Mindfulness is a process of focusing one’s attention on the present moment. Applying this concept to eating (i.e., mindful eating (ME)) is associated with regulated eating behaviors, particularly in people with obesity and who are overweight. Sustaining healthy eating habits requires both healthy eating literacy (HEL) and proficiency in ME. However, ME proficiency in Japanese people has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper, we conduct a survey of mothers with 4- to 5-year-old children in Aomori City, Japan, to investigate their ME proficiency and HEL level and eating behavior and self-reported body mass index in both mothers and their children from August to September 2019. This study is the first to describe ME proficiency in Japanese mothers. The study sample includes 128 participants from 18 nursery schools. ME proficiency in mothers was positively correlated with both their own and their children’s eating behaviors, thereby suggesting a potential relationship, while strong relationships were not observed between the HEL level and eating behaviors of mothers and children. Improving ME skills, rather than HEL, may be an effective way to sustain healthier eating behaviors in mothers and their children. The level of evidence was Level V: Opinions of respected authorities based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.
Purpose Mindfulness is a psychological process that can be developed using meditation and other types of training to focus on the present moment. Applying this concept to eating (i.e., mindful eating; ME) is associated with regulated eating behavior, especially in overweight or obese people. Sustaining healthy eating habits requires both healthy eating literacy (HEL) and proficiency in ME. However, ME proficiency in Japanese people has not been sufficiently investigated. Methods We conducted a survey of mothers with 4 to 5-year-old children in Aomori City, Japan, to investigate their ME proficiency and HEL level, as well as eating behavior and self-reported body mass index in both mothers and their children. This study was the first to describe ME proficiency in Japanese mothers. Results ME proficiency in mothers was positively correlated with both their own and their children’s eating behaviors, suggesting a potential relationship, while strong relationships were not observed between the HEL level and eating behaviors of mothers and children. Conclusion Improving ME skills, rather than HEL, may be an effective way to sustain healthier eating behaviors in mothers and their children. Level of evidence: Level I, Evidence obtained from experimental studies
Background: The study evaluated the relationship of the usual nutrient intake and protein adequacy to the prevalence of child malnutrition. Methods: Data were derived from the 2013 Philippine National Nutrition Survey. A total of 6,565 children aged 6-12 years across all the 17 regions that participated in the survey were analyzed. Two (2) non-consecutive day 24-hour dietary recalls (24hR) were collected to estimate the individual food intake. PC-SIDE version 1.0 software (Software for Intake Distribution Estimation) was used to estimate the usual intake of energy and key nutrients accounting for between - and within-person differences in dietary intake. The 2007 WHO Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) method was used to measure the protein quality or the utilizable protein intake. Results: School-aged children were found to have lower dietary intake of utilizable protein than total protein. Higher consumption of grains and meat decreased the prevalence of stunting. Furthermore, linear growth of children was found to be associated with the dietary intake of several nutrients including utilizable protein, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin C and vitamin D. The prevalence of stunting and underweight significantly decreased with a higher consumption of utilizable protein. Milk consumption decreased the prevalence of underweight. The prevalence of underweight also decreases with a higher dietary consumption of calcium, riboflavin and vitamin C. Higher consumption of grains also decreased the prevalence of underweight and wasting. A decreased prevalence of wasting was also found with higher dietary consumption of riboflavin, thiamine and fiber. On the contrary, higher consumption of meat, milk and grains increased the prevalence of obesity. In particular, higher dietary consumption of utilizable protein and vitamin C increased the prevalence of obesity. Conclusions: Even though the dietary total protein intake of school-aged children is considered adequate, the existence of malnutrition among children may be specifically attributed to quality of protein consumed. Therefore, the study suggests that nutrition interventions and policies focusing on child malnutrition should improve not just the quantity, but the quality of protein sources consumed by children to aid in proper growth and development.
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