eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2021-06-08 9 6 274 280 10.12691/jfnr-9-6-1 JFNR2021961 article Rie Horiuchi mhor9496@mukogawa-u.ac.jp 1 2 Yuko Maki 3 Miki Tokunaga 4 Yuko Yamamoto 5 Keiichi Tsukinoki 6 Ram B. Singh 7 Douglas W. Wilson 8 9 Harpal S. Buttar 10 Toru Takahashi 11 Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of?Food Science and Nutrition, Mukogawa Women¡¯s University, 6-46 Ikebiraki-cho, Nishinomiya city, Hyogo prefecture, 663-8558 Japan. Department of Life and Culture Studies, Sonoda Women¡®s University, Minamitsukaguchi-cho, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo prefecture, 661-8520 Japan. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition, Kanazawa Gakuin University, 10 Sue, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa prefecture, 920-1392 Japan Department of Junior College, Kanagawa Dental University, School of Dental Hygiene, 82 Inaoka-cho, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa prefecture, 238-8580 Japan Department of Oral Science, Division of Environmental Pathology, Kanagawa Dental University, Graduate School of Dentistry, 82 Inaoka-cho, Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture, 238-8580 Japan Halberg Hospital and Research Institute, Civil Lines, Moradabad (UP), 244001 India School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE UK 0Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd. Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5 Canada 1Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition, Kanazawa Gakuin University, 10 Sue, Kanazawa city, Ishikawa prefecture, 920-1392 Japan Nursery school is an important stage for improving children¡¯s eating behaviors because eating behaviors are established in early childhood. Thus, this study aimed to establish an adequate method for educating children regarding such behaviors during early stages of development. To this end, we elucidated the causal effects of children¡¯s behaviors during eating at a nursery school. Cross-sectional data were used. Behaviors during eating lunch, quantity of leftovers from meals, and children¡¯s preferences for school lunch were measured. Causal effects between the measured variables were analyzed using the Bayesian network analysis. The causes leading to time spent talking were turning sideways, playing, and standing up. Turning sideways, playing, and standing up depended positively on the time spent of talking (p=0.01). The times spent of talking affected the time spent of holding foods in one¡¯s mouth. The time spent of talking was positively depended by time spent of holding foods in one¡¯s mouth (p=0.02). Decreasing the time spent turning sideways, playing, and standing up might decrease talking, which in turn may decrease the time spent holding food in one¡¯s mouth. Instructing children not to turn sideways, play, or stand up would be an effective way to educate them on desirable behaviors during school lunch. http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/9/6/1/jfnr-9-6-1.pdf education school lunch nursery school observation of behaviors Bayesian network