Objectives: To identify weight loss patterns observed during a specific health guidance program, and examine participants’ baseline characteristics and changes in their eating and exercise habits.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted. Participants (N=267) set action plans for the specific six-month intensive health guidance program provided by the National Health Insurance of a city in Tokyo, between 2011 to 2017. Cluster analysis was conducted according to participants’ weight loss percentage at 30, 90, and 180 days after the first counseling session, and was calculated by weight measured at monthly face-to-face counseling by the registered dietitians. Data analysis of participants who lost ≥4% of their body weight (successful pattern) and others (unsuccessful pattern) were conducted separately. Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests with multiple comparisons were used to examine the characteristics of each cluster.

Results: Two successful weight change patterns were identified: (i) substantial-rapid and (ii) moderate-steady. Three unsuccessful weight change patterns were further identified: (iii) modest-plateau, (iv) modest, and (v) gain. Compared with unsuccessful patterns, a greater number of participants who showed successful weight change patterns had completed the health guidance program for the first time, and improved their eating and exercise habits in the program’s early phase.

Conclusions: Five weight loss patterns were identified in participants from this specific intensive health guidance program. Successful weight change patterns were observed in (all) participants who completed the program for the first time, and improvements in eating and exercise habits were seen in the early phase of health guidance.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate and clarify the relationship between interpersonal problems, use of alcohol as aids to sleep, and sleep problems, i.e., sleep phase, sleep quality, and sleep quantity, among Japanese male workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in May, 2014. We analyzed total 280 male workers at two manufacturing business companies. 3-Dimensional Sleep Scale (3DSS) was used to assess sleep problems and measure sleep phase, sleep quality, and sleep quantity through scoring. To assess the use of alcohol as aids to sleep, we asked “Do you use alcohol as sleep aid? (yes/no),” and to assess interpersonal problems, we asked “In the past years, do you have any interpersonal problems? (yes/no).”

Results: In multiple logistic regression analyses, alcohol use as sleep aid was significantly associated with low sleep quantity score (OR [95%CI]=2.24 [1.15, 4.35]). Interpersonal problems were significantly associated with high sleep phase score (OR [95%CI]=0.39 [0.17, 0.87])and low sleep quantity score (OR [95%CI]=2.78 [1.19, 6.48]). None of the independent variables were significantly associated with sleep quality. Additionally, the interaction of use of alcohol as aids to sleep and interpersonal problems significantly affected the low sleep phase (OR [95%CI]=5.08 [1.29, 20.0]).

Conclusion: While use of alcohol as aids to sleep and interpersonal problems were associated with low sleep quantity scores, their interaction was associated with low sleep phase scores in Japanese male workers.

Objective: To examine the association between the number of family members being present at breakfast (i.e. all family members, some family members, or alone) and skipping breakfast in adults.

Methods: Subjects comprised 804 male and female respondents from the 2016 Hyogo Diet Survey, aged 20 to 49 years. Among these, 522 subjects with no missing survey values were included in the analysis. The association between family members being present at breakfast and skipping breakfast (eating breakfast ≤3 days/week) was analyzed with a chi-squared test and a logistic regression analysis using family members as independent variables and skipping/eating breakfast as dependent variables. Sex, age, family structure, employment status, BMI, and other factors reported to be associated with skipping breakfast were adjusted in the analysis.

Results: A total of 62 subjects ate breakfast with all family members being present every day (AFME), 106 subjects sometimes ate breakfast with all family members being present (AFMS), 205 subjects ate breakfast with some family members being present (SFM), and 149 subjects ate breakfast alone (NFM). The proportion of those who skipped breakfast was 3.8%, 14.2%, 34.0%, and 48.1%, respectively. A significant association was seen between the category of family members and skipping breakfast. Compared with AFME subjects, the odds ratio and 95% CI of skipping breakfast among AFMS, SFM, and NFM subjects were 2.45 [0.74, 8.14], 3.37 [1.08, 10.56], and 7.91 [2.57, 24.39], respectively.

Conclusion: It was suggested that not eating breakfast with all family members being present was associated with skipping breakfast.

Objective: To investigate changes in the number of a university cafeteria’s set-menu meal users after adjusting the price and quantity and running a promotion.

Methods: This study was conducted at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto’s student cafeteria. We added the small size set-menu meals to the menu. For the small size set-menu meals, we reduced the quantity of rice by 50-gram and discounted the meals by 50 yen. For the sake of sales promotion, we announced the superiority of the set-menu meals compared to other menu items. The survey period was from October 2019 to January 2020. The evaluation was performed by comparing the number of cafeteria users, the number of set-menu meal users, and the percentage of set-menu meal users per day during the survey period, which was the same period of previous year.

Results: The cafeteria conducted business for seventy-four days during the survey period (seventy-three days in the previous year). The median number of cafeteria users per day (25th, 75th percentile value) was 120.0 (113.0, 131.0), which was higher than the previous year’s 101.5 (92.8, 113.3) (P<0.001). The median number of set-menu meal users was 57.0 (47.0, 66.0), which was higher than the previous year’s 36.5 (32.0, 45.0) (P<0.001). The percentage of set-menu meal users was 46.8% (41.1%, 53.6%), which was higher than the previous year’s 37.3% (31.7%, 43.4%) (P<0.001).

Conclusion: To adjust the price and the quantity of the set-menu meals and to do a sales promotion have the potential to increase the number of set-menu meal users.

In Oita Prefecture, we are working to improve the social environment in collaboration with various organizations, aiming for the best healthy life expectancy in Japan. “Best Healthy Life Expectancy Oita Creation Council” established in 2016, played main role of this action. The Council is composed of 39 organizations such as economic groups, health and welfare related organizations, news media, administrative agencies, health promotion related organizations, and universities. It functions as a platform to promote collaboration with various organizations and develops prefectural movement by the public and private sectors. Behind these collaborations, the promotion of “Health and Productivity Management” which started in 2014, has led to the establishment of a collaboration between the health promotion section and economic groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Oita Branch of Japan Health Insurance Association. Through the “Umashio” project, which started in 2014 to promote delicious salt reduction, we experienced a new form of public-private cooperation based on Creating Shared Value. This successful experience made us cooperate more actively with companies.

In the practice of health promotion, it is important not only to evaluate the extension of healthy life expectancy, but also to evaluate the process of improving the social environment in collaboration with various organizations, and it is desirable to accumulate know-how and evidence.