Objective: This study aimed to categorize consumer interest in healthy and sustainable diets, clarify food knowledge and attitudes associated with each type, and examine their relationships with dietary behaviors and food intake.

Methods: An online survey was conducted in August 2024 among Japanese adults aged 20~64 years. After excluding invalid responses, 2,015 individuals who had purchased food ≥2 times in the previous month were analyzed. Seventeen items assessing interest in healthy and sustainable diets were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusted for participant characteristics, examined the associations between factor scores and dietary behaviors or food intake.

Results: Interest in healthy and sustainable diets was classified into wellness, sustainability, and plant-forward-oriented factors. Higher scores on all factors correlated with higher odds of favorable dietary behaviors and food choices. The plant-forward-oriented factor showed the strongest association with selecting environmentally friendly products (odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval; 1.83~2.39). Contrastingly, some items, such as red meat, eggs, dairy products, and breakfast frequency, were not significantly related.

Conclusions: Consumer interest in healthy and sustainable diets is multidimensional, with all dimensions relating to lower environmental impact food intake. Promoting comprehensive awareness is essential for desirable dietary behaviors, and information strategies should be tailored to interest type and consumer characteristics.

Objective: This cross-sectional study explored the characteristics associated with elementary competencies of registered dietitian students.

Methods: This study included 430 (third grade; 253, fourth grade; 177) dietitian students enrolled in registered dieticians' schools in 2023 and 2024. The students' demographic characteristics, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and Kessler-10 scores, and basic social abilities were analyzed. The students were divided by the quintiles of the elementary competencies (Q5; ≥18 points, Q4; 16~17 points, Q3; 15 points, Q2; 14 points, Q1; ≤13 points). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted (criterion Q5).

Results: Hope of employment as a registered dietitian was positively associated with elementary competencies among third and fourth grade students. Among third grade students, volunteer experience was negatively associated, whereas GSES and SHS scores were positively associated with elementary competencies. However, among fourth grade students, belonging to or having retired from a club or extracurricular activities and previous graduation were positively associated with elementary competencies (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Students with high elementary competencies hoped to work as registered dietitians. Higher elementary competencies were observed for third grade students with high GSES and SHS scores and less volunteer experience and fourth grade students who belonged to or retired from a club or extracurricular activities or were graduates. However, volunteer experience, affiliation to a club or extracurricular activities, and graduation status were different in Q3/Q4 and Q5; thus, additional studies are needed to substantiate these findings.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of underweight Japanese women aged 18~49 years regarding their demographics, health and nutritional status, and body size perception and examine the factors associated with underweight.

Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 5,000 women aged 18~49 years in November 2023. After excluding participants who did not meet the inclusion criteria and those who provided incomplete responses, 4,785 participants were analyzed. Demographics, height, weight, subjective health, health status (anemia, low bone density, and cold sensitivity), dietary habits (frequency of food consumption and skipping meals), physical activity, sleep, and body size perception were assessed. We compared the data according to physical classification (underweight, normal weight, and obesity) and performed logistic regression analyses, with underweight as the dependent variable.

Results: Compared with normal-weight women, underweight women (23.6%) were younger and had a higher proportion of urban residents, subjective health, low bone density, cold sensitivity and insomnia, lack of exercise habits, lower frequency of consumption of milk/dairy and fried food, higher proportion of skipping lunch, overestimation of body size, unawareness of their underweight status, and lack of weight gain. Logistic analyses revealed that urban residence (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]; 1.46 [1.14~1.88]), overestimation of body size (2.25 [2.12~2.40]) and daily consumption of sweet drinks (1.37 [1.02~1.85]) were independent factors associated with underweight.

Conclusion: The findings clarified the characteristics of underweight Japanese women aged 18-49 years and the factors associated with being underweight.

Objective: This study examined the variability of urinary Na/K ratio from repeated 24-h urine collections and its association with dietary Na and K intake and food group consumption to provide information linking urinary Na/K ratios with dietary patterns for personalized nutrition guidance.

Methods: Twenty female College students underwent eight 24-h urine collection and weighed dietary surveys over one year (two non-consecutive weekdays per season). The coefficient of variation for the urinary Na/K ratio was calculated. Correlations between urinary Na and K excretion, urinary Na/K ratio, dietary Na and K intake, and food group intake were analyzed. Individual assessments were performed by combining urinary Na/K ratios with estimated salt and vegetable intakes.

Results: Within-individual coefficients of variation for urinary Na, K, and Na/K were 29.6%, 26.2%, and 35.7%, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between urinary and dietary Na/K ratios, and urinary K excretion and vegetable intake. No participants met the optimal target of <2 for urinary Na/K ratio. Among the 16 participants meeting the feasible target of <4, 8 had estimated salt intake ≥8 g/day, and all 4 with ≥4 had estimated salt intake ≥8 g/day. Those with a salt intake <8 g/day consumed fewer vegetables.

Conclusion: Although day-to-day variations must be considered in nutritional assessments based on the urinary Na/K ratio, combining them with multiple indicators, such as estimated salt and vegetable intake, allows for personalized support.