Author: Airi

Media Coverage: Depression Risk Research among Farmers: The Need for Mutual Aid across the Community (Special Research Student Mariko Kanamori)

Special research student, Mariko Kanamori’s paper was introduced in several newspapers.

“Farmers’ depression risk study: Helping each other beyond the community is necessary” San-in Chuo Shimpo (July 5, 2021)
https://www.sanin-chuo.co.jp/articles/-/54401

In addition, Okinawa Times, Kobe Shimbun, Nihonkai Shimbun, Kochi Shimbun (Kochi), Sanyo Shimbun (Sanyo)
(Kochi), Sanyo Shimbun, Niigata Nippo, Fukushima Minpo, Iwate Nippo, Saitama Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun, Minami-Nippon Shimbun, Akita Sakigake, San-in Chuo Shimpo, Tooku Nippo, Yamagata Shimbun, Nagasaki Shimbun, Saga Shimbun

Mariko Kanamori, a veterinarian and graduate student at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, who is a member of the team, said, “Farming is a job that requires a lot of mutual help in the community. If there are few peers in the community, it may be difficult to help each other, which may affect mental health. I think it is necessary to enhance the system to help each other across the region.

Reference
Kanamori, M., Hanazato, M., Kondo, K., Stickley, A., & Kondo, N. (2021). Neighborhood farm density, types of agriculture, and depressive symptoms among older farmers: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1-11 .

Mariko Kanamori’s website is here.

Media Coverage: JAGES – Vaccination rate doubles with family doctor

In the latest issue of the Weekly Health News, a study conducted by Dr. Koryu Sato and his colleagues at our department using data from the Japan Aging and Geriatric Evaluation Study (JAGES) was introduced.

The study suggested that the vaccination rate of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines is about twice as high when a family doctor is present.

JAGES – Vaccination rate doubles with family doctor
Weekly Public Health News No. 2098, February 22, 2021 (33)

The paper is here.
Sato K, Kondo N, Murata C, Shobugawa Y, Saito K, Kondo K. Association of pneumococcal and influenza vaccination with patient-physician communication in Older adults: A nationwide cross-sectional study from the JAGES 2016. doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20200505. epub ahead of print. PMID: PMID: 33551389.

Click here to visit Koryu Sato’s website.

Publication notice: White Paper on Social Prescribing (Orange Cross)

The “White Paper on Social Prescribing,” written in part by Naoki Kondo and Daisuke Nishioka of our department, has been published.

Some of the people who visit medical institutions have various social issues.
Social prescribing” has been attracting attention as an approach to addressing such issues.

This white paper examines how “social prescriptions” can be tailored to the actual situation in Japan.

It is rich in data and illustrations. We hope you will find it useful.

Orange Cross Japan Foundation Project to Study the Japanese Version of “Social Prescription” (website)

White Paper on Social Prescription (PDF)

Reference
Nishioka, Daisuke; Kondo, Naoki. Literature review on cases and effects of social prescribing: Possibilities and challenges of how to deal with patients’ social issues in Japan. Medicine and Society, 2020, 29.4: 527-544.
Available at (in Japanese): https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/iken/29/4/29_2020.002/_pdf

Daisuke Nishioka s website is here.

Report: Lecture at a seminar on comprehensive community care (Nomura Research Institute, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

Naoki Kondo spoke at the seminar on organic cooperation and role sharing within local governments for the establishment of a comprehensive regional care system.

Seminar on Organic Cooperation and Role-Sharing within Local Governments for Building a Comprehensive Community Care System
Lecture: “Regional Diagnosis and Organizational Cooperation for Community Organization and Its Effects
Lecturer: Naomi Kondo

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 13:30-16:00
Location: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Target audience: Those involved in the promotion of comprehensive community care, municipal employees in the Kanto-Shinetsu Health and Welfare Bureau, prefectural and municipal employees involved in municipal support, etc.

Announcement: Supervising Garmin’s New Project

Naoki Kondo will be supervising a new global project for Garmin, a long-established GPS device manufacturer in the United States.

The new project is called Garmin Health, and it is designed to help people manage and improve their health not only in sports and activity situations, but also in their daily lives.

For more information about the Garmin Health Guide, please visit the Garmin Health Guide website (in Japanese).

Click here for three health tips to avoid overdoing it.

Try to measure your physical condition and behavior.
Make friends who can praise each other.
Declare your goals to those around you.

Report: Minutes of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Health Promotion Plan 21 Promotion Conference Released

The minutes and documents of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Health Promotion Plan 21 (Second Stage) Promotion Conference and the Policy Review Subcommittee, where Naoki Kondo serves as a member, have been newly released.

The minutes and documents are here (in Japanese).

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Health Promotion Plan 21 (Second Stage) is a health promotion policy promoted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Its main goals are to “extend healthy life expectancy” and “reduce health disparities”.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Health Promotion Plan 21 (Second Stage) was originally planned for a period of 10 years from FY2013 to FY2022.
However, in light of the impact of the new coronavirus infection, the plan period was extended by one year to 11 years, from FY2013 to FY2023.

Article: Income Inequality Becomes Health Inequality (Public Assistance Research Quarterly)

Naoki Kondo and Daisuke Nishioka (visiting researcher) have published an article in the latest issue of the Quarterly Journal of Public Assistance Research.

Click here for the table of contents of the Quarterly Journal of Public Assistance Research No. 261 (in Japanese).
Click here to purchase.

Daisuke Nishioka will continue to write a series of articles.

Special Feature: Income Inequality Becomes Health Inequality
Why Health Care Assistance is Necessary: A Perspective from the Concept of Capital
Naoki Kondo, Graduate School of Kyoto University

Toward Effective Implementation of Health Management Support Program for Protected Persons
Daisuke Nishioka, Osaka Medical College Graduate School of Medicine

Reference
The Power of Accompaniment: A Survey Study on the Actual Conditions of Medical Service Use by the Needy and the Effectiveness of Accompaniment Support for Medical Consultations（PDF, in Japanese)

Daisuke Nishioka’s website is here.

Press Release: Possible Regional Disparities in the “Improvement” of Care Needs

Airi Amamiya, a visiting researcher, published a paper in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health A press release was issued on a paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The Possibility of Regional Disparities in the “Improvement” of Care Needs(PDF)
～Social capital in the community may not be effective for certain people. ～(PDF)

This study suggests that although men live in areas with strong community ties (social cohesion), they are less likely to improve their care needs if they have a low opinion of those ties. For women, despite living in a community with high civic participation, if they do not participate in the community, they are less likely to improve after needing care. In areas with rich social capital, it is necessary to consider whether anyone is excluded from these connections.

Reference
Amemiya A, Saito J, Saito M, Takagi D, Haseda M, Tani Y, Kondo K, Kondo N. Social Capital and the Improvement in Functional Ability among Older People in Japan: A Multilevel Survival Analysis Using JAGES Data. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 12;16(8):1310. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16081310. PMID: 31013681; PMCID: PMC6518128.

Press Release: Socioeconomic disparities may exist in “improvement” of care needs

Airi Amamiya, a visiting researcher, has published a press release on a paper published in BMC Public Health.

Possible socioeconomic disparities in the “improvement” of care needs
– Longer education is twice as likely to improve as shorter education – (PDF, in Japanese)

It is known that there is a possibility of improvement in the condition of the elderly even after they require long-term care. This study found that those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are less likely to improve their condition after needing care. This suggests that there is a socioeconomic disparity in the improvement of care needs. There is a need to focus on supporting those who are in a socioeconomically disadvantaged position.

Reference
Amemiya A, Kondo N, Saito J, Saito M, Takagi D, Haseda M, Tani Y, Kondo K. Socioeconomic status and improvement in functional ability among older adults in Japan: a longitudinal study. BMC Public Health. 2019 Feb 19;19(1):209. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6531-9. PMID: 30782149; PMCID: PMC6381753.

Media Release: JAGES – Possible Disparity in Social Activity and Improvement in Care Needs (Weekly Health and Sanitation News)

An article about researcher Airi Amemiya’s paper was published in the Weekly Health and Sanitation News.

Weekly Public Health News
No. 2108 (May 3/10, 2021)
JAGES – Possible Disparities in Social Activity and Improvement in Care Needs (57)
http://www.shahojitumu.co.jp/hokeneisei.htm (Table of Contents only, in Japanese)

Reference
Amemiya A, Saito J, Saito M, Takagi D, Haseda M, Tani Y, Kondo K, Kondo N. Social Capital and the Improvement in Functional Ability among Older People in Japan: A Multilevel Survival Analysis Using JAGES Data. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 12;16(8):1310. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16081310. PMID: 31013681; PMCID: PMC6518128.