In this study, we aimed to clarify the socio-cultural factors affecting the mental and physical health of pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women living in Japan. The study participants were 18 pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women living in two prefectures with large Brazilian populations. A Japanese investigator and a Portuguese interpreter comprised the team, and conducted semi-structured interviews at the participants’ homes. The study period was between 2013 and 2014. The interviews were carried out using the Cultural Determinants of Help Seeking theory. Analytical ethnography was used for data coding and theme extraction.

  The results revealed that “worry” and “shoulder and back pain” were the most common mental and physical symptoms, followed by “headache,” “irritability and anger,” “insomnia and sleeplessness,” and “anxiety.” The reasons given for these included: “pregnancy and child rearing;” “anxiety about work and income;” “complications of being a foreigner;” and “the absence of someone to depend upon.” Moreover, the following five core categories of socio-cultural factors influencing these causes were extracted: “equal and deeply connected family;” “strength to continue working;” “choosing the right conditions to settle down in;” “low satisfaction with the healthcare system;” and “the blessings of God.”

  Pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women living in Japan have various mental and physical distress symptoms, and our findings revealed that differences between Brazilian and Japanese patterns of family life and religion were the major influencers on these. These findings must be understood to provide intervention in order to lead pregnant and puerperal Brazilian women to appropriate health behaviors.

BACKGROUND: The number of adults aged over 65 years is rapidly increasing in several Southeast Asian countries. Muscle mass decreases with age, leading to sarcopenia. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether differences exist in the body composition and physical strength, according to ethnicity, among community-dwelling Japanese and Thai older adults living in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. METHODS: A survey was conducted in February and March 2019. Japanese and Thai adults aged ≥ 60 years living in Chiang Mai Province were recruited through community clubs. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that enabled collection of data on age, sex, educational background, marital status, annual income, current medical conditions, smoking and alcohol consumption, and exercise habits. Measurements were collected on height, weight, body composition, blood pressure, hand grip, and walking speed for 6 m. Body composition was measured using a standing-posture 8-electrode multifrequency bioimpedance analysis analyzer. Hand grip of each hand was measured with the patient in the standing position using a digital grip dynamometer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). RESULTS: Of the total 119 participants, 47 were Japanese (26 men, 21 women) and 72 were Thai (16 men, 56 women). The prevalence of a low SMI was 3/26 (12%), 1/21 (5%), 6/16 (38%), and 5/56 (9%) among Japanese men, Japanese women, Thai men, and Thai women, respectively. The prevalence of low muscle strength was 2/26 (8%), 2/21 (10%), 3/16 (19%), and 13/56 (23%) among Japanese men, Japanese women, Thai men, and Thai women, respectively. There were significant differences between ethnic groups in body mass index for both sexes, percentage body fat in women, SMI in men, and average grip strength in men. Ethnic group, sex, age, and body mass index were independent predictors of SMI. CONCLUSIONS Ethnicity had a clinically important effect on body composition and physical strength among older Japanese and Thai adults living in a similar environment.
Aged ; Aging/physiology* ; Asians/ethnology* ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance ; Ethnicity ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Independent Living ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Strength ; Thailand/ethnology* ; Walking Speed