The Association between Self-Reported Difficulty of Food Access and Nutrient Intake among Middle-Aged and Older Residents in a Rural Area of Japan

Abstract

We investigated the association of self-reported difficulty of food access, accounting for the perception of food-store accessibility, with nutrient intake among 474 inhabitants (145 men and 329 women) aged $40 y in a rural area of Japan. Information on self-reported difficulty of food access and dietary intake was obtained via a self-administrated questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was performed to evaluate the adjusted associations between difficulty of food access and percentages of total energy (i.e., protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Among men, the adjusted means of percent energy from fat in the "difficulty of food access" group (19.2% energy) were significantly lower (by 2.4%) and the percent energy from carbohydrates for this group (57.3% energy) was significantly higher (by 3.3%) than for the "non-difficulty" group. In conclusion, this study found nutritional balance among residents experiencing difficulty of food access results in lower fat and higher carbohydrate intake than for those with non-difficulty of food access among middle-aged and older Japanese men in a rural area.

Food store accessibility affects nutritional intake through shopping frequency and food intake in middle‐aged to older adults in rural Nagasaki, Japan

“…We found only three studies conducted in areas other than the metropolitan areas or the prefectural capitals. One study used only a subjective measure of difficulty in food store access, but no objective measures (Yamaguchi et al, 2018), and the other two were conducted in the same city (Gomi et al, 2021; Gomi & Kamioka, 2021). Thus, there remains a need for further studies of the effects of an objectively‐measured food environment on dietary and nutritional intake among the middle‐aged to older population in rural areas in Japan.…”