1．Key members

Head	TAKIMOTO Hidemi

2．Background and objectives

　Environmental factors, including nutrition during pregnancy, are known to cause changes in the systems that regulate gene expression (epigenomic changes), that are independent of changes in the DNA sequence of the child. In recent years, the risk of undernutrition among pregnant women has been increasing, not only among young women who are "skinny". The development of individualized undernutrition measures is urgently needed to reduce the risk of NCDs in the next generation. In collaboration with the Center for Nutrition Epidemiology and Policy Research and the Center for Physical Activity Research, our laboratory is engaged in the following studies.

3．Overview of our research

I. Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Dietary Habits of Pregnant Women in Settsu City (Pregnancy And Nutrition Cohort At KEnto: PANCAKE Study)
　The main objective of this study is to conduct a municipality-based longitudinal survey of pregnant women to understand the actual status of nutrition, physical activity, and body weight by pre-pregnancy body size and during each trimester of pregnancy.

1) The actual status of nutrition and dietary habits, physical activity and exercise, and weight and body composition by pre-pregnancy body size and during each trimester of pregnancy among pregnant women in Japan.
2) Validation of a simple survey method of nutritional intake and physical activity status among pregnant women
Validity of a food intake frequency questionnaire based on the dietary record method
Validity of the physical activity questionnaire based on the accelerometer method
3) The relationship between lifestyle and physical status, including nutrition and physical activity during pregnancy, and the course and outcome of pregnancy and the health of the child.

II. Development of a Questionnaire to Assess the Actual Nutritional Intake of Infants and Young Children
In formulating the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, it has been pointed out that there is a lack of data on nutrient intakes of Japanese infants. Therefore, there is a need to develop a questionnaire for simple and accurate assessment of nutrient intake in infants. In order to verify the validity of the draft questionnaire developed in FY2022, we are conducting a survey of mothers with 1- to 2-year-old children to compare the developed questionnaire with the intake obtained by weighing their food records for two days each on weekdays and holidays.