Publications by authors named "Sachiko Baba"
Article Synopsis
- Adequate nighttime sleep duration is linked to better linear growth in children, particularly from ages 1.5 to 3 years.
- A study involving over 52,000 children in Japan found that sleep duration significantly predicted tall stature at age 3 when considering various factors like mother's height and household income.
- The findings suggest that nighttime sleep is crucial for growth, while total sleep duration (including naps) does not show a similar association.
Article Synopsis
- Women with high levels of autistic traits may face greater health risks during pregnancy, especially those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), leading to worse birth outcomes.
- The study aimed to explore the relationship between maternal autistic traits and the likelihood of negative birth outcomes using data from a large, nationwide cohort in Japan.
- Results showed that increased scores of autistic traits were linked to a higher risk of adverse outcomes like preterm births and babies born small for their gestational age, even after considering other maternal health factors.
Article Synopsis
- A study investigated the link between constipation and atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants and toddlers using data from a nationwide birth cohort in Japan.
- The analysis included 62,777 participants, with data collected through questionnaires regarding bowel movements and AD symptoms.
- The findings showed that children who were constipated at 1 year had a 1.18 times higher risk of developing AD by age 3 compared to those who weren't constipated.
Objectives: To investigate the association between stage 1 hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) of 130-139 mmHg or diastolic BP of 80-89 mmHg, in the first and second trimesters and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Study Design: We analyzed 79,249 singleton pregnancies from a nationwide birth cohort study. BP in the first and second trimesters was classified into normal, elevated, stage1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension.
The effects of pregnancy discrimination on postpartum depressive symptoms: a follow-up study.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
November 2022
Article Synopsis
- Pregnancy discrimination is a common issue worldwide, impacting mothers' mental health during and after pregnancy, particularly contributing to postpartum depressive symptoms.
- A study of 285 Japanese women found that 23.9% experienced pregnancy discrimination, which was significantly linked to increased postpartum depressive symptoms, especially among non-regular (precarious) employees.
- Prenatal depressive symptoms were identified as a mediator in this relationship, accounting for over half of the impact of pregnancy discrimination on postpartum depression, highlighting the need for greater support for affected individuals.
Background: Obesity in children contributes to higher risks of various chronic diseases in adulthood and the prevalence has increased worldwide including Japan.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the association between sleep duration at night in children aged 2.5 years and the subsequent risk of obesity at age 5.
Low Periconceptional Dietary Intakes among Japanese Women: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo)
September 2022
Article Synopsis
- A study analyzed the dietary changes and nutritional adequacy of over 100,000 Japanese women before and during pregnancy, using a food frequency questionnaire.
- Findings showed that pregnant women's intakes of energy and essential nutrients were generally lower than recommended levels, often decreasing from their pre-pregnancy diets, except for milk and dairy.
- The research highlighted a significant need for improved dietary guidelines, particularly focusing on essential nutrients like folate, due to identified low nutrient intakes during the periconceptional period.
A comparative study of the work-family conflicts prevalence, their sociodemographic, family, and work attributes, and their relation to the self-reported health status in Japanese and Egyptian civil workers.
BMC Public Health
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- Cross-cultural analysis of work-family conflicts (W_F_Cs) found that they were more common in Egyptian civil workers compared to their Japanese counterparts, with women in Egypt experiencing the highest rates.
- Health assessments indicated that Japanese workers reported poorer self-rated health overall, despite lower W_F_Cs, suggesting a complex relationship between work dynamics and health perception.
- Factors influencing W_F_Cs included longer working hours, family structures, and living situations, with significant associations drawn from gender and country-specific contexts impacting health outcomes.
Background: Total work-family conflicts (TWFCs) could associate with mental health, and having ikigai (a purpose of life) may mediate this association.
Methods: In a cross-cultural study of 4,792 Japanese Aichi Workers' Cohort study participants and 3,109 Egyptian civil workers, the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) questionnaire measured TWFCs and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) 11-item scale measured depression. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of having depression and a high-ikigai across levels of TWFCs (low, moderate, and high), and the PROCESS macro of Hayes to test the mediation effect.
Background: Bullying victimisation is of global importance due to its long-term negative consequences. We examined the prevalence of victimisation and its inequalities in 15-year-olds across 71 countries.
Methods: Data were from the Programme for International Student Assessment (March-August 2018).
Objectives: Maternity harassment, known in English as pregnancy discrimination, remains prevalent in developed countries. However, research examining the mental health effects of maternity harassment is lacking. We aimed to examine the association between maternity harassment and depression during pregnancy in Japan.
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- Maternal diet during mid-pregnancy shows potential impact on offspring's birth size, based on a study of 78,793 mother-child pairs across Japan.
- The findings indicate that higher total energy intake correlates with increased birth weight, while carbohydrate intake positively affects birth length and inversely affects ponderal index.
- Additionally, higher intakes of dietary fiber and vitamin C are linked to greater birth weight and longer stature in newborns, suggesting that nutritional guidelines for pregnant women may need revision.
Article Synopsis
- Dynamic consent (DC) allows individuals to make detailed decisions about their participation in ongoing biomedical research through an interactive digital platform.
- It aims to improve autonomy and communication between researchers and participants, particularly in areas requiring continuous contact, like biobanking and genomics.
- The article proposes a framework for evaluating and reporting DC tools, stressing the need for high-quality, replicable research that builds on existing evidence for better informed consent practices.
Background: Spanking can cause adverse psychological development and biological functional changes in children. However, spanking is widely used by parents in Japan. This study explored the risk factors for family member's spanking of 3.
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- The study investigates the relationship between feelings about pregnancy and the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) in Japanese women, using data from 92,431 participants between 2011 and 2014.
- It finds that women who felt unhappy, confused, or indifferent about their unintended pregnancies had a higher likelihood of developing PPD, demonstrated by higher odds ratios.
- The researchers suggest that women with unintended pregnancies should be specifically monitored for PPD, regardless of their emotional reactions toward the pregnancy.
There are many psychosocial and biomedical risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD). However, associations between co-resident family members and PPD risk have not been examined. This study investigated whether co-resident family members were associated with risk for PPD during 1 month postpartum among Japanese women, and if these associations were modified by household income and their perceived partner's involvement in childcare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: High-income countries are now experiencing a decline in fertility. After experiencing baby booms in 1947-1949 and 1971-1974, Japan's population has been decreasing since 2015. In an attempt to predict the next baby boom, we searched for any upward demographic trends occurring after 1974.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Teenage motherhood is strongly associated with a range of disadvantages for both the mother and the child. No epidemiological studies have examined related factors for teenage motherhood at both area and individual levels among Japanese women. Therefore, we performed a multilevel analysis of nationwide data in Japan to explore the association of area- and individual-level factors with teenage motherhood.
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- * The study showed that flurbiprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, effectively reduced body weight and visceral fat in mice on a high-fat diet without affecting their growth.
- * Flurbiprofen may help combat obesity by diminishing leptin resistance, as it lowered the high levels of leptin found in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, caused by the accumulation of unfolded proteins, is involved in the development of obesity. We demonstrated that flurbiprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), exhibited chaperone activity, which reduced protein aggregation and alleviated ER stress-induced leptin resistance, characterized by insensitivity to the actions of the anti-obesity hormone leptin. This result was further supported by flurbiprofen attenuating high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The paper examines recent time trends, explores potentially influential background factors and discusses prevention strategies of pregnancy among girls under 15 years of age in Japan.
Methods: Using Japanese government data, we first analyzed time trends of early adolescence (<15 years of age) abortion, live birth and child sexual abuse from 2003 to 2010. Second, we analyzed ecological correlations of early adolescent pregnancy (abortion, live birth and stillbirth) with pregnancy in other age groups, child sexual abuse, and indicators of juvenile victimization and juvenile delinquency, using prefectural data.
Introduction: Prenatal exposure to Swedish snuff (including nicotine and other components in grinded tobacco) is reported to increase stillbirth risk, but the effect of snuff on early neonatal mortality is unknown. Prenatal smoking exposure is associated with risks for both stillbirth and early neonatal mortality. We aimed to study if women who quit using snuff or quit smoking before first antenatal visit reduce their risks.
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- Antenatal exposure to nicotine from smoking or Swedish snuff is linked to an increased risk of preterm birth, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear.
- A large study in Sweden analyzed data from 776,836 live births to compare the effects of smoking cessation and snuff use early in pregnancy on preterm birth risks.
- The results revealed that while stopping snuff and smoking lowered the risk of preterm birth, continued use of either was associated with significantly higher odds of preterm delivery, especially for very preterm births.
Background: No epidemiological studies have examined risk factors for early spontaneous abortions among Japanese women. In this matched case-control study, we investigated the associations of reproductive, physical, and lifestyle characteristics of women and their husbands with early spontaneous abortion <12 weeks of gestation.
Methods: Information was collected through medical records for 430 cases of early spontaneous abortion and 860 controls of term delivery.