eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2022-07-24 10 7 511 517 10.12691/jfnr-10-7-10 JFNR202210710 article Rie Horiuchi mhor9496@mukogawa-u.ac.jp 1 2 Yuko Maki 3 Miki Tokunaga 4 Ram B. Singh 5 Douglas W. Wilson 6 7 Harpal S. Buttar 8 Toru Takahashi 8 Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, School of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Mukogawa WomenĄŻs University, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Department of Life and Culture Studies, Sonoda WomenĄŻs University, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences, Kanazawagakuin University, Kanazawa City, Japan Halberg Hospital and Research Institute, Civil Lines, Morada (UP), India School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, the UK Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada The identification of associated factors can help control BMI (body mass index). The current study aimed to assess whether adulthood and childhood factors such as sex, age, oil intake, obesity genes, eating habits, food preferences, number of food bites per mouth, percentage of body fat, height, and weight can affect adulthood BMI. This research included 20 participants from Osaka WomenĄŻs Junior College in Japan, and cross-sectional data were used. A questionnaire was designed to assess sex, age, oil intake, eating habits, and food preferences in adulthood and childhood. Then, percentage of body fat, height, and weight were examined. Obesity genotypes such as UCP, AB2, and AB3 were assessed using a genetic testing kit. The causal effect relationship between the measured variables were analyzed via Bayesian network analysis. The factors affecting adulthood BMI were regular mealtimes, percentage of body fat, and age. Regular mealtimes were negatively associated with adulthood BMI (r = ?0.57, p = 0.008). Thus, promoting regular mealtimes during childhood and adulthood can help achieve a low BMI in adulthood among the Japanese. Obesity genes (such as UCP1, ADB2, and ADB3), food preferences, and oil intake might not be directly correlated with BMI. Finally, education about regular mealtimes among children and parents could help control weight and enhance intelligence. http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/10/7/10/jfnr-10-7-10.pdf body mass index meal regularity mealtimes children parents Bayesian network