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The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of lifestyle and health awareness according to dietary diversity in a Japanese worksite population. The participants were 1,312 men and women aged 20 to 63 years who were living in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan during the period 2012-2013. We obtained anthropometric data and information on lifestyle characteristics using a self-administered questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and dietary diversity was determined using the Quantitative Index for Dietary Diversity (QUANTIDD). The characteristics of lifestyle and health awareness according to quartiles of the QUANTIDD score were assessed using the chi-square test and a general linear model. The higher the QUANTIDD score was, the larger were the proportions of participants who knew the appropriate amount of dietary intake and participants who referred to nutritional component information when choosing and / or buying food. Among participants with higher QUANTIDD scores, the proportion of participants who considered their current diet was good was high in women, whereas the proportion of participants who wanted to improve their diet in the future was high in men. Those results indicate that higher dietary diversity was related to better characteristics of lifestyle and awareness of health. J. Med. Invest. 67 : 255-264, August, 2020.

Epidemiological investigations have shown that consumption of soybeans or soy foods reduces the risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between different soy foods and inflammatory markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-18, in Japanese workers. The cross-sectional study included 1,426 Japanese workers (1,053 men and 373 women) aged 20 to 64 years. Intake of 12 soy foods was estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Associations of total soy foods, fermented soy food, non-fermented soy food, soy isoflavone with hs-CRP, IL-6, and IL-18 levels were examined by general linear model regression analysis. We found that total fermented soy food intake was inversely associated with multivariable-adjusted geometric concentration of IL-6 in men (Q1:1.03 pg/mL, Q5:0.94 pg /mL;P for trend = 0.031). Furthermore, it was shown that IL-6 concentrations were inversely associated with miso intake (β = -0.068;p = 0.034) and soy sauce intake in men (β = -0.074;p = 0.018). This study suggests that intake of total fermented soy food, miso and soy sauce be associated with IL-6 concentrations in Japanese men. J. Med. Invest. 65:74-80, February, 2018.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to clarify the changes in medication-taking behavior and related factors over time in patients with initial mild cerebral infarction up to 12 months after onset., Methods: Thirty-one patients with initial mild cerebral infarction were surveyed a total of four times: on admission to hospital, 3 months after onset, 6 months after onset, and 12 months after onset. Patients were surveyed regarding medication compliance, awareness of taking medication, perceived behavioral control, lifestyle risk factors, and subjective norms., Results: Medication compliance improved over time from the time of admission, but no changes were seen in awareness of taking medication. A cluster analysis based on changes in medication compliance over time revealed a "Persistently high compliance group" and a "Persistently low compliance group" for medication compliance. The health locus of control in the "Persistently high compliance group" was perceived as the result of chance and fate., Conclusions: Assessing the current state of medication compliance and the health locus of control during hospitalization permitted an understanding of patient characteristics, and indicated a need for recurrence prevention education and medication guidance tailored to each patient's cognitive and behavioral characteristics. J. Med. Invest. 64: 85-95, February, 2017.