News

On May 31, 2023, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced the basic policy of the third term of the “National Health Promotion Campaign in the 21st Century (Healthy Japan 21),” in which Professor Naoki Kondo has been involved as a national council member.

It emphasizes the importance of “social environment improvement (or tackling social determinants of health)” and “creating an environment where people can be healthy naturally (that is, without strong individual health awareness and efforts to continue a healthy lifestyle)” which we have been advocating through empirical research with many of our colleagues.

For example, on page 4: “Efforts will be made to implement initiatives aimed at creating an environment that fosters natural well-being, including promoting a healthy eating environment and encouraging physical activity and exercise, among a wide range of individuals, including those with less health consciousness.”

The explicitly stated “Life-course approach” is another feature that has never been seen in Japan’s health promotion plans so far, on page 5: “We will actively promote the life–course approach, which considers a person’s health throughout their entire lifespan, starting from the fetal period to old age. This approach will be implemented in coordination with other health promotion initiatives and plans.”

Professor Amparo Oliver and Professor Jose M. Tomas, both from the University of Valencia have joined the Kondo Lab as visiting scholars.

Professor Amparo Oliver focuses on “the relationships between comprehensive characteristics and the well-being of older adults based on biological, psychological, and social aspects”.
Professor Jose M. Tomas is researching “statistical models to predict healthy aging”.
They plan to stay in Japan for about a month to conduct their research and then hand over the joint research to a Ph.D. student from their university who will visit Japan soon.

This is an excellent opportunity for collaboration and knowledge-sharing between us.

WELCOME!

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

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

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

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.

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