Effects of Childhood Nutrition Education from School and Family on Eating Habits of Japanese Adults

Abstract

Since the Basic Law of Shokuiku (nutrition education) was established in 2005, the Japanese government has been promoting nutrition education among children to encourage better eating habits. This study analyzes the 2019 survey data on people’s attitudes towards nutrition education, in order to elucidate the relationship between the results of nutrition education, attitude towards nutrition education and proper eating habits, and the experience of nutrition education. The results reveal that people who received nutrition education at elementary school and middle school tend to have a more positive attitude towards nutrition education. In addition, family conversation on foods during elementary school years has a positive effect on nutritionally balanced eating behavior.

Family Facilitators of, Barriers to and Strategies for Healthy Eating among Chinese Adolescents: Qualitative Interviews with Parent–Adolescent Dyads

“…Nutritional education is uncommon as they seldom discuss food-related issues in the family. A recent study showed that family conversations about food during their childhood enhanced the eating habits in adults [ 24 ]. There is a potential benefit to adolescent attitudes that comes with raised awareness through regular discussion on the topic.…”

Effect of Mid-Adolescent Dietary Practices on Eating Behaviors and Attitudes in Adulthood

“…It has also been shown that adults who ate meals regularly in childhood tend to eat meals regularly in their adulthood (in the USA) [ 39 ] and do not skip breakfast (in Japan) [ 33 ]. Several Japanese studies have shown that enjoyable eating and a good mealtime atmosphere at home during childhood promoted healthy eating behaviors, subjective diet-related quality of life, and food consciousness in adulthood [ 31 , 32 , 34 ]. It has been pointed out that caregivers talking about nutrition during childhood affected food choices and nutritional considerations among college students in the USA [ 39 ].…”

“…It has been pointed out that caregivers talking about nutrition during childhood affected food choices and nutritional considerations among college students in the USA [ 39 ]. Research has shown that Japanese adults who receive nutrition education at junior high school are more likely to be interested in nutrition education in their adulthood [ 32 ].…”

“…However, to the best of our knowledge, whether adolescent or childhood feeding and eating practices have a lasting influence on adult eating behaviors and attitudes in Japan has not been investigated. There are only a few exceptional studies using two-stage random sampling survey data [ 19 , 31 , 32 , 33 ] and simple random survey data [ 34 ] that discussed the topic. Research has shown that Japanese female adults aged 20–59 years with more cooking experience in childhood tend to engage in more favorable eating behaviors and attitudes during adulthood [ 19 ].…”

“…Research has shown that Japanese female adults aged 20–59 years with more cooking experience in childhood tend to engage in more favorable eating behaviors and attitudes during adulthood [ 19 ]. It has been reported that enjoyable eating, mealtime atmosphere, and mealtime food-related conversation at home during childhood promote healthy eating behaviors and subjective diet-related quality of life in adulthood among Japanese adults aged 20 years or older [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. It has also been pointed out that mothers who usually enjoyed a better mealtime atmosphere at home in their primary school period are more likely to have better food consciousness during adulthood [ 34 ].…”