Publications by authors named "Narumi Funakubo"

Article Synopsis
  • Oral frailty (OF) is a type of frailty that has connections to psychosocial factors like laughter and social interaction, which can enhance longevity by lowering stress and promoting physical activity.
  • A study conducted in Fukushima from 2020 to 2021 surveyed 916 residents aged 60-79 to investigate the impact of laughter and social communication on the risk of developing OF, revealing a prevalence of 41.5%.
  • The analysis found that engaging in daily laughter and having no depressive symptoms significantly reduced the risk of OF, suggesting that promoting these factors could improve health outcomes for older adults.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Results showed that participants in the laughter yoga group had significant improvements in their hemoglobin A1c levels and positive emotional well-being, with a high attendance rate of 92.9%.
  • * The findings suggest that laughter yoga can be a feasible self-care intervention for diabetes management, although more extensive studies are needed for confirmation.
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Since the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, an increase in lifestyle-related diseases due to changes in living environment following the nuclear power plant accident has been reported in Fukushima Prefecture, especially among evacuees. However, no long-term studies covering the entire Fukushima Prefecture have been conducted. The study aim was to investigate the effects of post-disaster evacuation life on the prevalence of dyslipidemia in Fukushima Prefecture using a national database.

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Background: The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake has resulted in a nuclear accident, forcing residents of the surrounding areas to evacuate. To determine any association between excessive drinking and hypertension in the setting of disaster, we assessed whether the proportion of excessive drinkers increased and if post-disaster excessive drinking was a risk factor for hypertension.

Methods: This retrospective study assessed data from the Japanese National Database.

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A novel healthy diet index for dietary quality can be used to assess food intake. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Fukushima Health Management Survey collected dietary data using a short-form food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The current study included eligible participants ( = 64,909) aged 16-84 years who answered the FFQ in 2011.

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There has been an increase in lifestyle-related diseases in Fukushima Prefecture since the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the overall long-term trends of lifestyle-related diseases in the Fukushima Prefecture according to the evacuation and other area are not reported. Therefore, we examined the long-term trends in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Fukushima Prefecture according to these areas using a national database.

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Background: While there have been several intervention studies on the psychological effects of laughter, few have examined both the psychological and physical effects. This study investigates the effects of a laughter program on body weight, body mass index (BMI), subjective stress, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Japanese community-dwelling individuals using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist.

Methods: Overall, 235 participants (37 men and 198 women) aged 43-79 years (mean 66.

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We investigated the association between the frequency of laughter and lifestyle diseases after the Great East Japan Earthquake. We included 41,432 participants aged 30-89 years in the Fukushima Health Management Survey in fiscal year 2012 and 2013. Gender-specific, age-adjusted and multivariable odds ratios of lifestyle diseases were calculated using logistic regressions stratified by evacuation status.

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Oral health is closely related to subjective general health and systemic diseases. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the factors related to oral symptoms and their worsening in relation to psychosocial factors after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In this study, 64,186 residents aged 15-101 years old, who experienced the earthquake on 11 March 2011, were surveyed regarding their oral symptoms; psychological factors, such as post-traumatic reactions and psychological distress; and social factors such as evacuation, work change, and loss of a close person; history of systemic diseases; and lifestyle.

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Obesity is a risk factor for vascular endothelial cell dysfunction characterized by low-grade, chronic inflammation. Increased levels of arginase I and concomitant decreases in L-arginine bioavailability are known to play a role in the pathogenesis of vascular endothelial cell dysfunction. In the present study, we focused on changes in the systemic expression of arginase I as well as L-arginine metabolism in the pre-disease state of early obesity prior to the onset of atherosclerosis.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aroma foot massage on blood pressure, anxiety, and health-related quality of life (QOL) in Japanese community-dwelling men and women using a crossover randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Fifty-seven eligible participants (5 men and 52 women) aged 27 to 72 were randomly divided into 2 intervention groups (group A: n = 29; group B: n = 28) to participate in aroma foot massages 12 times during the 4-week intervention period. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), heart rate, state anxiety, and health-related QOL were measured at the baseline, 4-week follow-up, and 8-week follow-up.

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