2.2. Participants
obesity
OBESITY
On estimating the sample size using the statistical software G* Power 3.1, 34 subjects were required as the total sample size (a priori effect size = 0.5, α = 0.05, power [1 − β] = 0.8). Forty participants with obesity residing in Tsukuba City, Japan were recruited through snowball sampling and a regional information magazine (Joyo Living Co., Ltd., Tsukuba, Japan). A screening survey via telephone or face-to-face interviews was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire. The inclusion criteria were: (1) age ranging over 40–74 years, (2) body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m