Vaccine Hesitancy and COVID-19 Risk Behaviors Associated with Social Media Use in Japan.

We examined the associations between the use of different types of media and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, as well as risk behaviors of COVID-19 infection, in Japan in late 2021. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted using rapid online surveys of residents in Iwate Prefecture from February 5 to 7, 2021, and from October 1 to 3, 2021. Each individual's risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection was calculated using a quantitative assessment tool (the microCOVID).

Rapid weight change as a predictor of disability among community-dwelling Japanese older adults.

Aim: To fill the knowledge gap regarding weight change and the onset of disability in community-dwelling Japanese older adults, we investigated the potential effects of rapid weight change on disability risk as defined by Japan's long-term care insurance (LTCI) system.

Methods: We analyzed data from a longitudinal study of 10 375 community-dwelling older Japanese adults (≥65 years) who were not LTCI needs certified at baseline and joined the study from 2002 to 2005. Weight change (percentage) was calculated by subtracting participants' weight in the previous year from that measured during a physical examination at study commencement.

Occupational disparities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Japan.

Background: We examined occupational disparities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Japan.

Methods: Cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among of residents living in Iwate Prefecture from July 2 to 4 and from October 1 to 3 in 2021 (total n=17,914). Intention to get vaccinated for COVID-19 was assessed by self-report questions.

A high level of vaccine knowledge increases people's behavioral risks for contracting COVID-19 in Japan.

Background: There has been no study in which the association between levels of vaccine knowledge and preventive behaviors was examined during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the transition to risky (transmission) behavior according to level of vaccine knowledge over a seven-month period when vaccines became widely available in Japan.

Methods: A series of cross-sectional surveys were conducted using rapid online surveys of residents in Iwate Prefecture from December 4 to 7 in 2020 (the first survey) and from July 2 to 4 in 2021 (the fourth survey).

Risk Factors of Long-Term Care Insurance Certification in Japan: A Scoping Review.

This study aimed to review evidence on future long-term care associated with pre-existing factors among community-dwelling Japanese older adults. We systematically searched cohort and nested case-control studies published between 2000 and 2019 that assessed long-term care certification using the PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases. The relationship between long-term care insurance information and risk factors was investigated.

Increase in people's behavioural risks for contracting COVID-19 during the 2021 New Year holiday season: longitudinal survey of the general population in Japan.

Objectives: There has been no study in Japan on the predictors of risk for acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection based on people's behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to document changes in risk behaviour during the New Year's holiday season in 2021 and to identify factors associated with high-risk behaviour for infection using a quantitative assessment tool.

Design: A longitudinal survey.

The differences of poor SRH among municipalities in Iwate after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The health of communities has been observed to recover at differential rates in the wake of disasters. In the present study, the 5-year trends in poor self-rated health (SRH) in three municipalities of Iwate Prefecture following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were compared. Annual surveys were conducted from 2011 to 2015 in three municipalities (Otsuchi, Rikuzentakata, and Yamada) that were heavily damaged by the tsunami.

Five-year blood pressure trajectories of survivors of the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate.

Whether tsunami survivors who suffered substantial damage experienced increases in blood pressure (BP) immediately after the disaster and in the medium to long term is unclear. We divided tsunami survivors into groups, those who relocated (substantial damage) and those who did not (little damage) and compared the BP trajectories between the groups over the first 5 years after the disaster. Of the 42,831 residents, 3914 were assessed from 2010 to 2015.

Effect of temporary housing on incidence of diabetes mellitus in survivors of a tsunami-stricken area in 2011 Japan disaster: a serial cross-sectional RIAS study.

The association between incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and living conditions has not been studied after natural disasters. We compared the incidence of DM between individuals living in temporary housing (TH) and those living in other types of accommodation (non-TH) five years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Longitudinal follow-up was conducted from 2011 to 2015 in a cohort of 7,491 residents of coastal communities in Iwate Prefecture directly impacted by the 2011 disaster (mean age, 61.

Poor self-rated health predicts the incidence of functional disability in elderly community dwellers in Japan: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Although previous large population studies showed elderly with poor self-rated health (SRH) to be at a high risk of functional disability in Western countries, there have been few studies in which the association between SRH and functional disability was investigated in Japanese community dwellers. The association between SRH and functional disability, defined as certification of the long-term care insurance (LTCI) system, in Japanese elderly community dwellers was examined in this study.

Methods: A total of 10,690 individuals (39.

Increased incidence of metabolic syndrome among older survivors relocated to temporary housing after the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake & tsunami.

Background: Beyond the immediate toll of injuries and deaths, major disasters are often associated with long-term increased risks of chronic disease. We sought to investigate the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Methods: Subjects aged ≥18 years from the tsunami-stricken area participated in a prospective cohort study of disaster survivors (the RIAS Study) from 2011 to 2015.

Increase in Body Weight Following Residential Displacement: 5-year Follow-up After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Background: Previous studies have linked residential displacement as a result of the 2011 East Japan Earthquake to increases in body weight. However, no study has examined longer-term trajectories of body weight among displaced survivors. We compared body weight change between survivors relocated to temporary housing (TH) group versus other types of accommodation for up to 5 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health in two East Asian countries: Comparative study between Japan and Korea.

Although Japan and South Korea share a number of commonalities, social security systems are very different. We opt to compare socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health between these two countries. The analytic sample included those aged 20 years and older from the nationally representative surveys in Japan (Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions) and South Korea (Korean Community Health Survey).

Gender inequalities in poor self-rated health: Cross-national comparison of South Korea and Japan.

Background: Japan and South Korea represent "outliers" among rich nations with regard to having achieved high life expectancy but also ranking near the bottom on United Nations indices of gender equality. In the present study, we compared gender inequalities in self-rated health (SRH) across the life course captured in nationally representative surveys from South Korea and Japan. Our comparative analysis focused on the following questions, (1) Do Japan and South Korea exhibit similar patterns of gender inequalities in health as found in western settings (e.

The urine albumin-creatinine ratio is a predictor for incident long-term care in a general population.

Background: Several types of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) impair the physical and mental status. The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive ability of several cardiovascular biomarkers for identifying the incidence of disability as future recipients of public long-term care (LTC) service.

Methods: The subjects of this study were community-dwelling elderly individuals ≥ 65 years of age without a history of CVD (n = 5,755; mean age, 71 years).

CHADS and modified CHADS-VASc scores for the prediction of congestive heart failure in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Background & Purpose: We have conducted a retrospective observational study to analyze the correlation between the CHADS score, the modified CHADS-VASc (mCHADS-VASc) score, and the incidence of all-cause death and congestive heart failure (CHF).

Methods: The study cohort consisted of 292 consecutive patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) admitted to our hospital from 2012 to 2014. Electronic medical records were used to confirm medical history including prior heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary disease.

Disease and injury trends among evacuees in a shelter located at the epicenter of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, Japan.

Two huge earthquakes struck Kumamoto, Japan, in April 2016, forcing residents to evacuate. Few studies have reported early-phase disease and injury trends among evacuees following major inland earthquakes. We evaluated the trends among evacuees who visited a medical clinic in a shelter located at the epicenter of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.

Weight Gain in Survivors Living in Temporary Housing in the Tsunami-Stricken Area during the Recovery Phase following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Introduction: Survivors who lost their homes in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were forced to live in difficult conditions in temporary housing several months after the disaster. Body weights of survivors living in temporary housing for a long period might increase due to changes in their life style and psychosocial state during the medium-term and long-term recovery phases. The aim of this study was to determine whether there were differences between body weight changes of people living in temporary housing and those not living in temporary housing in a tsunami-stricken area during the medium-term and long-term recovery phases.

Association between relocation and changes in cardiometabolic risk factors: a longitudinal study in tsunami survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine changes in atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk factors with and without serious disaster-related mental and socioeconomic problems represented by relocation (REL).

Design: A longitudinal survey.

Setting: Multiphasic health check-ups for the general population affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.