Publications by authors named "Koryu Sato"
Public libraries and functional disability: A cohort study of Japanese older adults.
SSM Popul Health
March 2025
This study examined the association between the presence of public libraries and functional disability risk among community-dwelling older adults. We studied 73,138 participants aged 65 years or older in 19 Japanese municipalities using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. They were physically and cognitively independent at baseline and followed up between 2013 and 2021 (mean follow-up: 7.
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- There is mixed evidence on how community social capital influences the health and well-being of older adults; this study aims to clarify that relationship using data from a large Japanese cohort.
- The researchers analyzed three types of social capital—civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity—and assessed their impact on various health and well-being outcomes from 2016 to 2019.
- Findings suggest that higher community-level social capital is linked to better social well-being and physical/cognitive health, including increased social roles and health screenings, as well as improved intellectual activity and reduced functional disability.
Background: It is unclear whether inactivated influenza vaccination (IIV) or pneumococcal vaccination are associated with the risk of dementia; however, both types of vaccination are recommended for older adults. Studies have shown that the IIV is negatively associated with incident dementia; however, the uptake of pneumococcal vaccinations has not been considered. We investigated the independent associations of IIV and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) with incident dementia in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression risk has been well documented. However, it remains unclear whether stress-related chronic conditions associated with ACEs, such as asthma, increase the long-term mental health burden of ACEs.
Objective: To investigate the joint association of ACEs and asthma with subsequent depressive symptoms among US adults.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated how sedentary behavior (SB) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) relate to dementia, functional disability, and mortality among older adults in Japan, involving 90,471 individuals aged 65 and over.
- Results showed that spending 8 or more hours in SB increased the risk of dementia, disability, and death significantly compared to less than 3 hours, with those who did no MVPA having the highest risks.
- Regardless of other factors like sex and health conditions, prolonged SB was linked to higher risks, while engaging in high MVPA could lessen but not eliminate those risks, indicating the importance of balancing activity levels.
Family Pharmacy and Medication Adherence Among Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study of JAGES 2019.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how consistent pharmacy use impacts medication adherence among older adults, noting that poor adherence can lead to serious health issues.
- - Conducted as part of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, it analyzed data from over 18,000 older adults who completed surveys regarding their pharmacy habits and unused medications.
- - Results showed that those who always used the same pharmacy had significantly fewer unused medications, especially among individuals with lower education levels, suggesting that consistent pharmacy use may enhance medication adherence.
Article Synopsis
- Disaster-related relocation can lead to mental health issues like depression and PTSD, particularly in older adults who lose social interaction opportunities.
- This study analyzed data from older adults affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake to explore how changes in social participation affect their mental health after relocation.
- Results showed that those who moved to temporary housing had a higher risk of depression, but renewing social group participation significantly mitigated this risk, suggesting that strengthening social ties can help protect their mental health.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic affects early childhood development, noting that while many studies have highlighted impacts on academic performance, less focus has been on younger children.
- Conducted in Japan, the research involved a cohort of children tracked from ages 1 to 5 years, comparing those exposed to the pandemic with those who were not.
- Results showed that children exposed to the pandemic were significantly behind in developmental milestones by age 5, whereas no differences were observed at age 3, highlighting increased variance in development during the pandemic timeframe.
Background: Many countries have been increasing their state pension age (SPA); nonetheless, there is little consensus on whether retirement affects the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study examined the associations of retirement with CVD and risk factors.
Methods: We used harmonized longitudinal datasets from the Health and Retirement Study and its sister surveys in 35 countries.
Article Synopsis
- A study aimed to predict functional disability in older adults using machine learning techniques based on a large dataset from Japan, focusing on participants aged 65 and older who do not require long-term care.
- Researchers identified key factors such as age, self-rated health, and certain medical conditions as significant predictors of disability onset over a follow-up period of about 5.4 years.
- The study found that machine learning models, especially ridge regression and gradient boosting, effectively forecasted disability risk, leading to the development of a simplified risk score to help identify at-risk individuals.
Article Synopsis
- Frailty in older adults is linked to an increased risk of influenza and hospitalization due to influenza, suggesting it's an important health factor to consider.
- The study analyzed data from over 77,000 independent seniors in Japan, revealing that frail individuals had significantly higher risks of both influenza and hospitalization compared to nonfrail individuals.
- While males showed a higher risk of hospitalization than females, no notable differences were found between sexes regarding susceptibility to influenza, indicating that sex does not modify the effects of frailty.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated cardiovascular risk factors among Japanese adults aged 30-49, focusing on how these factors varied by income levels from 2017 to 2020.
- Results showed that lower-income individuals experienced higher rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, with disparities worsening over the study period.
- The findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring of social disparities in health to promote equity in cardiovascular health among young working-age adults.
Background: Influenza and pneumonia tend to be severe in older adults; thus, vaccination is necessary to prevent these illnesses. Vaccination is especially important for older family caregivers (OFCs) not only to prevent them from becoming ill, but also to prevent secondary infections in the family care receivers (FCRs), who are mostly frail older adults and have a higher risk of severe illness. Thus, we investigated whether caregiving burdens were associated with the vaccinations among older adults.
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- The study investigates how prior social participation impacts older adults' preventive and health-promoting behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
- It utilizes data from over 10,500 older adults collected through surveys before and during the pandemic to analyze behaviors like handwashing, mask-wearing, and exercise.
- Results suggest that older individuals who engaged in social activities, particularly sports and community gatherings, were more likely to adopt health-promoting measures during the pandemic.
It is unknown whether higher functions in sublevels of competence other than instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are associated with vaccinations. This study examined whether higher functions, including intellectual activity (IA) and social role (SR), were associated with vaccinations among 26,177 older adults. Older adults with incapable activities in IA and SR had increased risks for non-receipt of influenza vaccinations (IA: for one incapable task/activity: incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.
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- The study evaluated the impact of a workplace health promotion program called "Checkup Championship" on metabolic syndrome indicators among employees of Hakuhodo DY group, a major Japanese advertising agency.
- A total of 3,697 employees were analyzed, with notable differences in health metrics observed between those participating in the program and non-participants after its implementation.
- Results showed significant reductions in weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure among program participants, particularly those with multiple metabolic syndrome risk factors, suggesting potential improvements in general health checkup effectiveness.
Objectives: Elder abuse is a public health issue that is thought to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and behavioral restrictions. This study examines the association between elder abuse and refrainment from daily activities during the pandemic.
Methods: We used data from a self-administered mail survey conducted by the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) from November 2020 to February 2021 in 11 municipalities.
Introduction: Excessive optimistic perception about the probability of acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may hinder people from exercising preventive measures, whereas excessive pessimistic perception can induce psychological problems. Not much focus has been paid to this topic, and prior studies are only online surveys. We determined the characteristics of older adults with optimistic and pessimistic perceptions of the probability of contracting COVID-19.
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- - This study explores how social capital, specifically social cohesion and reciprocity, can help reduce the risk of developing depressive symptoms among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES).
- - Researchers analyzed data from 8,291 participants aged 65 or older, comparing their mental health before and during the pandemic through mailed surveys.
- - Findings revealed that strong social ties before the pandemic were linked to lower odds of new depressive symptoms during the pandemic, highlighting the potential benefits of fostering social connections amidst social restrictions.
Background: A smartphone image recognition app is expected to be a novel tool for measuring nutrients and food intake, but its performance has not been well evaluated.
Objective: We assessed the accuracy of the performance of an image recognition app called CALO mama in terms of the nutrient and food group contents automatically estimated by the app.
Methods: We prepared 120 meal samples for which the nutrients and food groups were calculated.
Background: The causal effect of physical activity on reducing dementia risk has been questioned due to the possibility of reverse causation. This study examined the potential causal effects of physical activity on reducing dementia risk using residency in a snowy area as an instrumental variable (IV) representing the physical activity of older adults.
Methods: We used cohort data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a longitudinal cohort enrolling people aged 65 or older who were physically and cognitively independent in 2013; study participants were followed for an average of 5.
Article Synopsis
- The study used longitudinal data to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in work-life patterns impacted people's diets, addressing limitations of previous cross-sectional studies.
- An online survey was conducted among users of the CALO mama health app in Japan, collecting dietary data from 5,929 participants before and during the pandemic.
- Findings revealed that while there was an overall improvement in diet quality (more veggies, fruits, and dairy), there were also concerns about increased snack consumption and the negative effects of childcare burden and depression on healthy eating habits.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the impact of COVID-19-related changes in work and lifestyle on depressive symptoms among 2846 participants in Japan during the state of emergency from April to May 2020.
- Results indicated that participants took significantly fewer steps during the emergency period, with depressive symptoms linked to gender, decreased physical activity, and longer work hours, while working from home appeared to reduce the risk of depression.
- The findings suggest a need for more research on the long-term health effects of remote work, highlighting the relationship between physical activity and mental health during the pandemic.
Background: Increasing the coverage of vaccinations recommended by the World Health Organization in the older adult population is an urgent issue, especially in the context of avoiding co-epidemics during the current coronavirus disease 2019 crisis. The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with the quality of perceived patient-physician communication and whether this variable was associated with increased odds of vaccination.
Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study conducted from October 2016 to January 2017.