Objectives: Despite the fact that the total energy intake of Japanese people has decreased, the percentage of obese people has increased.This suggests that the timing of meals is related to obesity.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the timing of meals and obesity, based on analyses of physical measurements, serum biochemical markers, nutrient intake, and lifestyle factors in the context of Chrononutrition.
Participants and Methods: We analyzed data derived from 766 residents of Toon City (286 males and 480 females) aged 30 to 79 years who underwent detailed medical examinations between 2011 and 2013. These medical examinations included. (1) physical measurements (waist circumference, blood pressure, etc.); (2) serum biochemical markers (total cholesterol, etc.); (3) a detailed questionnaire concerning lifestyle factors such as family structure and daily habits (22 issues), exercise and eating habits (28 issues), alcohol intake and smoking habits; (4) a food frequency questionnaire based on food groups (FFQg);and (5) a questionnaire concerning the times at which meals and snacks are consumed.
Results: The values for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were higher for participants who ate dinner less than three hours before bedtime (<3-h group) than those who ate more than three hours before bedtime (>3-h group). The Chi-square test showed that there was a significant difference in eating habits, e.g., eating snacks, eating snacks at night, having dinner after 8 p.m., and having dinner after 9 p.m., between the <3-h group and the >3-h group.
Multiple linear regression analysis showed that skipping breakfast significantly influenced both waist circumference (β = 5.271) and BMI (β = 1.440) and that eating dinner <3-h before going to bed only influenced BMI (β = 0.581).
Conclusion: Skipping breakfast had a greater influence on both waist circumference and BMI than eating dinner <3-h before going to bed.

Objective: Despite the fact that the total energy intake of Japanese peoplehas decreased, the percentage of obese people has increased. This suggests that the timingof meals is related to obesity. The purpose of the study was to investigate therelationship between the timing of meals and obesity, based on analyses of physicalmeasurements, serum biochemical markers, nutrient intake, and lifestyle factors in thecontext of Chrononutrition.
Participants and Methods: We analyzed data derived from 766 residents ofToon City (286 males and 480 females) aged 30 to 79 years who underwent detailed medicalexaminations between 2011 and 2013. These medical examinations included. (1) physicalmeasurements (waist circumference, blood pressure, etc.); (2) serum biochemical markers(total cholesterol, etc.); (3) a detailed questionnaire concerning lifestyle factors suchas family structure and daily habits (22 issues), exercise and eating habits (28 issues),alcohol intake and smoking habits; (4) a food frequency questionnaire based on food groups(FFQg); and (5) a questionnaire concerning the times at which meals and snacks areconsumed.
Results: The values for body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference werehigher for participants who ate dinner less than three hours before bedtime (<3-hgroup) than those who ate more than three hours before bedtime (>3-h group). TheChi-square test showed that there was a significant difference in eating habits, e.g.,eating snacks, eating snacks at night, having dinner after 8 p.m., and having dinner after9 p.m., between the <3-h group and the >3-h group. Multiple linear regressionanalysis showed that skipping breakfast significantly influenced both waist circumference(β = 5.271) and BMI (β = 1.440) and that eating dinner <3-h before going to bed onlyinfluenced BMI (β = 0.581).
Conclusion: Skipping breakfast had a greater influence on both waistcircumference and BMI than eating dinner <3-h before going to bed.

Objectives: It is important for patients to make correct use of drug information (DI) to promote the proper use of medicines. Many patients use the Internet to find DI, but awareness about the websites of public institutions that provide DI is low. This study aimed to identify the actual use of the Internet for DI and associated problems to inform development of a comprehensive DI website for patients.Method: Patients with diabetes were set as a model case for patients who take medicines and need DI. A questionnaire survey was conducted among patients with diabetes who visited community pharmacies in Kagoshima City from March 2019 to October 2019. The survey covered Internet use, DI needs, methods of sourcing DI, and problems obtaining DI via the Internet.Results: There were 349 valid respondents (median age 64 years), of which 52.1% used the Internet at least once a week. Around half of the Internet users searched for DI on the Internet. More than half of these respondents chose a DI acquisition site because it “appeared at the top of search results” and was “easy to understand.” However, around half of these respondents felt that “there is too much information on the internet and I don’t know what is correct.”Conclusion: This study suggests that older patients with a long history of diabetes use the Internet to obtain DI. However, patients face various problems accessing DI via the Internet. It may be necessary to construct a comprehensive website that is easy to use and enhance public health literacy to support the proper use of medicines by patients.