The relationship between price and nutritional balance for young adults in the menus of Japanese restaurants.

Background: Eating habits are a contributing factor to obesity. Higher-priced menu items have better nutritional quality/balance, as the relationship between the price of food per serving and nutritional quality/balance has been reported. However, previous studies on the nutritional content of restaurant menu items did not focus on the relationship between the nutritional balance of menu items and prices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate this relationship. Methods: The nutritional balance score (NBS) was defined and calculated according to each nutritional criterion of men and women aged 18-29 years, covering more than 2,000 menu items in 26 Japanese restaurant chains. Furthermore, NBS distribution by gender and restaurant brand, and the relationship between the menu item's NBS and price were assessed. Results: The results showed that the average NBS of the analyzed menu items differed between the criteria for men and women, with the menu items assessed based on men's criterion being more nutritionally balanced on average. The compositions of the top 10 menu items differed between men and women, and most were set menus or rice bowl menus, which were offered by fast-food restaurants. The relationship between price and NBS in most fast-food and casual restaurants was expressed as a concave function. The maximum NBS based on the criteria for men and women were 64.9 and 64.1, with prices of 639.9 and 530.3 yen, respectively. Discussion: NBS score increased with price to a certain level before decreasing, suggesting that the price at which NBS was the highest differed between men and women. The results of this study could contribute to the development of a methodology for healthy eating out practices, with a focus on price.

[Factors that affect dietitians and registered dietitians' learning about dental caries and periodontal disease].

Objectives　The present study examined factors that affect learning about dental caries and periodontal disease before or after graduation or completion of training for dietitians and registered dietitians.Methods　A questionnaire survey was conducted with members of the Aomori Prefectural Dietetic Association between October and November 2019, and 276 participants were included in the analysis. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the characteristics associated with learning about dental caries and periodontal disease; odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. The following independent variables were assessed: age (<30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, or ≥60 years), license (dietitian or registered dietitian), and occupational field (medical institution [nutrition management or food service], administrative agency, nursing care insurance facility, school-related work, training instructor in training facility for dietitians and registered dietitians, or other).Results　The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that dietitians and registered dietitians who had learned about dental caries and periodontal disease during training tended to be below the age of 40 years and have a registered dietitian license (dental caries: OR=2.79, 95% CI=1.08-7.24; periodontal disease: OR=6.51, 95% CI=1.71-24.84). Furthermore, dietitians and registered dietitians who had learned about dental caries and periodontal disease after graduation or training completion tended to be over the age of 40, have studied at a training facility (dental caries: OR=3.21, 95% CI=1.65-6.27; periodontal disease: OR=3.06, 95% CI=1.32-7.12), and be employed in the field of school-related work (dental caries: OR=4.23, 95% CI=1.03-17.27; periodontal disease: OR=5.56, 95% CI=1.15-26.98).Conclusions　To facilitate increased cooperation among practitioners in the fields of nutrition and dental health, necessary opportunities for learning about dental caries and periodontal disease alongside experts should be provided to those who do not have a registered dietitian license and have not studied at training facilities.