[Deterioration of Healthcare Service Quality Provided by Occupational Physicians Due to Dumping by Health Checkup and Switching Health Checkup Organizations].

Introduction: From 2007, competitive bidding for procurement became widely employed by the Japanese Government, and health check providers for government workers are selected every year by this method. Deterioration of health check quality due to excessive price competition is a serious concern. The National Federation of Industrial Health Organization (Zeneiren) conducted an investigative research on the contracting of health check providers and occupational physicians in workplaces in 2015-2016 in an effort to prevent low-cost but low-quality health checks.

[Role of the Occupational Physician in Corporate Management of Health Risks: An Important Aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)].

Introduction: There are various risks involved in corporate activities conducted both within and outside the corporation. Among these, health risks are very important and should be managed effectively as an integral part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). A corporation is responsible for health impairments caused by its activities and suffers great moral and economic loss when they occur.

[Economic damage caused by lowered prices in the agro-food sector in areas contaminated by radioactive materials leaked from the nuclear power plant severely damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake--consideration from the viewpoints of epidemiology, economics and social psychology].

Introduction: Large amounts of radioactive materials were leaked into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which was severely damaged by the 2011 Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake and accompanying tsunami. Economic damage due to lowered prices and supplies of food products produced in the areas contaminated by the radioactive materials leaked from the damaged FDNPP to the agro-food sector in the affected areas is notable. In Japanese, this is known as fuhyo higai.

[Perspective on the nuclear power plant accident caused by the great east Japan earthquake and tsunami: health impairment risks due to pollution by radioactive materials from the damaged plant as recognized by experts and by the general population and role of the experts].

Introduction: Large amounts of radioactive materials were leaked into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) of the Tokyo Electric Power Company damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and accompanying tsunami. Increased health impairment risks due to the leaked radioactive materials are of concern over a long period of time and over a wide geographical area. From the results of epidemiologic studies conducted after the Chernobyl accident, the health risks are not anticipated to be very marked.

Subjective social status: its determinants and association with health in the Swedish working population (the SLOSH study).

Background: This study aims to confirm associations between subjective social status (SSS) and health in the Swedish working population, to investigate if SSS is related to health over and above conventional measures of socio-economic status and to identify factors related to perception of SSS.

Methods: The study includes 2358 men and 2665 women in the age group of 19-68 years who participated in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). SSS was measured using the MacArthur scale, a 10-rung ladder on which individuals indicate where they think they stand in the social hierarchy.

Economic analysis of use of counterfeit drugs: health impairment risk of counterfeit phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor taken as an example.

Objectives: The size of the market for counterfeit drugs throughout the world is considerable. Many cases of health impairment due to counterfeits have been reported. The market share of counterfeits in drug markets in developed countries is smaller than that in developing countries.

Comparing medical expenditures of smokers and nonsmokers in studies using direct methodology in Japan.

Numerous epidemiologic studies have revealed that smoking is a significant risk factor of many diseases. Some studies reported increase in medical expenditure by smoking using odds or hazard ratios between smoking and diseases in epidemiologic studies. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the ratios of mean medical expenditures between smokers and nonsmokers from studies conducted observing medical expenditure directly in Japan.

Analysis of factors that influence body mass index from ages 3 to 6 years: A study based on the Toyama cohort study.

Background: The aim of the present study was to elucidate both environmental and behavioral factors that influence body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) among Japanese children from ages 3-6.

Methods: In 1992 (at age 3) and 1995 (at age 6), 8170 6-year-old children (4176 boys and 3994 girls) were surveyed using a questionnaire on both body build (height and weight) and lifestyle. The correlation between BMI for 3-year-olds and for 6-year-olds were analyzed.