Top news – Department of Social Epidemiology

Press Release: Income and impaired kidney function –the disparities of rapid kidney function decline and hemodialysis were 1.7 times– (Doctoral Student Ishimura)

Ph.D. student Ishimura and her team published a study examining the association between income and the development of impaired kidney function in JAMA Health Forum.
The study showed the lowest income group had 1.7 times higher risks of rapid kidney function decline and initiation of kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplantation) than the highest income group, based on the analysis of 5.6 million insured individuals from the Japan Health Insurance Association.

Article: Ishimura N, Inoue K, Maruyama S, Nakamura S, Kondo N. Income Level and Impaired Kidney Function Among Working Adults in Japan. JAMA Health Forum. 2024;5(3):e235445.
DOI link：10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.5445

News: Professors Inoue and Sato’s Research Featured in Top 5 Highest Impact Factor Journals 2021-2023 (School of Public Health, Kyoto University)

Congratulations to Associate Professor Kosuke Inoue and Assistant Professor Koryu Sato for their outstanding achievement!

Their dedication and pioneering research have significantly contributed to the understanding of Social Epidemiology, leaving an indelible mark on the academic community. Their work has been recognized with publications among the Top 5 highest Impact Factor Journals between 2021-2023 in the School of Public Health at Kyoto University (KUSPH), as evidenced by Web of Science.

For more detailed information, please click here.

Paper Publication: Development and validation of Healthy Ageing indicator proposed by the United Nations (PhD student, Marisa Nishio)

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)

Press release: Depressive symptoms, suicide ideation and attempts are about twice as common among those who perceive community gender norms as restrictive (Collaborator Kanamori)

A research group led by Mariko Kanamori (Kyoto University Institute for the Future of Human and Society) and Professor Naoki Kondo reported the impact of perceived community gender norms, such as “You are a man/woman, you shouldn’t/shouldn’t do XXX”, on the mental health of older people.

Men who perceived the gender norms of the community they lived in as restrictive were 1.9 times more likely to have depressive symptoms, 2.0 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and 2.2 times more likely to have attempted suicide. Similarly, women were 1.8 times more likely to have depressive symptoms, 2.1 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and 2.6 times more likely to have attempted suicide.

The results of this study suggest that those who perceive the atmosphere in their community as being rigid about gender roles and think that it does not allow for diversity are less likely to seek help in times of need, which in turn has a negative impact on their mental health.

The paper was published in International Psychogeriatrics, a leading journal in the field of gerontology and psychology, in the First View online edition on November 6, 2023.

Mariko Kanamori, Andrew Stickley, Kosuke Takemura, Yumiko Kobayashi, Mayumi Oka, Toshiyuki Ojima, Katsunori Kondo, Naoki Kondo. Community gender norms, mental health and suicide ideation and attempts among older Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study. International Psychogeriatrics, 1-11.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161022300087X

The press release is available on Mariko Kanamori’s website.

http://mariko-kanamori.moo.jp/en/2023/12/01/depressive-symptoms-suicide-ideation-and-attempts-are-about-twice-as-common-among-those-who-perceive-community-gender-norms-as-restrictive/

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

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)