No abstract available.
Epidemiology* ; Hypertension* ; Japan*

BACKGROUND: Although social interaction and social support during the "new normal" due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be related to presenteeism, the effect between these factors has not been clear for Japanese workers. The aim of this study was to describe the presenteeism of Japanese workers with reference to social interaction and social support following the lifestyle changes due to COVID-19 and to assess whether social interaction and social support affected their presenteeism. METHODS: The data were obtained from internet panel surveys from October 2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multiple linear regression was conducted using the data from the first, fourth and fifth surveys, which were conducted during October to November 2020, July to August 2021, and September to October 2021, respectively. To measure presenteeism, questions from "absenteeism and presenteeism questions of the World Health Organization's Heath and Work Performance Questionnaire", short version in Japanese was utilized. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to investigate the effects of social interaction and social support-related factors on presenteeism. RESULTS: A total of 3,407 participants were included in the analysis. The mean score of absolute presenteeism from the fifth survey was 58.07 (SD = 19.71). More time spent talking with family, a larger number of social supporters and a higher satisfaction level for social support were associated with a higher absolute presenteeism score. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested that social support reduced the presenteeism of the Japanese workers during the "new normal" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social interaction with family also relieved presenteeism.
Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Social Interaction ; Pandemics ; Presenteeism ; COVID-19/epidemiology*

No abstract available.
Disease Outbreaks* ; Epidemiology* ; Foodborne Diseases ; Japan* ; Korea* ; Mortality

Body Weight ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors

This mini-review describes recent epidemiological trends in cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan. Some of the topics discussed herein were presented at the first symposium on "Current perspectives of Taenia asiatica researches", that was held in Osong in Chungbuk Province, South Korea, in October 2011 and organized by Prof. K. S. Eom, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine. To better understand the trends in the occurrence of cysticercosis and taeniasis in Japan, clinical cases reported in 2005 have been updated. In addition, the current status of Taenia asiatica infections successively occurring in Japan since 2010 is also discussed.
Animals ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Taenia/*isolation & purification ; Taeniasis/*epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) frequently occurs in children worldwide. However, MIH prevalence throughout Japan has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to clarify MIH prevalence rates and to consider potential regional differences throughout Japan. METHODS: A total of 4496 children aged 7-9 years throughout Japan were evaluated in this study. MIH prevalence rates among children were evaluated in eight regions throughout Japan. A child's residence was defined as the mother's residence during pregnancy. The localization of demarcated opacities and enamel breakdown was recorded on a standard code form using a guided record chart. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether MIH prevalence rates differed among age groups, sex, and regions. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MIH in Japan was 19.8%. The prevalence of MIH was 14.0% in the Hokkaido region, 11.7% in the Tohoku region, 18.5% in the Kanto Shin-Etsu region, 19.3% in the Tokai Hokuriku region, 22.3% in the Kinki region, 19.8% in the Chugoku region, 28.1% in the Shikoku region, and 25.3% in the Kyushu region. These regional differences were statistically significant. Moreover, MIH prevalence rates decreased with age. No significant sex differences in MIH prevalence rates were demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first MIH study carried out in several regions throughout Japan. Regional differences existed in MIH prevalence rates; particularly, MIH occurred more frequently in children residing in southwestern areas than those in northeastern areas of Japan.
Child ; Dental Enamel Hypoplasia ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Male ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: Happiness may help to prevent negative physiological outcomes in response to life events; however, factors contributing to happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been longitudinally investigated. This study explored the predictors of happiness in mothers of young children in Japan using comparable data that were obtained before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted the baseline survey in February 2020, and 4 months later, we also conducted the follow-up survey. Throughout all 47 prefectures in Japan, 4,700 (100 respondents/prefecture) mothers of infants and/or preschoolers (0-6 years) participated in the baseline online survey; 2,489 of these also participated in the follow-up survey. RESULTS: We performed hierarchical multiple regression analysis and our final model indicated that maternal happiness during COVID-19 pandemic was positively related to employment status (homemaker, β = 0.052, p = 0.014), levels of available social support (average, β = 0.052, p = 0.012, high, β = 0.055, p = 0.010) and happiness score before the pandemic (β = 0.467, p < 0.001), and satisfaction toward the measures against the COVID-19 at partners' workplace (average, β = 0.129, p < 0.001; high, β = 0.279, p < 0.001), preventive behavior against COVID-19 (average, β = 0.055, p = 0.002; high, β = 0.045, p = 0.015) and positive attitudes/thinking (β = 0.087, p < 0.001) during the pandemic. In contrast, poor mental health (K6 ≥5, β = -0.042, p = 0.011) before the pandemic and negative changes during the pandemic (≥3, β = -0.085, p < 0.001) were negatively related to maternal happiness during the pandemic. Our final model explained 44.9% of the variance in mothers' happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Satisfaction toward the measures against the COVID-19 at partners' workplace, preventive behavior, and positive attitudes/thinking were especially important for maternal happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future study is needed to consider measures against infectious diseases in the workplace that are desirable for the well-being of parents with young children, taking into account the gender perspective.
COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Happiness ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Mothers/psychology* ; Pandemics

BACKGROUND: Community health activities by public health nurses (PHNs) are known to improve lifestyle habits of local residents, and may encourage the practice of infectious disease prevention behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the association between prefecture-level COVID-19 incidence rate and the number of PHNs per population in Japan, by the COVID-19 variant type. METHODS: Our data were based on government surveys where prefectural-level data are accessible to the public. The outcome variable was the COVID-19 incidence rate (i.e., the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population for each variant type in 47 prefectures). The explanatory variable was the number of PHNs per 100,000 population by prefecture. Covariates included socioeconomic factors, regional characteristics, healthcare resources, and health behaviors. The generalized estimating equations of the multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the COVID-19 cases. We performed stratified analyses by variant type (i.e., wild type, alpha variant, and delta variant). RESULTS: A total of 1,705,224 confirmed COVID-19 cases (1351.6 per 100,000 population) in Japan were reported as of September 30, 2021. The number of PHNs per 100,000 population in Japan was 41.9. Multivariable Poisson regression models showed that a lower number of PHNs per population was associated with higher IRR of COVID-19. Among all COVID-19 cases, compared to the highest quintile group of the number of PHNs per population, the adjusted IRR of the lowest quintile group was consistently significant in the models adjusting for socioeconomic factors (IRR: 3.76, 95% CI: 2.55-5.54), regional characteristics (1.73, 1.28-2.34), healthcare resources (3.88, 2.45-6.16), and health behaviors (2.17, 1.39-3.37). These significant associations were unaffected by the variant type of COVID-19. CONCLUSION We found that the COVID-19 incidence rate was higher in prefectures with fewer PHNs per population, regardless of the COVID-19 variant type. By increasing the number of PHNs, it may be possible to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Japan and provide an effective human resource to combat emerging infectious diseases in the future.
COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Nurses, Public Health ; Pandemics ; SARS-CoV-2

PURPOSE: The rapid development of winter sports requires investigation on injuries in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou city, one of the ski sites of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Careful evaluation is required to observe which injuries are caused under what circumstances, and then we can make corresponding preventive measures and recommendations based on the results. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the data of injury cases at ski resorts in China (Chongli district) and Japan were analyzed to provide a reference for the ongoing injury prevention at ski resorts. We collected data on injuries at Wanlong and Fulong ski resorts in Chongli district during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 ski seasons. We referred to the skiing injury report issued in February 2020 of a nationwide ski safety statistical service - Japan Ski Safety Association. The causes of injury and specific injured body parts were analyzed based on the data of Chinese and Japanese ski resorts. Statistical significance has been calculated using the Chi-square test. RESULTS: During the 2019-2020 ski season in Japanese ski resorts, the number of reported injuries per 10,000 skiers was 0.93, of which 457 (17.3%) were over 50 years old, accounting for a large proportion of injuries, meanwhile in Chongli ski resort, the injury rate of skiers aged 50 and over was 7.1%. The knee joint (23.7% at Wanlong ski resort and 28.4% in Japanese ski resorts) was the most injured body part among Chongli and Japanese skiers. Among snowboarders, shoulder joint injury (17.7% in Japanese ski resorts) was the most common, and injury on hands and fingers (16.3% in Wanlong ski resorts) was the most common. Head injury rates are similar in Chongli, China and Japanese ski resorts (8.2% and 8.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION Our analysis demonstrated that injury data recorded among young skiers was higher in Chinese ski resorts (Chongli district) than that in Japanese ski resorts, and elderly skiers made up a larger proportion of skiing injuries in Japanese resorts. Thus, according to our research, the protection of knee joints, shoulder joints, and hands and fingers should be taken seriously. It should pay attention to the teaching of ski poles (for finger protection), and use protective devices such as knee pads, helmets, etc.
Aged ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Athletic Injuries/prevention & control* ; Skiing/injuries* ; Japan/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased the rate of presenteeism among front-line physicians. Presenteeism is the term used to describe attendance at work despite ill health that would normally prompt rest or absence from work. This study aimed to examine the associations between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism among physicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022. The questionnaires were distributed to 21,737 employed physicians who were members of the Japan Medical Association. Presenteeism was measured by the Work Functioning Impairment Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism. RESULTS: Overall, 3,968 participants were included in the analysis, and presenteeism was observed in 13.9% of them. The rate of presenteeism significantly increased with both the number of COVID-19 patients treated and the percentage of work time spent treating these patients (both P values for trend < 0.001). In comparison to those not currently engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, presenteeism was significantly higher among front-line (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.53) and second-line physicians supporting those in the front-line (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.78). There was no association between involvement in COVID-19 vaccination services and presenteeism. CONCLUSIONS The burden on front-line and second-line physicians in COVID-19 clinical practice must be minimized. Employed physicians also need to recognize the importance of communicating with their workplaces about presenteeism.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Presenteeism ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Physicians ; Surveys and Questionnaires