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News: Selected as Runner-up for the Rothman Epidemiology Paper Prize 2023 in Epidemiology(Associate Professor Inoue)

A paper published last year in Epidemiology by Associate Professor Inoue was selected as the Runner-up of the Rothman Epidemiology Prize (four papers in total) as an epidemiology paper that had an important impact among the papers published by Epidemiology in the same year.

It was recognized because it generalized the front-door formula, which had never been applied to epidemiological studies since it was proposed by Judea Pearl in 1993, into an application form and presented the first example of such an application in the world.

Kyoto University School of Public Health

社会疫学分野　井上浩輔特定准教授のFDF論文がEpidemiology誌におけるRothman Epidemiology Paper Prize 2023のRunner-upとして選出されました。

Inoue, Kosuke, Ritz Beate, Arah Onyebuchi.Causal Effect of Chronic Pain on Mortality Through Opioid Prescriptions: Application of the Front-Door Formula.Epidemiology 33(4):p 572-580, July 2022.

DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001490

https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2022/07000/Causal_Effect_of_Chronic_Pain_on_Mortality_Through.17.aspx

Kara E. Rudolph, Winner of the 2023

https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Citation/9900/Kara_E__Rudolph,_Winner_of_the_2023.136.as

News: International Lecture ” Future Healthy Aging Communities” and “Career Path in International Organizations” at Kyoto University School of Public Health on March 27 (Professor. Kondo)

On March 27, International Lectures ” Future Healthy Aging　Communities” and “Career Path in International Organizations” were held at Kyoto University School of Public Health(SPH) with WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO/WPRO) officers and researchers from Brunei and Cambodia as invited lecturers.

“Future of Healthy Aging Communities” introduced the Healthy Aging policies developed by WHO/WPRO and case studies of activities in their countries. And “Career Path in International Organizations” introduced the experiences of working in international organizations to SPH students and staff. In each session, discussion with Professor Kondo was also held, which was a valuable learning opportunity.

Kyoto University School of Public Health Website

Lecture on ” Future Healthy Aging Communities”

Report: Kyoto University School of Public Health International Lecture Future Healthy Ageing Communities Roundtable Discussion

Lecture on “Career Path in International Organizations”

Report: Kyoto University School of Public Health International Lecture Career Path in International Organizations

News: Visiting Nabari City with Experts from WHO, Cambodia, and Brunei on March 28

We visited Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, a leading city in efforts to achieve “Healthy Aging” and “Social Prescribing” in Asia and the Western Pacific region, where the population is rapidly aging. Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office and researchers from Cambodia and Brunei participated in the tour. Faculty and students from the Kyoto University School of Public Health(SPH) also participated. The tour was an enjoyable and great learning experience.

Kyoto University School of Public Health Website

Field Visit to Nabari City, Mie Prefecture for Exemplary Activities of Healthy Aging

Report: Field Visit to Nabari City, Mie Prefecture for Exemplary Activities of Healthy Aging

Press Release: Proposal of a personalized medicine strategy “High Benefit Approach” in hypertension treatment (Associate Professor: Inoue)

The research group led by Associate Professor Inoue, Professor Susan Athey of Stanford University, and Associate Professor Yusuke Tsugawa of the University of California, Los Angeles, has proposed the potential usefulness of the “high-benefit approach,” a next-generation personalized medicine strategy for hypertension treatment, by applying advanced machine learning models to the treatment of hypertension.

This research established a new concept focusing on individual treatment effects. It demonstrated its usefulness, and it is expected to become a basis for the next generation of personalized medicine applying machine learning.

Kosuke Inoue, Susan Athey, Yusuke Tsugawa (2023). Machine-learning-based high-benefit approach versus conventional high-risk approach in blood pressure management. International Journal of Epidemiology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad037

Please click on the following link for the press release and more information.
Press release: https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/research-news/2023-04-05
Kyoto University School of Public Health: http://sph.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp/news/7016/

Press release: Finding an association between weekly walking patterns and mortality risk – Can walking well twice a week keep you healthy? (Associate professor Inoue)

The research group led by Associate Professor Inoue and Associate Professor Yusuke Tsugawa of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), using U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, has found that achieving 8,000 steps per day, even just one or two days a week has a positive impact on health.

Using accelerometer-measured step count information, the study examined the risk of mortality associated with walking more than 8,000 steps per day for 0, 1-2, and 3-7 days. The Findings, those who walked at least 8,000 degrees, even one or two days per week, showed a reduction in mortality risk almost equal to those who regularly walked three or more days per week.

The results of this study suggest that achieving the target number of steps, even one or two days per week, may have a sufficiently positive impact on health.

Kosuke Inoue, Yusuke Tsugawa, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Beate Ritz (2023). Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults. JAMA Network Open, 6(3):e235174.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.5174

Please click on the following link for the press release and more information.

Press release: https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/research-news/2023-03-30

Kyoto University School of Public Health: http://sph.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp/news/6979/

News: New project on “cultural prescribing” with Tokyo University of the Arts and National Museum

The large-scale joint research and development project with the Tokyo University of the Arts, etc. (JST Industry-academia Co-creation), in which we have participated since last year, has been adopted for the development phase. Until now, Professor Naoki Kondo has been involved as an R&D collaborator, but from April 2023, Kondo will be in charge of the Evidence Building Section (R&D Subject 5). With the Tokyo University of the Arts at the core, 37 organizations, including art, welfare and medical care, technology, and other specialized institutions, companies, and local governments, will bring together their knowledge and skills to solve social issues and develop “cultural prescribing” to be implemented in communities, aiming to co-create a society for population well-being.

The project will promote “cultural prescribing,” an approach to community development through the promotion of interaction using art, while also applying a variety of digital media. For more information, please see the following link.

Here is a description of the “cultural prescribing” from the press release.

The “cultural prescribing” unique to this center is inspired by “social prescribing.”The latter is an approach that does not prescribe medicine to individual patients but instead seeks to improve health and well-being in the community and society as a whole through the use of human connections and local resources.”Cultural prescribing” is a type of “social prescribing” that utilizes culture and the arts. This center combines art activities with medical care, welfare, and technology, considering the various issues individuals face, social relationships, and the characteristics of community cultural and artistic resources and places. “Cultural prescribing” is a method, approach, or system that allows people in diverse situations to connect loosely with each other, to find a place where they can be themselves, create a unique experience, have fun and be moved, free their minds, and create comfortable communication naturally.
Cultural Prescribing is expected to positively affect individuals in terms of sustained well-being, including increased motivation to be active and a greater sense of well-being, as well as improved health. For the community, it is expected to create a more tolerant and inclusive environment and system.

News: Comments on the 2023 G7 Global Health Task Force published on LANCET

The comments of the 2023 G7 Global Health Task Force, in which Professor Kondo serves as a working group member, were published in LANCET.

Promote global solidarity to advance health-system resilience: proposals for the G7 meetings in Japan.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00690-6/fulltext

The Pandemic Action Network (PAN), JCIE, and the University of Tokyo’s Center for Future Vision Research will co-host the Hiroshima G7 Global Health Task Force: Recommendations for Promoting Global Solidarity Towards a More Resilient Health System.

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 5, 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EST (8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EST)

Click here for registration

Press release: Identified genes involved in the pathogenesis of primary aldosteronism(Assistant Professor Inoue)

A research group including Assistant Professor Inoue, Assistant Professor Tatsuhiko Naito of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine (at the time of the research/now a postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine), Professor Yukinori Okada (Team leader, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Laboratory for Systems Genetics / Professor of Department of Genome Informatics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo), and Lecturer Kenji Oki of Hiroshima University(Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Science), has conducted a genome-wide association study of primary aldosteronism, and the results were published in Circulation.

Tatsuhiko Naito, Kosuke Inoue, Kyuto Sonehara, Ryuta Baba, Takaya Kodama, Yu Otagaki, Akira Okada, Kiyotaka Itcho, Kazuhiro Kobuke, Shinji Kishimoto, Kenichi Yamamoto, BioBank Japan, Takayuki Morisaki, Yukihito Higashi, Nobuyuki Hinata, Koji Arihiro, Noboru Hattori, Yukinori Okada, Kenji Oki .Genetic Risk of Primary Aldosteronism and Its Contribution to Hypertension: A Cross-Ancestry Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Study.Circulation,21 February 2023

DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.062349

Click here for more information.

Click here for press release

Press release: Pregnancy postponement during the COVID-19 pandemic -Income decline, job insecurity and anxiety about future household finances were related-

A paper in joint research with Associate Professor Midori Matsushima at the University of Tsukuba has been published online in the Journal of Biosocial Science.

A research group led by Associate Professor Midori Matsushima, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, and Professor Naoki Kondo examined the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and pregnancy postponement.

This study analyzed data on 768 women with the intention to become pregnant from The Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS) conducted in 2020 and 2021, and found that approximately 20% of the women postponed pregnancy. Furthermore, the reason for this was not fear or anxiety about COVID-19 infection, but rather reduced income and anxiety towards future household finances due to the COVID-19, and the impact of this was particularly strong in 2021.

The results of this study showed that social factors affect the pregnancy decisions of those who wish to become pregnant, suggesting that it is important to promote the elimination of economic insecurity even after this pandemic is over.

Midori Matsushima, Hiroyuki Yamada, Naoki Kondo, Yuki Arakawa, Takahiro Tabuchi. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy postponement – evidence from Japan. Journal of Biosocial Science,11 January 2023.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932022000451

Abstract
Japan has faced a decline in fertility since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the rate of pregnancy postponement and its contributing factors, with a particular focus on economic- and COVID-19 infection-related indicators. This study used data from 768 observations of married women aged 18 to 50 years with pregnancy intentions. The data were obtained from two rounds of a large web-based survey conducted by the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS) in 2020 and 2021. A generalised estimating equation (GEE) model was employed, as well as Poisson regression models for sub-sample analysis divided by year to estimate the year differential magnitude of the contributing factors’ impacts. Approximately 20% of married women with childbearing intentions postponed their childbearing. The analyses revealed that declining income and anxiety about future household finances were significantly related to delayed childbearing, while fear of COVID-19 and infection rate were not. Additionally, the adverse effects of unfavourable economic conditions were stronger in 2021. Notably, age did not influence the decision of pregnancy postponement. Older women postponed pregnancy just as much as younger women. In conclusion, this study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly its related adverse economic conditions, contributed to Japan’s current baby bust. Considering that advanced maternal age is already common in Japan, this decreased fertility may result in the long-term negative consequence of further population decline.

Click here for the press release.

Press release: Worry about crime and loneliness: Examining the association in nine former Soviet countries

A paper by Research Fellow Andrew Stickley has been published in SSM Population Health.

This study was undertaken by researchers from the Department of Social Epidemiology at Kyoto University (Dr Andrew Stickley, Professor Naoki Kondo, Dr Mariko Kanamori, Dr Shiho Kino, Doctoral Student Yuki Arakawa) together with colleagues from the National Centre for Global Health and Medicine (Dr Yosuke Inoue) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Professor Martin McKee).

Results showed that compared to individuals who had no worry about crime, those who had a high level of worry were significantly more likely to be lonely.

The results of this research highlight the close link between crime-related factors and health and wellbeing and lend support to the recent call for public health and law enforcement to work more closely together.

Andrew Stickley, Naoki Kondo, Yosuke Inoue, Mariko Kanamori, Shiho Kino, Yuki Arakawa, Martin McKee.Worry about crime and loneliness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union. SSM Population Heallth. 2023 Mar; 21:101316.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101316

Abstract
Worry about crime has been linked to several detrimental outcomes including worse mental health. However, there has been little research on the association between worry about crime and loneliness, even though loneliness is increasingly being recognised as a serious public health issue. To address this deficit, this study examined the association between worry about crime and loneliness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine), using data from 18,000 respondents aged 18 and above that were collected during the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey in 2010/11. Results from a pooled logistic regression analysis showed that compared to those who reported no worry about crime, individuals with a high level of worry had significantly higher odds of loneliness (odds ratio [OR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–1.75). Sex- and age-stratified analyses further showed that the association was observed in women with a mid (OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.10–1.71) and a high level (OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.33–2.17) of worry about crime but not in men, and that a high level of worry about crime was linked to loneliness in adults aged 35–59 (OR: 1.39, 95%CI: 1.02–1.91) and 60 and above (OR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.12–2.40) but not in those aged 18–34. High levels of worry about crime are associated with loneliness in the FSU countries. Reducing crime and its associated worries may have important public health benefits in these countries.

Click here for press release.