on the relationship between the patterns of food intake and mental health in adolescence is insufficient. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between patterns of food intake and depressive tendencies in university students.
Methods: Self-administered questionnaires, consisting of measures of food ingestion frequency, mental health, and lifestyle, were completed by 269 university students (men = 80; women = 189) in Japan. Patterns of food intake were extracted by factor analysis based on the food intake frequency data. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between patterns of food intake and mental health.
Results: Three patterns of food intake were identified through factor analysis: “eating vegetables in high frequency as side dishes,” “eating meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently,” and “eating staple foods.” A significant negative correlation was observed between “eating meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently” and mental health problems.
Conclusions: This study found low depressive tendencies in university students who ate meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently.

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Objective: At present, food nutrition labeling is performed in accordance with the Health Promotion Act, but the labeled values are self-certified by manufacturers or distributors. For this reason, compliance tests have been performed to assure the accuracy of the values. As labeled values are tested in multiple laboratories, this study aimed to establish a proficiency-testing methodology to ensure the reliability of analytical values.
Methods: A food sample homogeneous in nutritional components was prepared and distributed to the laboratories registered under the Health Promotion Act. Each laboratory, which is familiar with nutritional analysis, measured the amount of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and sodium (general nutrition labeling requirements) and produced analytical values. The results were collected and analyzed to clarify the proficiency of the laboratories.
Results: Analytical values for the above 5 components obtained by the registered laboratories were these: I) statistical outliers (as determined by using the Grubbs’ test) were not included; II) the difference from the average value was within an empirically acceptable range (z-score of −3 to 3); and III) the difference from the average value was within ±20%, which was the tolerance limit allowed by the Nutrition Labeling Standards. These data indicate that the analytical values obtained in all of the laboratories were deemed to be adequate.
Conclusion: Proficiency testing, which employs I) to III) above as criteria, is a useful way to ensure the reliability of analytical values obtained by laboratories for nutritional analysis.

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Objective: This study aimed to practice dietary education lectures in lifestyle disease prevention among high school students, and to examine the lesson content and feasibility.
Methods: A university collaborated with the government of Osaka Prefecture to conduct dietary education lectures for 74 high school students in October and November 2013. In the first lesson, students were taught about the salt-reducing effect of adding vegetables to miso soup, and they calculated the Na/K ratio of their planned recipes. In the second lesson, students in groups made miso soup, tried each other’s miso soup, and performed a comparative evaluation. Sixty-nine students (21 boys and 48 girls) attended the two lessons and responded to two questionnaire surveys after the lessons. Lesson content and feasibility were evaluated based on the descriptions written in worksheets used in the lessons and the two surveys.
Results: The evaluations of students for the miso soup with sufficient vegetables and acquisition of knowledge were high. The students learned that sufficient vegetables could be eaten with miso soup and that the miso soup was delicious. They showed a willingness to make the miso soup now and in the future. After 2~3 months, 56.5% of the students ate miso soup with sufficient vegetables, and 21.7% of them made it on their own.
Conclusions: The students learned that sufficient vegetables could be eaten with miso soup and that the miso soup was delicious. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that students might practice what they learn in these dietary education lectures.

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Objectives: For successful nutritional care management in nursing homes, additional information from affiliated staff other than registered dietitians (RDs) is essential. In this paper, we studied their observations on diet and nutrition.
Subjects and Methods: The study included 135 nursing home staff members. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 11 questions, each with 5-levels, was used. Results were analyzed with respect to occupation, length of experience, and time working at the facilities. Three open-ended questions on nutrition and RDs were also administered and analyzed with text mining software.
Results: Most subjects generally understood the importance of nutrition and RDs, but their more specific knowledge was unsatisfactory, even regarding the amount of energy in an ordinary meal. Text mining showed that diet and nutrition were viewed differently, depending on occupation. Nurses viewed it from a medical perspective, care staff viewed it from the perspective of daily care of the elderly, and administrators viewed it from an economic perspective. Cooks were mainly concerned with food preparation and serving, with little concern for nutrition.
Conclusion: Although staff working at nursing homes generally perceived the importance of diet and nutrition, precise knowledge was unsatisfactory and varied widely depending on occupation. To allow RDs to perform their expected roles in the nursing home, it is necessary that the affiliated staff make sufficient observations and have knowledge of nutrition. RDs are expected to request the necessary information and provide nutritional care based on the integrated information.

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