To supplement the "Standard Tables of Food Composition Tables in Japan —2015— (7th Revised Edition)," Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released "Standard Tables of Food Composition Tables in Japan —2015— (7th Revised Edition) (Supplementary Edition 2016) (FCTS2016)" in 2016 and "Standard Tables of Food Composition Tables in Japan —2015— (7th Revised Edition) (Supplementary Edition 2016) (FCTS2017)" in 2017. Based on the study of Food Composition Table 2015's Complementary Composition Tables (amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates), FCTS2016 and FCTS2017, we clarified the points to be remembered and challenges in the future for the Supplementary Editions. The total number of foods listed are 2,236 in the Main Composition Table,1,627 in Amino Acids Table, 1,817 in Fatty Acids Table and 945 in Carbohydrates Table. Remarks, references and appendix are useful when choosing the foods for the Supplementary Editions. In FCTS2016, grated daikon and its juice and grated ginger and its juice were added. In FCTS2017, Denbu (mashed and seasoned meat) was renamed Denbu with soy sauce. Niacin activity equivalents was also added making the value calculation of dietary reference of amount of niacin intakes for Japanese possible. Our challenges in the future lies with the carbohydrates and energy calculation. By utilizing both FCTS 2016 and FCTS2015 with the Food Composition Table 2015, we are able to research and study the Japanese eating habits more accurately and improve the meal planning and nutritional guidance and nutritional administration. Thus we believe it will contribute to leading Japanese people to more healthier lives.

Objective: We aimed to discover the factors related to independence of activity among the staff of kodomo shokudo eateries (eateries for children), which in recent years have become an increasingly popular community activity in Japan.

Methods: We collected survey data using a self-administered questionnaire between March and May 2017. The respondents were people who actively participated in kodomo shokudo eateries and had consented to participate in the study. Nine questions focused on satisfaction with the activity, fourteen items on the burden associated with the activity, and four items on the level of independence and traits of participants. We divided the total score of activity satisfaction, activity burden, and activity independence into two groups as "less than median" or "greater than or equal to median", and used these for analysis. We analyzed the data using a logistic regression model.

Results: We collected 386 questionnaires from 117 kodomo shokudo eateries. Of these, 52 lacked responses on activity independence, activity satisfaction, or activity burden, and 6 of the respondents younger than twenty did not have their parents' consent and so their questionnaires were unusable. This left 328 responses that were useful for analysis. The logistic regression model revealed that there was a significant relationship between activity independence and age (≥ 60 years: adjusted odds ratio = 2.61), employment status (self-employed, agriculture, forestry and fisheries: adjusted odds ratio = 3.32), and activity satisfaction (≥ median: adjusted odds ratio = 2.79). However, activity burden was not related to activity independence.

Conclusion: We confirmed a significant positive relationship between activity independence and activity satisfaction among staff of kodomo shokudo eateries.

Objective: Generally, daily meals consist of a combination of a wide variety of foods and nutrients. However, the association between dietary variety and frailty is poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the association between dietary variety and frailty among the community-dwelling Japanese older adult population.

Methods: A total of 218 older adults aged 65 to 95 years participated in this cross-sectional study conducted in Gunma, Japan. We used a self-reported questionnaire that assessed demographic characteristics, dietary variety, and frailty. The dietary variety score (DVS), ranging from 0 to 10 points, was assessed based on 10-items of food and food groups. Frailty was determined according to the responses to the Kaigo-Yobo Check-List (CL) containing 15-items, where individuals with scores higher than the cut-off point (3/4 points) were classified as frailty. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with frailty as the dependent variable and the DVS and confounders as independent variables.

Results: The mean age, body mass index, and DVS score of the participants were 75.5 years, 22.9 kg/m², and 3.6 points, respectively. The prevalence of individuals with CL scores of 4 or higher was 15.6%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated significant association between the DVS score and frailty. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for frailty in the middle and highest tertile of DVS score were 0.70 (0.21~2.27) and 0.10 (0.02~0.54), respectively as compared to the lowest tertile.

Conclusions: Higher DVS score was significantly inversely associated with the prevalence of frailty in the community-dwelling Japanese older adult population.

Objective: To identify the association between reduced quality of life (QOL) and dietary and lifestyle habits in second-year junior-high-school students.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 325 second-year students from two public junior high schools in a city in Hyogo, Japan. QOL was measured using the Kiddo-KINDL^R scale for junior-high-school students. A 12-item questionnaire and a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire were used for the dietary and lifestyle survey.

Subjects were assigned to low- and high-QOL groups based on the median overall QOL score; dietary and lifestyle habits were compared between the two groups by sex. A logistic regression analysis was performed, with QOL, dietary and lifestyle habits, and sex as the objective, explanatory, and moderator variables, respectively.

Results: In the low-QOL group, the total score for the 12-item dietary and lifestyle questionnaire in both males and females and the dietary assessment score in males were lower than those in the high-QOL group. The odds of low-QOL subjects responding "No" to the following dietary and lifestyle items were high: "I wake up refreshed," "I wake up before 7 am," "I eat breakfast every day," "My family eats dinner together," "I eat three meals daily," "I enjoy mealtimes," and "I go to bed before 12 am."

Conclusion: Among second-year junior-high-school students, reduced QOL is associated with difficulty waking, waking up after 7 am, skipping breakfast, eating dinner alone or skipping dinner, not enjoying mealtimes, and going to bed after midnight in males and females, and with low dietary assessment scores in males.