Department of Social Epidemiology
Graduate School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Kyoto University
We are pleased to announce that Professor Kondo has been appointed to the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection (TAG-SC) for a two-year term. The TAG-SC, comprising up to 20 experts, will provide counsel to the WHO Secretariat on the profound interplay between social connection and health. This appointment underscores Professor Kondo’s expertise in this complex and vital field.
Congratulations, Professor Kondo!
Related information can be found here.
Marisa Nishio, PhD student, announces the publication of a research paper concerning the validity of the concept of Healthy Ageing proposed by the United Nations.
The United Nations has designated the period from 2021 to 2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing,” encouraging countries worldwide to monitor the progress of Healthy Ageing using Functional Ability as an indicator (Functional Ability refers to the combination of an individual’s physical and mental abilities and the supportive environment enabling them to utilize these abilities). However, the measurement for Functional Ability and its conceptual validity have not been extensively studied, making the implementation of monitoring efforts challenging.
This research utilized data from approximately 35,000 older individuals residing in Japan to develop a measurement for Functional Ability and assess its validities.
Her study confirmed the empirical validity of Functional Ability. To promote the global dissemination and monitoring of Healthy Ageing, further research validating the concept of Functional Ability using data from other countries is essential.
This study was published in “Age and Ageing,” a journal by Oxford University Press.
Press release is here
【Article information】
Nishio M, Haseda M, Inoue K, Saito M, Kondo N. Measuring functional ability in Healthy Ageing: testing its validity using Japanese nationwide longitudinal data. Age Ageing. 2024 Jan 2;53(1):afad224. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afad224. PMID: 38275093; PMCID: PMC10811647.
URL: Measuring functional ability in Healthy Ageing: testing its validity using Japanese nationwide longitudinal data | Age and Ageing | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
The Global Expert Meeting of the Obesity Control Promotion Project of the Japan Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), drawing upon insights from the event titled “The Next Steps for Engaging and Cooperating with Patients, Citizens, and Communities for Obesity Control,” held in Mach 2023. This month, the meeting has shared its Policy Recommendations outlined in the document titled “The 6 Steps for Engaging and Cooperating with Patients, Citizens, and Communities for Obesity Control.”
Professor Kondo contributed to the meeting as a panelist.
For a detailed overview, please refer to the information available by clicking here. * In English
Dr. Yoko Matsuoka, a visiting researcher from Chiba University and graduate student from our lab, was awarded an oral presentation award at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health (November 1, 2023).
Mr. Arakawa, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tokyo (Special research student at Kyoto University), Prof. Kondo, and colleagues published the article investigating the effectiveness of mHealth consultation services for preventing postpartum depression.
This study included pregnant women living in Yokohama city. It revealed that women who were provided mHealth consultation services, in which women could consult about their concerns related to pregnancy and childcare with obstetrician-gynecologists, pediatricians, and midwives through their mobile phone during the pregnancy and postpartum periods, had a two-third lower risk of postpartum depression compared with women who were not provided them. This result indicates that removing physical and psychological access barriers to healthcare is critical to improving mental health for perinatal women.
This study was published in BMC Medicine, the flagship journal of the BMC series.
Press Release (For detailed information, please click here) * in Japanese
Article: Arakawa, Y, Haseda M, Inoue, K, et al. Effectiveness of mHealth consultation services for preventing postpartum depressive symptoms: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Medicine 21, 221 (2023).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02918-3
Hakuhodo DY Holdings (HD) is conducting joint research with us and has been featured in multiple media outlets for its “Checkup Championship.”
Our laboratory (Department of Social Epidemiology at Kyoto University) has been working with Hakuhodo DYHD to verify the effectiveness of the “Checkup Championship,” a workplace health and wellness program. This year, 3D avatar generators were set up at the site of health checkups to generate avatars of preference employees. The generated avatars provide guidance on exercise and eating habits to improve employees’ health awareness.
Our laboratory is conducting joint research with the company on the effectiveness of the “JIBUN TRAINER” program.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Hakuhodo DYHD Employee avatar guides own exercise (Published on October 11, 2023); click here for details.
Jiji.com News (Jiji Press): Exercise instruction is avatar’s own “Health Management” by motivating slothful employees (Published on October 16, 2023); click here for details.
A research group led by Senior Lecturer Shiho Kino and Professor Jun Aida of the Department of Health Promotion Dentistry, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, in collaboration with Kyoto University and Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, has found that older public assistance recipients have lower rates of dental visits for treatment and prevention than those not receiving public assistance.
This study suggests that barriers other than economic factors may exist for public assistance recipients to receive dental treatment. The study was published online on August 9, 2023, in the Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.
Article: Kino S, Ueno K, Nishioka D, Kondo N, Aida J. Prevalence of dental visits in older Japanese adults receiving public assistance. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2023; 00: 1–8.
DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12902
Press Release (link to Tokyo Medical and Dental University HP, click here) * in Japanese
