We analyzed factors affecting nutrition literacy using the awareness and the expected nutritional effects of gluten-free food as evaluation indices among 1,624 female university students. Data analyses were performed using SPSS software (IBM). We applied recognition of the term ‘gluten-free food’ as an index of functional nutritional literacy, experience of seeing actual goods and eating experience as indices of interactive nutritional literacy, and expected nutritional effects as an index of critical nutritional literacy. Their department at university (p<0.001), information sources concerning weight loss, beauty, and health, such as social networking service (SNS) (p=0,014), websites (p=0.002), and magazines (p<0.001), and interest in weight loss (p<0.001) were significantly positively associated with functional literacy. Regarding the expected nutritional effects of gluten-free food, their department at university (p=0.013), and their friends and acquaintances as information sources concerning weight loss, beauty, and health (p=0.042) were significantly positively associated, whereas, websites (p=0.027) and magazines (p=0.001) as information sources were significantly negatively associated. Participants may have had a lower critical literacy than functional literacy because of their low percentages of correct answers about the expected nutritional effects of gluten-free food. This study suggested that university departments, information sources concerning weight loss, beauty, and health, and interest in weight loss influence nutritional literacy.

The aim of this study was to elucidate a distribution of energy intake and daily training for 24 hours among female university rhythmic gymnastics (RG group) compared to non-athletic controls (control group), and explore any dietary problem. The 24 hours dietary recall was used to assess intakes of energy, food and nutrient, or day-to-day exercises participation. The control group ingested the maximum intake of energy (350kcal/hour) at 12 : 00, while the RG group gained less energy intake once, appeared at 21 : 00 (178kcal/hour). In the RG group, training was conducted at the lunch or dinner time, suggesting the possibility of taking a meal after day-to-day exercises. RG group had many confectioneries and beverages compared with the control group. Although the daily energy intake was the same as that of the control group, many nutrient intakes were significantly lower in the RG group. These results suggest that in order to perform healthy day-to-day exercises and prevent from some illness such as iron deficiency anemia or Female Athlete Triad, rhythmic gymnasts need to reduce a frequency of daily confectionery and sweetened beverage intakes, and to consciously take nutrients from foods during meals.

As the three principles for a healthy lifestyle, the Japanese government recommends that all children maintain a balanced diet, appropriate physical activity, and enough sleep. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between absences from school due to the common cold as associated with healthy lifestyle characteristics among school-aged children, using a comprehensive index of diet, exercise, and sleep.

We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey that collected data on lifestyle habits and a 1-day dietary record among 168 students aged 6 to 7 attending three public elementary schools. Common cold-related absences from school during the first semester were extracted from each student’s school health records. The healthy lifestyle index (HLI) score was calculated for each lifestyle domain (diet, exercise, and sleep). Participants for whom all three domain scores were above the median were assigned to the high HLI group (n=60) ; all others were assigned to low HLI group (n=108). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between common cold-related absences from school and HLI.

Fifty-nine students (35.1%) had one or more common cold-related absences from school during the first semester. Relative to the low HLI group, the odds ratio for common cold-related absences was 0.372 (95% CI ; 0.171-0.812) for the high HLI group.

This suggests that students living a healthy lifestyle were at a lower risk of being absent from school due to the common cold.