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Although higher diet quality is related to higher socioeconomic status among adults, it is unclear whether this result could be generalized to children. Elementary and junior high school lunch programs may contribute to the reduction of socioeconomic disparities in diet quality. We examined the association between diet quality and household income level in school children in Japan according to age subgroups.This cross-sectional study was conducted in 866 household members (435 men and 431 women) aged 6-18 years old from the 2014 National Health and Nutrition Survey, Japan. Dietary intake was assessed by 1 day semi-weighted household dietary record, and the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top scores (range 0-70) were calculated. The household income was assessed by low, middle, and high. Associations between diet quality and household income levels were examined by age subgroups (6-14 years and 15-18 years), i.e., those with and without school lunch programs RESULTS: Higher dietary scores were observed in those with higher household income in the 15-18 year-olds; the multivariate adjusted mean (95% CI) of diet score was 44.3 (39.0-49.7), 48.8 (47.1-50.6), 51.6 (49.7-53.4) in children with the lowest household income level through the highest, respectively (P for trend = 0.003). However, there were no significant associations among those who were 6-14 years old.Our findings suggest that school lunch program in elementary and junior high schools might help to reduce socioeconomic disparities in diet quality. The development of healthy food environment in high schools without school lunch programs, should also be considered.

Although adipokines and insulin resistance are known to be correlated with body fatness, it is unclear whether they are independently related to weight gain experience. We examined the associations of serum adipokines and marker of insulin resistance with past weight gain during adulthood by taking the degree of attained body mass index (BMI) level into consideration.Subjects were 399 Japanese municipal employees, aged ⩾ 30 years, who participated in a health survey. Serum adipokines were measured using a Luminex suspension bead-based multiplexed array. Weight change during adulthood was calculated as the difference between measured current weight and recalled weight at the age of 20 years. Multiple regression was performed to calculate mean adipokine levels and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) according to weight gain (5 kg, 5-9.9 kg, or ⩾ 10 kg) with adjustment for current BMI.Weight gain from the age of 20 years was significantly and positively associated with leptin levels even after adjustment for current BMI (P for trend0.001), whereas it was significantly and inversely associated with adiponectin levels in a BMI-adjusted model among subjects aged ⩾ 40 years (P for trend=0.03). Weight gain was associated with HOMA-IR in a BMI-unadjusted model (P for trend0.001), but this association was largely attenuated after adjustment for BMI. Resistin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and visfatin were not associated with past weight gain.Results suggest that a large weight gain during adulthood is associated with higher leptin and lower adiponectin levels independently of the degree of attained BMI level.

Vitamin B6 is suggested to have a protective role against depression. However, the association between vitamin B6 intake and depression remains inconclusive, and few studies have examined the relationship between circulating vitamin B6 concentrations and depressive symptoms. Here, we investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations between serum pyridoxal concentrations and depressive symptoms among Japanese workers.Participants were 422 municipal employees (aged 21-67 years) who participated in a baseline survey in 2006 for cross-sectional analysis, and 210 subjects without depressive symptoms at baseline (2006) who completed both baseline and follow-up (2009) surveys for prospective analysis. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of depressive symptoms (CES-D scale of ≥ 19) according to tertile of serum pyridoxal with adjustment for potential confounding variables.In the cross-sectional analysis, serum pyridoxal concentrations were significantly associated with a decreased prevalence of depressive symptoms (P for trend=0.03); the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of depressive symptoms for the highest tertile of pyridoxal was 0.54 (95% confidence interval 0.30-0.96) compared with the lowest tertile. In longitudinal analyses, higher serum pyridoxal concentrations at baseline were associated with a trend toward reduced depressive symptoms after 3 years; the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of depressive symptoms for the highest versus the lowest tertile of pyridoxal concentration was 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.13-2.32).A higher vitamin B6 status may be associated with a decreased risk of depressive symptoms in Japanese.

Background School health promotion has been shown to improve the lifestyle of students, but it remains unclear whether school-based programs can influence family health. We developed an innovative program that enables school children to act as change agents in promoting healthy lifestyles of their mothers. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the child-initiated intervention on weight, physical activity and dietary habit of their mothers. Methods A 12-month cluster randomized trial was conducted, with school as a cluster. Participants were mothers with grade 8 students, aged around 13 years, of 20 schools in Homagama, Sri Lanka. Students of the intervention group were trained by facilitators to acquire the ability to assess noncommunicable disease risk factors in their homes and take action to address them, whereas those of the comparison group received no intervention. Body weight, step count and lifestyle of their mothers were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Multi-level multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were used to assess the effects of intervention on continuous and binary outcomes, respectively. Results Of 308 study participants, 261 completed the final assessment at 12 month. There was a significantly greater decrease of weight and increase of physical activity in the intervention group. The mean (95 % confidence interval) difference comparing the intervention group with the control group was −2.49 (−3.38 to −1.60) kg for weight and −0.99 (−1.40 to −0.58) kg/m2 for body mass index. The intervention group had a 3.25 (95 % confidence interval 1.87–5.62) times higher odds of engaging in adequate physical activity than the control group, and the former showed a greater number of steps than the latter after intervention. The intervention group showed a greater reduction of household purchase of biscuits and ice cream. Conclusions A program to motivate students to act as change agents of family’s lifestyle was effective in decreasing weight and increasing physical activity of their mothers. Trial registration Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry SLCTR/2013/011. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-016-0369-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The association between vitamin D status and insulin resistance (IR) has been less studied among Asians, and it remains elusive whether calcium could modify such an association. We examined the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations with IR markers and the potential effect modification by calcium intake among a Japanese population.The authors analyzed data (n=494) from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2009 among a Japanese working population aged 20-68 years. Fasting serum 25(OH)D and insulin, as well as fasting plasma glucose were determined, and homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Calcium intake was assessed using a validated diet history questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was done with adjustment of potential confounding variables.Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly inversely associated with 25(OH)D concentration across quartiles of 25(OH)D after fully adjusting for covariates (P(trend)=0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Across clinically relevant categories of 25(OH)D, compared with participants in the vitamin D sufficiency group, those in the vitamin D insufficiency group had a 5% higher HOMA-IR score, and those in the hypovitaminosis D group had an 18% higher HOMA-IR score (P(trend)=0.01). In an analysis by calcium intake, the HOMA-IR score was highest among participants with both a low calcium intake and lowest 25(OH)D concentrations, with significant inverse trend being observed in the group with lower calcium intake (P(trend)=0.02).Our findings suggest that low vitamin D status is associated with IR among Japanese adults.