Longitudinal associations between informal caring, social network, and psychological distress among adolescents and young adults: modelling within-person effects.

Background: Informal caring is associated with mental health deterioration among young people and impacts their help-seeking ability. Social network can provide social support and mitigate the impact of informal care. However, young carers may avoid identification and withdraw from social networks.

Exploring the relationship between personal and cohabiting family members' COVID-19 infection experiences and fear of COVID-19: a longitudinal study based on the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS).

Objectives: This study aims to explore the relationship between the combined experiences of COVID-19 infection in individuals and their family members and the resulting fear of COVID-19, with a focus on the severity of symptoms and various sociodemographic factors.

Design: Longitudinal survey study.

Setting: The Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), a large-scale web panel survey administered in Japan.

Nicotine dependence based on the tobacco dependence screener among heated tobacco products users in Japan, 2022-2023: The JASTIS study.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are nicotine-containing products similar to cigarettes and are widely used in Japan. However, there has been insufficient research on nicotine dependence associated with HTP use. This study investigated the association of the types of individuals who smoked with the prevalence of nicotine dependence.

Association of remote work with tobacco and alcohol use: a cross-sectional study in Japan.

Background: Remote work allows one to work free from workplace policy, but it may negatively affect health-related behaviors such as tobacco product use and alcohol drinking. Our study aimed to investigate the association of remote work with tobacco dependence and hazardous alcohol use.

Methods: This nationwide Internet-based survey was conducted in Japan in February 2023.

Correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs in Japan: A cross-sectional study of 28,175 residents.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in conspiracy theories worldwide. However, in Japan, the prevalence of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs has remained unclear. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs using a survey of 28,175 residents of Japan aged 16-81 years old.

Association between equivalized annual household income and regular medical visits for hypertensive patients since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Previous studies have shown an increase in blood pressure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic even among patients receiving antihypertensive treatment. This study aims to evaluate the association between equivalized annual household income and refraining from regular medical visits for hypertensive patients since the COVID-19 outbreak. We analyzed data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), including 2832 hypertensive patients aged 20-79 years from the 2020 survey and at least one survey between 2021 and 2023.

Population Using Tobacco for Pain Relief: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

Background: There is a complex relationship between tobacco use and pain. Nicotine provides temporary pain relief but increases the risk of chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate use of tobacco for pain relief and its association with demographic and medical characteristics in Japan.

Presenteeism in people with previous and current epilepsy: Determinants and psychosocial associations.

Objective: We examined people with epilepsy (PWE) regarding presenteeism, an aspect of reduced work productivity due to health-related issues despite physical presence, with a focus on epilepsy treatment and psychosocial factors.

Methods: We used data from 32,000 participants aged 16-83 years old that were obtained through a 2024 nationwide internet survey. The Work Functioning Impairment Scale, which measures "presenteeism," was used to compare participants with and without a history of epilepsy.

A 25-year clonal resurrection in adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma relapse.

Here, we report a rare case of relapsed adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) with evidence of clonal relapse 26 years after initial diagnosis. The patient had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma-type ATL 26 years prior and did not receive further ATL treatment for approximately 26 years after achieving complete remission. We used nested PCR to identify the amplification of ATL clone-specific accumulation sites in DNA from hematoxylin and eosin-stained specimens from the patient.

Number of medical facilities within driving distance of residence and influenza vaccination status in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

Vaccine hesitancy primarily consists of confidence, complacency, and convenience, including geographical accessibility. However, few studies in developed countries have focused on the association between geographical accessibility to vaccination services and vaccination status and previous studies have shown conflicting results. This cross-sectional study aimed to clarify the association between the number of medical facilities within a 15-minute driving distance from the place of residence and influenza vaccination status, using a large nationwide internet survey in Japan ( = 27,440).

Changes in Personal Behaviors During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Three-Year Longitudinal Study in Japan.

Few longitudinal studies have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal behaviors. This study investigated changes in four social behaviors among the Japanese public during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, using four-wave longitudinal data (2020-2023) from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS). In total, 8622 respondents continuously participated in the surveys.

The Association between Perinatal Complications and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Findings from a Nationwide Online Survey.

Objective:  This study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) levels and the risk of perinatal complications.

Study Design:  This is a retrospective cohort study of 5,693 mother-child pairs born between 2019 and 2021, who completed questionnaires on maternal ACE scores and perinatal complications such as preterm birth, low birth weight infants, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and premature rupture of membrane (PROM). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression according to the three ACE score groups after adjusting for confounding factors such as maternal age, child's sex, household income, and maternal education.

Exploring the association of social isolation and loneliness on the experience of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in the Japanese population: the JACSIS study.

Purpose: Social isolation and loneliness have been long-standing public health concerns, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated these issues. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the associations of social isolation and loneliness during the pandemic with experience of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in the Japanese population.

Methods: Data were sourced from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), a large-scale, web-based national survey of individuals aged 15-79.

Impact of an mHealth App (Kencom) on Patients With Untreated Hypertension Initiating Antihypertensive Medications: Real-World Cohort Study.

Background: To prevent the further development of cardiovascular diseases, it is a growing global priority to detect untreated hypertension in patients and ensure adequate blood pressure control via drug therapy. However, few effective tools that facilitate the initiation of antihypertensive medications among such patients have been identified.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether a mobile health (mHealth) app facilitates the initiation of antihypertensive medications among patients with untreated hypertension.

Association of COVID-19 Vaccine Intake with Diagnosis, Hospitalization, and Oxygenation/Ventilation: A Longitudinal Analysis, 2021-2022, Japan.

Japan's COVID-19 vaccination campaign achieved high coverage by 2022, yet limited national-level data has hindered evaluations of vaccine effectiveness. This study analyzed the impact of vaccines on infection outcomes while considering socioeconomic and behavioral factors in the Japanese population. A total of 19,482 individuals aged 16-81 years, who participated in both the 2021 (baseline) and 2022 (follow-up) waves of an Internet-based survey, were analyzed.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on changes in tobacco use behaviour: A longitudinal cohort study in Japan.

Background: Novel tobacco product such as heated tobacco products have recently increased as a result of being promoted less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tobacco use may differ depending on the type of tobacco.

Methods: We longitudinally investigated changes in tobacco use over a one-year period using internet-based and self-reported questionnaires among Japanese aged 15 to 79 years.

Changes in Municipal-Level Social Capital and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Sports Group Participation and Walking Time Among Older Adults.

Background: This study aimed to examine trends in socioeconomic inequalities in sports group participation and daily walking time among older adults in Japan from 2016 to 2019, and to elucidate the association of municipal-level social capital in these trends.

Methods: Using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study across 2 waves (2016 and 2019), this repeated cross-sectional ecological study included 50 municipalities with 102,575 and 94,022 participants, respectively. We investigated inequalities in sports group participation, and daily walking time by income and education, using the slope index of inequality and relative index of inequality with municipal-level social capital variables, such as civic participation, reciprocity, social cohesion, and social network.

Non-consensual Sex Among Japanese Women in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Large-Scale Nationwide Survey-Based Study.

Introduction and background Non-consensual sex, including rape and sexual assault, has been a global concern and may have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, information on this topic is limited. Therefore, our objective was to survey the incidence rate of non-consensual sex among Japanese women aged 15-79 years between April and September 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Estimating the prevalence of and clarifying factors associated with multiple tobacco product use in Japan: a cross-sectional study in 2022.

BackgroundMultiple tobacco product (MTP) use is a public health concern due to their combined adverse health effects. MTP use may have increased since heated tobacco products (HTPs) became more prevalent in Japan. This study aimed to (1) estimate the recent prevalence of MTP use and clarify the associated factors compared to (2) non-smokers and (3) single-product users.

Effect of Social Support on Caregiver's Functional Disability Due to Spouse's Functional Disability.

Objectives: To examine the effect of social support on the risk of caregiver's functional disability due to spouse's functional disability.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting And Participants: In this cohort study using the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study data, the baseline survey was conducted from December 1, 2006, to December 15, 2006, and included 7598 older adults, including 3799 couples, ≥65 years of age.

Real-world predictors of severe psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: Insights from a large-scale internet-based cohort study.

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative physical and psychological impacts worldwide. However, there has been a lack of real-world evidence concerning the predictors of severe psychological distress (SPD) among the general population in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to examine predictors of SPD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[How smokers perceive pictorial and non-pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages: An online survey].

Objectives　This study aimed to evaluate Japanese smokers' perceptions of health warnings on tobacco packaging by comparing text-only and pictorial warnings.Methods　Data were sourced from the Japan Society and New Tobacco Internet Survey (JASTIS), an online, self-reported study conducted in February and March 2020. Participants included current smokers aged 15-74 years in Japan (n＝2,372).