{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,18]],"date-time":"2026-10-18T03:19:34Z","timestamp":1792293574620,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]],"date-time":"2022-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642118400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>One prominent factor associated with malnutrition is poor appetite. In Japan, the number of older adults living alone has increased annually. Those living alone tended to eat alone, which may lead to poor appetite. This study aimed to investigate the association between eating alone and poor appetite using an index called the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ). We surveyed 818 people aged 70 and over in Takashimadaira, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan, in 2016. Comparisons were made between two groups, a poor appetite group (n = 295) and a good appetite group (n = 523), and results indicate that the poor appetite group had a higher rate of eating alone than the good appetite group (38.0% vs. 20. 1%: p &lt; 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression (OR; 95%CI) was performed and poor appetite was significantly associated with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score (1.707; 1.200\u20132.427), the number of medications (1.061; 1.007\u20131.118), JST score (0.894; 0.841\u20130.950), the indication of \u201cvery healthy\u201d on a self-rated health scale (0.343; 0.152\u20130.774), and reports of eating alone (1.751; 1.130\u20132.712). Our results suggest that eating alone is associated with a poor appetite.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14020337","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]],"date-time":"2022-01-14T03:14:03Z","timestamp":1642130043000},"page":"337","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Relationship between Eating Alone and Poor Appetite Using the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yurie","family":"Mikami","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Keiko","family":"Motokawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2478-8202","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maki","family":"Shirobe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Tokyo Metropolitan Support Center for Preventative Long-Term and Frail Elderly Care, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 3-9-7, Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0004, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayako","family":"Edahiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1294-256X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yuki","family":"Ohara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5739-2936","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masanori","family":"Iwasaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Misato","family":"Hayakawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Integrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 25-8, Oyamakanai-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0024, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4983-2399","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yutaka","family":"Watanabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0808, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hiroki","family":"Inagaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hunkyung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shoji","family":"Shinkai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Kagawa Nutrition University, 3-9-21, Chiyoda, Sakado-shi 350-0288, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuichi","family":"Awata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hirohiko","family":"Hirano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2021, November 11). Japan CO: Annual Report on the Ageing Society [Summary] FY 2020. Available online: https:\/\/www8.cao.go.jp\/kourei\/english\/annualreport\/2020\/pdf\/2020.pdf."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(2021, November 11). Ministry of Health Law: Long-Term Care Insurance Project Status Report 2018. Available online: https:\/\/www.mhlw.go.jp\/topics\/kaigo\/osirase\/jigyo\/18\/dl\/h30_gaiyou.pdf."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/S0197-4580(88)80004-6","article-title":"Anorexia in the elderly","volume":"9","author":"Morley","year":"1988","journal-title":"Neurobiol. Aging"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1074","DOI":"10.1093\/ajcn\/82.5.1074","article-title":"Appetite assessment: Simple appetite questionnaire predicts weight loss in community-dwelling adults and nursing home residents","volume":"82","author":"Wilson","year":"2005","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Besora-Moreno, M., Llaurado, E., Tarro, L., and Sola, R. (2020). Social and economic factors and malnutrition or the risk of malnutrition in the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrients, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12030737"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"904","DOI":"10.1097\/PSY.0000000000000386","article-title":"Feelings of loneliness and living alone as predictors of mortality in the elderly: The PAQUID study","volume":"78","author":"Stoykova","year":"2016","journal-title":"Psychosom. Med."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"117","DOI":"10.1186\/s12937-018-0424-0","article-title":"Association between eating behaviour and diet quality: Eating alone vs. eating with others","volume":"17","author":"Chae","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nutr. J."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"728","DOI":"10.1007\/s12603-012-0067-3","article-title":"Eating alone among community-dwelling Japanese elderly: Association with depression and food diversity","volume":"16","author":"Kimura","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Nutr. Health. Aging"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"744","article-title":"Relationship between eating alone and dietary variety among urban older Japanese adults","volume":"65","author":"Tanaka","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, X., Shen, W., Wang, C., Zhang, X., Xiao, Y., He, F., Zhai, Y., Li, F., Shang, X., and Lin, J. (2016). Association between eating alone and depressive symptom in elders: A cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr., 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-016-0197-2"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1261","DOI":"10.1007\/s00394-012-0437-y","article-title":"Association of anorexia with sarcopenia in a community-dwelling elderly population: Results from the ilSIRENTE study","volume":"52","author":"Landi","year":"2013","journal-title":"Eur. J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.3945\/an.115.011254","article-title":"Risk factors for malnutrition in older adults: A systematic review of the literature based on longitudinal data","volume":"7","author":"Matthys","year":"2016","journal-title":"Adv. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"482","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1532-5415.2010.03274.x","article-title":"Hardiness, depression, and emotional well-being and their association with appetite in older adults","volume":"59","author":"Engel","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Am. Geriatr. Soc."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"198","article-title":"Living with family yet eating alone is associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults: The Kashiwa Study","volume":"8","author":"Suthutvoravut","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Frailty Aging"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1019","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afv145","article-title":"Eating alone and depression in older men and women by cohabitation status: The JAGES longitudinal survey","volume":"44","author":"Tani","year":"2015","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"662","DOI":"10.1007\/s12603-016-0805-z","article-title":"\"Eating Together\" is associated with food behaviors and demographic factors of older Japanese people who live alone","volume":"21","author":"Ishikawa","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Nutr. Health Aging"},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"(2021, November 11). Ministry of Agriculture FaF: Awareness Survey Report on Food Education. Available online: https:\/\/www.maff.go.jp\/j\/syokuiku\/ishiki\/h30\/zuhyou\/z3-10.html."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Takahashi, K., Murayama, H., Tanaka, T., Takase, M., Suthutvoravut, U., and Iijima, K. (2020). A qualitative study on the reasons for solitary eating habits of older adults living with family. PLoS ONE, 15.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0234379"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"498","DOI":"10.1016\/j.physbeh.2006.04.025","article-title":"Situational effects on meal intake: A comparison of eating alone and eating with others","volume":"88","author":"Hetherington","year":"2006","journal-title":"Physiol. Behav."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"198","DOI":"10.1007\/s40750-017-0061-4","article-title":"Breaking bread: The functions of social eating","volume":"3","author":"Dunbar","year":"2017","journal-title":"Adapt. Human Behav. Physiol."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.2188\/jea.JE20190217","article-title":"Association of eating alone with depression among older adults living alone: Role of poor social networks","volume":"31","author":"Sakurai","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Epidemiol."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/14\/2\/337\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T14:14:59Z","timestamp":1760364899000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/14\/2\/337"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]}},"alternative-id":["nu14020337"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu14020337","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]]}}}