Research Projects
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Ongoing projects
Assessing the interrelationship between eating habits and dietary culture on body shape and body shape perception in adolescent women
Project OverviewThis study aims to examine the differences between Japanese and Thai adolescents in terms of lifestyle and food/nutrient intake according to body type (thin, normal, overweight, and obese) through anthropometric measurements, lifestyle questionnaires, and food-intake frequency surveys. The researchers will survey the dietary culture and traditional events in each country and the participants’ desire for thinness and their dieting experience to examine the interrelationships between "body shape" / "body shape awareness" and "eating habits" / "dietary culture." Subsequently, the results for Japanese and Thai adolescents will be compared, and methods for effective nutrition and health education to maintain appropriate body weight in adolescent women in the two countries—with different dietary cultures, environments, lifestyles, and food preferences—will be discussed.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Research Collaborator: Paponpat Pattarathitwat (Lecturer, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi)
Research Collaborator: Sikaret Kongkaew (Lecturer, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University)
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FY2021-2022 Joint Research Project, Institute of Human Culture Studies, Otsuma Women's University
The COVID-19 crisis and the consequent increased time at home have led to a reported increase in social media usage among all generations. While social networking services (SNS) are particularly important for communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also facilitated the spread of unreliable or false information and increased the incidence of psychological abuse. SNS have been reported to have a negative impact on mental health. It is possible that the use of social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused a variety of mental health issues among adolescents, who have the highest rate of SNS use. The study aims to investigate the impact of SNS use on mental health among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and attempts to clarify the relationship between SNS use and the actual state of mental health, daily life, and eating habits.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Chiyomi Mizutani (Professor, Clothing and Textile Studies, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Akiko Hayashi (Full-time lecturer, Child Studies, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Naoko Fujii (Full-time lecturer, Life Design, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Collaborative researcher: Mieko Horiguchi (Professor, Department of Home Economics, Junior College, Otsuma Women’s University)
The impact of social media use on mental health and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic
Project OverviewThe COVID-19 crisis and the consequent increased time at home have led to a reported increase in social media usage among all generations. While social networking services (SNS) are particularly important for communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also facilitated the spread of unreliable or false information and increased the incidence of psychological abuse. SNS have been reported to have a negative impact on mental health. It is possible that the use of social networks during the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused a variety of mental health issues among adolescents, who have the highest rate of SNS use. The study aims to investigate the impact of SNS use on mental health among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and attempts to clarify the relationship between SNS use and the actual state of mental health, daily life, and eating habits.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Chiyomi Mizutani (Professor, Clothing and Textile Studies, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Akiko Hayashi (Full-time lecturer, Child Studies, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Joint researcher: Naoko Fujii (Full-time lecturer, Life Design, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University)
Collaborative researcher: Mieko Horiguchi (Professor, Department of Home Economics, Junior College, Otsuma Women’s University)
Past Projects
FY 2017–2021 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research/Basic Research (C) (Research Topic/Field Number: 17K00935)
The "Mother and Child Cohort Study" conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) has continuously tracked approximately 2000 pregnant women registered since 2010. The study aims to investigate postpartum depression, anxiety disorders, health-related quality of life, and bonding disorders in mothers at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year postpartum—along with employment status and family structure—and investigate the relationship of these factors to dietary environment, food/nutrient intake, and development of children at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 6 years of age. In addition, the study aims to clarify the impact of social and family support for childbirth and parenting on this relationship.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative Researcher: Naho Morisaki (Head of the Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development)
Collaborative Researcher: Takeo Fujiwara (Professor, Department of Global Health Promotion, Division of Environmental/Social Medicine and Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Research collaborator: Eri Abe (First-year Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Otsuma Women's University)
For more information（researchmap）
The relationship between psychosocial factors and community/family support for women during parenting and the dietary environment and development of children.
Project OverviewThe "Mother and Child Cohort Study" conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) has continuously tracked approximately 2000 pregnant women registered since 2010. The study aims to investigate postpartum depression, anxiety disorders, health-related quality of life, and bonding disorders in mothers at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year postpartum—along with employment status and family structure—and investigate the relationship of these factors to dietary environment, food/nutrient intake, and development of children at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 6 years of age. In addition, the study aims to clarify the impact of social and family support for childbirth and parenting on this relationship.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative Researcher: Naho Morisaki (Head of the Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development)
Collaborative Researcher: Takeo Fujiwara (Professor, Department of Global Health Promotion, Division of Environmental/Social Medicine and Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Research collaborator: Eri Abe (First-year Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Otsuma Women's University)
For more information（researchmap）
FY 2012–2016 Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research / Basic Research (C) (Research Topic/Field Number: 25350852)
Compared with other developed countries, Japan has an unusually high percentage of thin women. The percentage of thin women in their 20s is particularly high at 29.0%. There is concern about the association between thinness in adolescence and conditions such as dysmenorrhea, giving birth to babies of low birth weight, and reduced activities of daily living due to osteoporosis. However, there are few developed countries with a constant rate of both thinness and hidden obesity, and there are few published papers regarding this.
This was a longitudinal retrospective cohort study, which aimed to examine the relationship between body size and food/ nutrient intake status of adolescent women with health risks such as bone density, dysmenorrhea, and menopause disorder. In addition, the relationship between body size and dysmenorrhea/ unidentified complaints in adolescents was examined using their body mass index, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and bone density. These investigations also considered the influence of professionalism as a dietitian, career awareness, and family life.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Kayo Uesugi (Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Reiko Hikosaka (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
For more information（KAKEN）
A cross-sectional and longitudinal study of health risk, body mass index, and body fat percentage in graduates and current students of a training facility for dietitians
Project OverviewCompared with other developed countries, Japan has an unusually high percentage of thin women. The percentage of thin women in their 20s is particularly high at 29.0%. There is concern about the association between thinness in adolescence and conditions such as dysmenorrhea, giving birth to babies of low birth weight, and reduced activities of daily living due to osteoporosis. However, there are few developed countries with a constant rate of both thinness and hidden obesity, and there are few published papers regarding this.
This was a longitudinal retrospective cohort study, which aimed to examine the relationship between body size and food/ nutrient intake status of adolescent women with health risks such as bone density, dysmenorrhea, and menopause disorder. In addition, the relationship between body size and dysmenorrhea/ unidentified complaints in adolescents was examined using their body mass index, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and bone density. These investigations also considered the influence of professionalism as a dietitian, career awareness, and family life.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Kayo Uesugi (Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Reiko Hikosaka (Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
For more information（KAKEN）
FY 2017–2018 Joint Research Project, Institute of Human Culture Studies, Otsuma Women's University
Project OverviewAssessing changes in chronic fatigue over time in adolescent women
It is important to clarify the actual situation of chronic fatigue in adolescents with diverse backgrounds and to identify lifestyle factors that reduce or prevent fatigue. Cross-sectional studies make it difficult to determine whether the target lifestyle factors prevent or reduce fatigue. Consequently, it is necessary to measure the same participants’ level of fatigue over time. This study measured the following: autonomic nerve function using self-diagnostic fatigue level checks along with the fatigue measurement system (VM500), the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM) values, and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) values using the reactive oxygen and free radical analyzer (FREE CARRIO DUO). This was done to objectively evaluate the level of fatigue of many people over a short period of time.
Research Organization
Principal Investigator: Minatsu Kobayashi (Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Mieko Horiguchi (Professor, Department of Home Economics, Junior College, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Nanami Tanaka (Research Assistant, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women's University)
Collaborative researcher: Eri Abe (Researcher, Institute of Human Culture Studies, Otsuma Women's University)