News

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.

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.

Webinar Report: Resilience to Health Crises and Turning Crises into Opportunities – Novel Coronavirus Infections and Natural Disasters (JAGES)

On May 14, the Japan Agency for Gerontological Evaluation and Research (JAGES) hosted a webinar-style symposium titled “Resilience to Health Crises and Turning Crises into Opportunities: Novel Coronavirus Infections and Natural Disasters.

Assistant Professor Goryu Sato gave a presentation on “The impact of the new coronavirus infection on the lives and health of the elderly”.

Naoki Kondo presented “Learning from the Kumamoto Earthquake”.

JAGES Symposium on Disaster and Health Risk Management (WHO Kobe Center, in Japanese)

Symposium Outline (PDF, in Japanese)

Outline of the Symposium
Organizer: Japan Agency for Gerontological Evaluation and Research (JAGES)
Supported by: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Cabinet Office, Government Policy Director-General for Disaster Management (in charge of disaster prevention), Japan Agency for Medical Care and Development (AMED) (in alphabetical order)

Date and Time: Friday, May 14, 2021, 15:00 – 17:00
Venue: Zoom
Participation fee: Free
Target audience: Local government officials, researchers, and individuals interested in health and longevity initiatives, and companies interested in industry-government-academia collaboration for the realization of a healthy society with longevity.

Report: Assistant Professor Inoue speaks at twitter live hosted by the American Heart Association

On May 25, 2021, Assistant Professor Kosuke Inoue spoke at a twitter live hosted by the American Heart Association.

He was selected as a speaker for the twitter live because he published a paper in Hypertension in 2020 and the paper was selected as a High Impact Paper for Fall 2020.

References
Inoue K, Goldwater D, Allison M, Seeman T, Kestenbaum BR, Watson KE. Serum Aldosterone Concentration, Blood Pressure, and Coronary Artery Calcium: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Hypertension. 2020 Jul;76(1):113-120. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.15006. Epub 2020 May 18. Erratum In: Hypertension. 2021 Mar 3;77(3):e34. PMID: 32418495.

Click here to visit Kosuke Inoue’s website.

Announcement: 2021 Osaka Public Health Seminar（12th): Social Determinants of Health in Japan

The Osaka Public Health Seminar: Social Determinants of Health in Japan will be held again this year.
Dr. Naomi Kondo will be speaking at the seminar on August 9.

[Date] August 7(Sat), 8(Sun), 9(Mon), 2021
[Venue] Multimedia Hall, 1st Floor, Center for Biomedical Innovation, Osaka University Suita Campus

Monday, August 9, 12:00 – 12:45 Lecture 16
Social prescribing  Naoki KONDO (Kyoto University)

If you are not a faculty member or a student of Osaka University, you can participate only via web (Zoom).
1. If you wish to participate, please register using the registration form.
Deadline for registration : Sunday, July 18, 2021
Click here for the detailed program.
The URL and ID for joining Zoom will be sent to you by e-mail the day before each day. Registration Form URL:
https://forms.gle/QUJHy7kup6CFraV27

Report: Lecture at Online Event (Special Research Student, Kanamori)

On December 13, 2020, Mariko Kanamori, a special research student, gave a lecture on “The Curious Relationship between Gender Norms and Mental Health: An Invitation to Social Epidemiology Research” at an online event on veterinarian work style reform.

The event was also introduced in the magazine “Clinical Veterinary Medicine” (in Japanese).

Clinical Veterinarian, June 2021 issue
Seminar Report
A Seminar on “Reforming the Work Styles of Veterinarians Starting from Here: The Future Envisioned by Animal Girls
Chigako Tani

I believe that an environment that is friendly to animals can also be friendly to people. It is important to create an environment where people can feel free to discuss their concerns.

Mariko Kanamori’s website is here.

Serial Lecture on causal inference for clinical and epidemiological research (Assistant Professor Inoue)

Assistant Professor Kosuke Inoue has been writing a series of lectures on causal inference for clinical and epidemiological research in the Igakukai Shimbun (in Japanese).

Part 3: Using DAG for Causal Inference 2021.06.07
Part 2: What is Causal Inference Anyway?　May 10, 2021
Part 1: Making Medical Research More Accessible and Wonderful with Causal Inference!　2021.04.05