Author: Paul

Award: Dr. Matsuoka won the Oral Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health

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).

Her presentation titled “Relocation and mental health in older adults immediately after the earthquake: A mid- and long-term follow-up study before and after the Kumamoto earthquake” received recognition from the selection committee for the Oral Presentation Award.
Please click here for detailed information. * in Japanese

 

Press Release: Women who could use mHealth consultation services during the perinatal period had a two-third lower risk of postpartum depression (Doctoral Student Arakawa)

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

Media Coverage: “JIBUN TRAINER” program for health guidance using avatars for employees (Checkup Championship)

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.

Press Release: Dental visit rates among older public assistance recipients are more than 20% lower than among those who do not receive public assistance – Barriers other than economic factors to dental visits (Senior Lecturer Kino, Tokyo Medical and Dental University)

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

Press Release: 20% of Married Women who had Intended to Conceive Delay Childbearing under the COVID-19 and its Strong Association with Decline in Well-being (Associate Professor Matsushima, University of Tsukuba)

A paper authored by Associate Professor Midori Matsushima of the University of Tsukuba and a research group led by Professor Naoki Kondo has been accepted for publication in BMC Public Health. The paper elucidates the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of pregnancy in Japan, and well-being of women who opted to delay childbearing were significantly lower than the women who did not.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 20% of married women who had initially intended to conceive before the pandemic decided to postpone their pregnancy. Furthermore, the study identified a robust connection between severe psychological distress, loneliness, and suicidal ideation during the pandemic, and the choice to delay pregnancy. These findings indicate concerns about the declining well-being of women during times of crisis and the necessity for society to establish comprehensive mental health support systems.

Article: Matsushima, M., Yamada, H., Kondo, N. et al. Married women’s decision to delay childbearing, and loneliness, severe psychological distress, and suicidal ideation under crisis: online survey data analysis from 2020 to 2021. BMC Public Health 23, 1642 (2023).

DOI:  10.1186/s12889-023-16476-z

Press Release (link to University of Tsukuba HP): p20230920140000.pdf (tsukuba.ac.jp) *in Japanese

Paper Publication: Eight Countries’ Responses to Health Disparities in the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Did Primary Health Care and Public Health Work Together? (Professor Kondo and Researcher Nishioka)

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been noted that there were significant disparities in access to medical care. The situation varied greatly from country to country. Therefore, primary health care and public health researchers from eight countries gathered to examine each country’s response situation. In particular, they clarified the current state of cooperation between the medical sector (clinics and hospitals) and the public health sector (public health centers and municipal health centers, etc.), which are emphasized in order to mitigate disparities.

As a result, it was confirmed that it is essential to develop a mechanism for cooperation between the two sectors in normal times, and in doing so, it is important to establish a mechanism that should take into account the social determinants of health (e.g., poverty, isolation, etc.) of the target population.

Please click here for detailed information.

News: Presentation at International Conference 3rd MEV-MEJ Forum on Sharing Experiences in Adaptation to Ageing and Care for Elderly between Japan and Vietnam (Professor Kondo)

Professor Kondo had a presentation at the 3rd MEV-MEJ Forum on Sharing Experiences in Adaptation to Ageing and Care for Elderly between Japan and Vietnam on August 29, 2023. He participated as a symposium presenter and discussed how to promote equitable aging society measures.

Title: “Achieving Health Equity by Data-Driven Community-Based Integrated Care System: Lessons from Japan”

Award: The 32nd (FY2023) Research Grant from Nakayama Foundation for Human Sciences (Doctoral Student Nishio)

The 32nd (FY2023) research grant of the Nakayama Foundation for Human Sciences (this year’s theme: Human Science of Health Disparities) was awarded to Marisa Nishio (3rd-year doctoral student), “Joint effect of intrinsic capacity and natural/built environmental factors on functional ability: validity of the United Nation’s Healthy Ageing concept.”

The purpose of this research is to clarify what kind of built environment contributes to the achieving of healthy aging and reducing health disparities advocated by WHO.

WHO has designated the years 2020 to 2023 as the “Decade of Healthy Aging” and is promoting the development of a variety of environments that support the physical and mental functions of older adults. This research focuses on the local built environment, such as streets, parks, and facilities.

Press Release: Development of a new method for tailor-made health support for public assistance recipients (Assistant Professor Ueno)

Health is the cornerstone of life. Protecting the health of individuals receiving welfare support, including public assistance recipients, is especially important. Since 2021, welfare offices in Japan have been obliged to implement health management support programs for public assistance recipients. To provide health and life support efficiently and effectively, we have developed a new tailor-made support method using a marketing technique.

In marketing, the target audience for services is classified according to their characteristics (segmentation) to identify priority individuals and design services tailored to these characteristics. In applying this approach, we used data on public assistance recipients aged ≥65 years to extract five distinct segments via soft clustering, a machine learning technique. We examined the similarities between the extracted segments and public assistance recipients in practice by interviewing caseworkers at welfare offices. The results showed that caseworkers perceived several segments as those in practice. Moreover, we extracted segments with characteristics that caseworkers had not been aware of previously.

Accordingly, we have been developing a tailor-made health support system that presents support plans for each segment.

 

Article: Ueno, K., Nishioka, D., Saito, J. et al. Identifying meaningful subpopulation segments among older public assistance recipients: a mixed methods study to develop tailor-made health and welfare interventions. Int J Equity Health 22, 146 (2023).

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01959-7

 

 

News: The Act on Promotion of Policy for Loneliness and Isolation passed

On May 31, the Act on Promotion of Policy for Loneliness and Isolation passed at the plenary session of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet.　[Please click here to view the video recording of this session (in Japanese). Voting begins at approximately 11:50 minutes.]

Also, on May 30, the Committee on Cabinet of the House of Councillors held the debate on this bill.  [Please click here to see this debate (in Japanese). There was a Q&A session, a debate in opposition, a vote, and a supplementary resolution.]

Professor Kondo has been a member of the Cabinet Office’s “Expert Committee on the Priority Plan for Loneliness and Isolation” since FY2021 and has been involved in the formulation of the plan on which this bill is based.
*Cabinet Secretariat (Act on Promotion of Policy for Loneliness and Isolation)  outline.pdf (cas.go.jp)   law.pdf (cas.go.jp)

“Social isolation is an important Social Determinant of Health, and countermeasures are essential to make a society with fewer health disparities. The joint efforts that are based on a legal basis will be promoted, including cross-ministry initiatives across the country and collaborations with industry-academia-government and other diverse players. ” (Professor Naoki Kondo)