The energy expenditure, food consumption and anthropometry of two groups of Hull women are described. The group occupying the highly productive drained margins of the Haeapugua Swamp at Weinani have significantly higher intakes of energy and protein than those at Heli on the Paijaka Plateau. However, both groups of women expend similar amounts of time and energy in agricultural activities. The differences are explained by the contrasting quality of agricultural land at each place. Production per hectare at Heli is only around half of that at Weinani. It is concluded that the nutritional health of Heli women is compromised. This is probably the cause of the significantly lower mean birthweights of children born to women living on the Paijaka Plateau.
Human Females ; Energy, Physics ; Papua New Guinea ; livin ; g <3>

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate regional differences in the standard mortality ratio (SMR) and risk factors (including dietary habits) for stroke across the three regions of Ehime Prefecture - Toyo (east), Chuyo (central), and Nanyo (south).
Participants and methods: We obtained medical records derived from 956,979 medical examinations carried out at JA Ehime Kouseiren Medical Examination Centers between April 1994 and March 2006. We analyzed data from 132,090 subjects (Toyo - 47,654, Chuyo - 38,435, Nanyo - 46,001) who underwent their first medical examination during this period. To analyze differences between the three regions, we first calculated the SMR for stroke based on data from the Basic Residential Registers and Health Statistics Bureau. Secondly, we calculated significant differences in body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), blood glucose (Glu), and total cholesterol (T-CHO). Thirdly, we used the Chi-square test to calculate significant differences in the percentage of subjects who consumed the following foods on a daily basis: rice, bread, eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, dairy products, and fruit juice.
Results: Despite the fact that regional differences in the SMR for stroke have been decreasing, in both men and women in Nanyo, the mean values for SBP and DBP were significantly higher and the mean value for T-CHO was significantly lower than in Toyo and Chuyo. In Nanyo, the percentage of subjects who consumed rice and fish (men and women), meat (men), and juice (women) on a daily basis was higher than in Toyo and Chuyo.
Conclusion: In Nanyo, higher SMR for stroke may be related to high SBP and DBP and low T-CHO. As background to these results, it is also thought that regional differences in dietary habits may have an influence.

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: 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.

Purpose: Nursing is traditionally considered a female profession, and male nursing students face gender stereotype barriers. Most studies of male nursing students in Japan focus on their learning experiences in maternal nursing, and little is known about the experiences of male nursing students in their usual learning environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the barriers and coping strategies of Japanese male nursing students in nursing education, including classroom and practical training. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used to study 20 male nursing students from eight Japanese universities. Purposive sampling using the snowball method was used to recruit participants. Semistructured interviews were used to gather data about the participants’ thoughts and experiences in nursing education. All interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: (1) nursing choices of own volition; (2) loneliness due to the female-dominated environment and marginalization; (3) dealing with barriers and seeking support; and (4) positive experiences in nursing education. Male nursing students face barriers such as loneliness and feelings of alienation. Family support, mutual support among male nursing students, and the presence of role models were factors that addressed these barriers and positively influenced career choice. Conclusions This research suggests that nursing educators need to understand the barriers faced by male nursing students and provide a gender-neutral learning environment for all students.

OBJECTIVEPrevious studies on the association between physical activity (PA) and neighborhood environments (NE) focused on either objectively measuring the NE or the residents' perception of NE. Here, we investigate which actual or perceived NE is associated with residents' PA in Japan.

METHODSTwo regions with an objectively assessed high and low residential density, land use mix-diversity, and street connectivity, respectively, were identified in one city. The subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method by sex and age in each region. The NE of the subjects was objectively measured using the Geographic Information System (GIS), and the subjects' perception of the NE was assessed using a questionnaire. The daily total number of walking steps was measured with an accelerometer, and walking and cycling time were assessed by a questionnaire.

RESULTSFor the female subjects, the mean cycling time, subjectively assessed as a means of transport, was significantly longer in the group with a high GIS score for the number of land use types, while the score for total number of walking steps was significantly higher among those who were aware of places to walk to, and cycling time for transport was longer for those who perceived an accessibility to post offices, banks/credit unions, gymnasiums/fitness facilities, and amusement facilities in their neighborhood. For the male subjects, the score for walking time for leisure was longer for those who perceived aesthetics and an accessibility to parks, and the score for total walking steps was significantly higher for those who perceived an accessibility to bookstores or rental video stores in their neighborhood.

CONCLUSIONSThe results to this study demonstrate that daily PA was high among female subjects living in a NE with land use mix-diversity, and who had an awareness of places to walk to and the accessibility to facilities for daily necessities in their neighborhood. For male subjects, daily PA was high among those who perceived the aesthetics of and accessibility to facilities for pleasure in their neighborhood. Further research is needed to determine the association between PA and NE on the basis of sex differences.

Objective: Monitoring the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants is important due to concerns regarding infectivity, transmissibility, immune evasion and disease severity. We evaluated the temporal and regional replacement of previous SARS-CoV-2 variants by the emergent strains, Alpha and Delta. Methods: We obtained the results of polymerase chain reaction screening tests for variants conducted in multiple commercial laboratories. Assuming that all previous strains would be replaced by one variant, the new variant detection rate was estimated by fitting a logistic growth model. We estimated the transmission advantage of each new variant over the pre-existing virus strains. Results: The variant with the N501Y mutation was first identified in the Kinki region in early February 2021, and by early May, it had replaced more than 90% of the previous strains. The variant with the L452R mutation was first detected in the Kanto-Koshin region in mid-May, and by early August, it comprised more than 90% of the circulating strains. Compared with pre-existing strains, the variant with the N501Y mutation showed transmission advantages of 48.2% and 40.3% in the Kanto-Koshin and Kinki regions, respectively, while the variant with the L452R mutation showed transmission advantages of 60.1% and 71.9%, respectively. Discussion In Japan, Alpha and Delta variants displayed regional differences in the replacement timing and their relative transmission advantages. Our method is efficient in monitoring and estimating changes in the proportion of variant strains in a timely manner in each region.