Lessons from Japan: promoting underutilized food crops through tourism

For the first time in the XXI century, the number of people suffering from obesity worldwide surpassed the number of undernourished people. For many developing countries, this presented a so-called "double burden" of coping for over- and under-nourishment. At a rate of more than 50% of the population in Malaysia being either overweight or obese, the country is facing the most severe dietary crisis in East Asia. Often recognized as one of the healthiest populations worldwide and having a blue zone, Japan has managed to set a yardstick for countries around Asia. Hence the purpose of this study was to uncover the capacity for contribution and successful integration of traditional vegetables into Japanese daily food practices. Semi structured interviews were conducted together with participating observation with key informants to help understand the role of women in preserving and safeguarding traditional vegetables also known as 'sansai' in terms of farming and food preparation. In order to solve the unhealthy eating patterns among Malaysians, it is timely to start appreciating the contributions of the older generation in terms of wild edible usage and preparatory methods which can help alleviate the double burden of malnutrition among the population.

Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being in Late Adulthood: Lessons From Sardinia’s Blue Zone

This study was conducted to investigate whether socio-cultural context (i.e., urban versus rural), perceived physical health, marital status, and satisfaction with family and non-family ties predicted hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in late adulthood and to examine the impact of the socio-cultural context on well-being, physical health and satisfaction with family and non-family ties by controlling age.One hundred and one community-dwelling participants aged between 68 and 94 were enrolled in the Sardinian Blue Zone—an area of exceptional longevity located in Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea—and in the city of Cagliari—the regional capital. All participants completed a battery of tools assessing global cognitive efficiency, hedonic (i.e., SPANE and Satisfaction with Life Scales) and eudaimonic (i.e., Flourishing Scale) well-being, perceived physical health, and satisfaction with family and non-family ties. Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being were associated with several variables: marital status, socio-cultural context, and perceived physical health predicted 24% of the variance in the SPANE condition, 52% of the variance in the Satisfaction with Life condition was predicted by the socio-cultural context and satisfaction with family ties, whereas 39% of the Flourishing index was predicted by the socio-cultural context and physical health. Finally, the participants in the Sardinian Blue Zone reported better mental well-being and satisfaction with family and non-family ties than older people living in Cagliari. In conclusion, a socio-cultural context in which positive relationships in late adulthood are strengthened contributes to the promotion of mental health in late adulthood.

Description of Lifestyle, Including Social Life, Diet and Physical Activity, of People ≥90 years Living in Ikaria, a Longevity Blue Zone

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted to describe the lifestyle of people ≥90 years, living in Evdilos or Raches, two municipalities of the Greek island of Ikaria, classified a longevity blue zone. The 71 participants were interviewed and underwent the Mediterranean Islands study food frequency questionnaire (MEDIS-FFQ) and the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The frequency of social contacts was daily for 77.9% of participants, weekly for 16.1%, and monthly for 5.9%. Most participants (90.0%) believed in God, and 81.4% took part in religious events. A total of 62.0% attended Panigiria festivals. Access to primary health care was considered difficult in the past for 66.2% of participants, while 22.1% felt that it remained difficult at the time of the survey. The level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was 62.7% (61.6% in women and 64.0% in men). Physical activity levels were moderate or high for 71.8% of participants (59.5% of women and 85.3% of men). In conclusion, the participants had a very high level of family solidarity, social interaction and physical activity. The results concerning the Mediterranean diet are less convincing. It would be interesting to study the impact of these factors on the longevity of the oldest old aged people living in Ikaria.

The Development of Situ Rawalumbu Tourism Area Use To Create Green and Blue Zone In Bekasi City

Situ adalah wadah genangan air di atas permukaan tanah yang terbentuk secara alami maupun buatan yang sumber airnya berasal dari mata air, air hujan, dan/atau limpasan air permukaan. Situ dapat dimanfaatkan secara ekologis dan ekonomis yaitu sebagai habitat berbagai jenis hewan, tumbuhan, daerah resapan air, sumber air bagi kehidupan, pengendali banjir dan pengatur iklim, sebagai lahan perikanan, penghasil sumber daya alam, serta sarana wisata dan olahraga (Puspita et al, 2005). Situ Rawa Lumbu terletak di Kecamatan Rawa Lumbu, Kota Bekasi, Jawa Barat. Kondisi Situ Rawa Lumbu saat ini mengalami pendangkalan akibat pembuangan sampah/limbah dari pemukiman sehingga air mengalami pencemaran. Dengan demikian, kawasan di sekitar situ mengalami krisis air bersih. Hal ini berdampak kepada pengaruh lingkungan alam khususnya dalam konservasi Kawasan Situ. Sebagai solusi dari permasalahan tersebut, maka diperlukan usaha pelestarian kawasan situ Rawa Lumbu, perlunya penataan pada Kawasan Situ Rawa Lumbu yang ramah lingkungan dengan tujuan melestarikan Kawasan konservasi dan meningkatkan sumber daya manusia sekitar. Oleh karena itu Program Studi Arsitektur Universitas Kristen Indonesia merencanakan Kegiatan Usulan Desain Kawasan Wisata Situ Rawa Lumbu Kota Bekasi yang diharapkan dapat ikut berpartisipasi dalam pembangunan kota Jakarta dan sekitarnya, dengan memperhatikan prinsip Pembangunan Yang Berkelanjutan. Kata kunci: kawasan wisata, pengembangan, situ rawalumbu, zona biru, zona hijau.

Evolution of the Dietary Patterns Across Nutrition Transition in the Sardinian Longevity Blue Zone and Association with Health Indicators in the Oldest Old

Health and longevity in humans are influenced by numerous factors, including lifestyle and nutrition. However, the direct relationship between lifetime eating habits and functional capacity of the elderly is poorly understood. This study investigated the dietary changes across nutrition transition (NT) in the early 1960s, in a population located in the Sardinia island known for its longevity, dubbed as “Longevity Blue Zone” (LBZ), as well as the relationship between the dietary patterns and a panel of health indicators. A total of 150 oldest-old participants (89 women and 61 men, age range 90–101 years) living in the LBZ were recruited. Participants were interviewed using validated questionnaires to assess the consumption frequency of common food items, as well as the correlation with self-rated health, comorbidity, affective and cognitive level, physical mobility, disability and anthropometric parameters. Differences between subgroups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. Correlation analysis was performed by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient, separately in males and females. Compared to the pre-NT epoch, the consumption of meat, olive oil and fresh fruit slightly increased, while the consumption of lard, legumes and vegetables decreased. A significant association was found between increased olive oil intake across NT and self-rated health (ρ = 0.519), mobility (ρ = 0.502), improved vision (ρ = −0.227) and hearing (ρ = −0.314); increased chicken meat intake and performance in activities of daily living (basic activities of daily living: ρ = 0.351; instrumental activities of daily living: ρ = 0.333). Instead, vegetable consumption showed low correlation with health indicators. A mild increase in meat intake, mostly pastured poultry, is associated with better physical performance in the Sardinian LBZ elders, suggesting that a supply of protein may have been crucial to maintaining adequate functional capacity.

Mental Health and Religiosity in the Sardinian Blue Zone: Life Satisfaction and Optimism for Aging Well

This study evaluated the impact of the sociocultural context on dispositional optimism and resilience, life satisfaction, and religiosity in late adulthood. Moreover, the associations between those psychological measures and religiosity were investigated. Ninety-five older individuals recruited in the Sardinian Blue Zone and Cagliari completed a battery of tools assessing cognitive and mental health, and religiosity. Life satisfaction correlated with resilience and religiosity, whereas resilience correlated with optimism. Furthermore, participants of the rural area reported greater optimism and life satisfaction than peers living in the urban area. In conclusion, optimism and hedonic well-being favor optimal aging in the Blue Zone.