Department of Anthropology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8636, Japan.
Appetite. 2014 Jan;72:37-49. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.09.013. Epub 2013 Sep 27.
Japanese public health nutrition often promotes 'traditional' cuisine. In-depth interviews with 107 Japanese adults were conducted in Tokyo from 2009 to 2011, using free-listing methods to examine dietary ideals and realities to assess the extent to which realities reflect inadequate nutrition education or lifestyle constraints. Ideal-reality gaps were widest for breakfast. Most people reported Japanese ideals: rice and miso soup were prototypical foods. However, breakfast realities were predominantly western (bread-based). While those aged 40-59 were more likely to hold Japanese ideals (P=0.063), they were less likely to achieve them (P=0.007). All those reporting western ideals achieved them on weekdays, while only 64% of those with Japanese ideals achieved them (P<0.001). Partial correlations controlling for age and gender showed achievement of Japanese ideals were positively correlated with proportion of cooking-related housework, and negatively correlated with living standard and income. Ideal menu content was in line with current Japanese nutrition advice, suggesting that more nutrition education may not change dietary ideals or behavior. Participant-reported reasons for ideal-reality discordance demonstrate that work-life balance issues, especially lack of time and family structure/life rhythm, are the largest obstacles to the attainment of dietary ideals. People reporting 'no time' as a primary reason for ideal-reality gaps were less likely to achieve their Japanese ideals (odds ratio=0.212). Time realities of people's lives may undermine educational efforts promoting Japanese breakfasts. When dietary reality/behavior departs from guidelines, it is often assumed that people lack knowledge. If ideals are in line with dietary guidelines, then lack of knowledge is not the likely cause and nutrition education is not the optimal solution. By asking people about the reasons for gaps between their ideals and realities, we can identify barriers and design more effective policies and programs to achieve dietary ideals.
日本公共卫生营养经常提倡“传统”美食。2009 年至 2011 年，在东京对 107 名日本成年人进行了深入访谈，采用自由列表的方法来检验饮食理想和现实，以评估现实在多大程度上反映了营养教育不足或生活方式的限制。早餐的理想与现实差距最大。大多数人报告了日本的理想：米饭和味噌汤是典型的食物。然而，早餐的现实主要是西式的（以面包为主）。40-59 岁的人更有可能持有日本理想（P=0.063），但实现这些理想的可能性较小（P=0.007）。所有报告西式理想的人在工作日都能实现这些理想，而只有 64%的日本理想者能够实现这些理想（P<0.001）。控制年龄和性别因素的偏相关分析表明，实现日本理想与烹饪相关家务的比例呈正相关，与生活水平和收入呈负相关。理想菜单的内容符合当前日本营养建议，这表明更多的营养教育可能不会改变饮食理想或行为。参与者报告的理想与现实不一致的原因表明，工作与生活的平衡问题，尤其是缺乏时间和家庭结构/生活节奏，是实现饮食理想的最大障碍。报告“没有时间”是理想与现实差距的主要原因的人不太可能实现他们的日本理想（优势比=0.212）。人们生活的时间现实可能会破坏促进日式早餐的教育努力。当饮食现实/行为偏离指南时，人们通常会认为他们缺乏知识。如果理想符合饮食指南，那么缺乏知识就不是可能的原因，营养教育也不是最佳解决方案。通过询问人们理想与现实之间差距的原因，我们可以确定障碍，并设计更有效的政策和计划来实现饮食理想。
