Publications by authors named "Takashi Arao"

Objective: Although the health benefits of playing sports are well-known, the association between watching sports and health is not well understood. We examined the longitudinal association of watching sports with 20 different health and well-being outcomes.

Methods: Three-wave cohort data from 6327 adults (4851 workers) in the Meiji Yasuda LifeStyle study were used to draw causal inferences.

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Background: The association of working from home (WFH) with physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) has been explored; however, this association during periods without stringent measures to combat coronavirus disease 2019 is undercharacterized. Particularly, few studies have evaluated the potential effect modification on its associations. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the associations of WFH frequency with accelerometer-measured PA and SB, along with its effect modifiers, among Japanese white-collar workers during the later pandemic period.

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Article Synopsis
  • Small companies often lag behind larger corporations in health promotion initiatives, creating a need for effective strategies to improve their health and productivity management.
  • The study focuses on a public-private partnership in Yokohama City, Japan, where life insurance representatives, acting as "Linkworkers," assisted small enterprises in obtaining health-related certifications and implementing health programs.
  • The initiative saw 71 Linkworkers visit 500 companies, with 224 firms receiving certification, indicating a positive impact on promoting health management in smaller enterprises.
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Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have reduced opportunities for engaging in physical activity (PA) and increased sedentary behavior (SB) among workers. However, most previous studies used self-reported assessments. This study aimed to examine the changes in accelerometer-measured PA and SB from before to after COVID-19 outbreak among Japanese workers.

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  • A study in Japan explored the connection between low back pain and physical activity/sitting time among older adults (65+) who haven't sought long-term care, as low back pain is common and costly in this demographic.
  • A survey was sent to over 7,000 adults, focusing on health status, lifestyle, and experiences of low back pain, with responses from 4,877 people yielding a low back pain prevalence of 31.6%.
  • Findings showed no significant link between physical activity and low back pain in younger older adults (65-74), while older adults (≥75) had a notable association suggesting physical activity might be protective against low back pain.
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Objective: Previous studies have suggested a positive association between physical activity (PA) and executive function in older adults. However, they did not adequately consider the compositional nature of daily time use and accumulated PA patterns. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between intensity or accumulated PA patterns and executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in community-dwelling older adults, considering the interaction of daily time spent in PA, sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep.

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Background: During the COVID-19 epidemic, opportunities for social interaction and physical activity among older people are decreasing, which may have a negative impact on their health. As a solution, a web-based group exercise program provided through a videoconferencing platform would be useful. As a web-based exercise program that older adults can easily, safely, and enjoyably perform at home, we developed a short-duration, light-intensity aerobic dance exercise program.

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Aim: This study examined the relationship between continuity of social participation and progression of frailty among community-dwelling older adults, by baseline frailty level.

Methods: This study was part of a 3-year community-based cohort study among adults aged ≥65 years, living independently in a rural municipality in Japan. Mail surveys were carried out in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

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  • - The study investigated whether mentally active sedentary behavior (MASB) and passive sedentary behavior (PSB) differently influence cognitive function and dementia onset in older adults, with a focus on their physical activity levels.
  • - Conducted over five years in Japan with 5,323 participants, the research found that higher MASB was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, especially among individuals with high physical activity levels, while PSB showed no correlation with dementia risk.
  • - The results suggest that encouraging MASB and physical activity could help delay or prevent dementia, highlighting the importance of mental engagement and exercise in older populations.
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Objective: Previous studies have reported opposite effects of occupational or non-occupational physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) on health outcomes. However, no study has investigated the relationship between domain-specific movement behaviors and cardiometabolic health (CMH) among office workers, considering the compositional nature of time-use data. We investigated the associations of accelerometer-measured PA and SB for each domain (working time, non-working time on workday, and non-workday) with CMH indicators among office workers, using compositional data analysis.

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  • The study aimed to explore how levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) influence the risk of functional disability (FD) in older adults living in Tsuru, Japan.
  • Researchers monitored 5,311 older adults over 33 months, measuring their MVPA and SB through questionnaires and determining incidents of FD through assessments by experts.
  • The findings indicated that higher MVPA significantly reduced the risk of FD compared to lower MVPA levels, while the impact of SB was less pronounced, suggesting that maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial for functional health in seniors.
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There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that one bout of moderate-intensity exercise enhances executive functions in older adults. However, in terms of safety, feasibility, and continuity, older individuals prefer light, easy, and fun exercises to moderate and stressful exercises for improving executive functions. Therefore, light-intensity aerobic dance exercise (LADE) could be suitable if it produces potential benefits related to executive functions.

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Background: Although a few studies have confirmed the association of accelerometer-measured sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), PA intensity and co-dependent daily time-use of movement behaviours are yet to be studied.

Aims: To cross-sectionally examine the dose-response relationship between accelerometer-measured SB or PA and NAFLD using cubic spline analysis and the interdependence of movement behaviours over 24 hours with compositional data analysis.

Methods: Data were obtained between May 2017 and February 2020 from 1914 people who were not heavy alcohol drinkers using health check-ups at the Meiji Yasuda Shinjuku Medical Center, Tokyo.

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Background: Most previous studies that examined the association of insomnia with frailty used cross-sectional designs. The temporal relationship between these factors is therefore largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the bidirectional relationship between insomnia and frailty by sex.

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Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an exercise program targeting knee pain on longitudinal medical costs (MC) of elderly community-dwelling adults.Methods A community-based health program using specific exercises for improving knee pain was held from January to February, 2015. Twenty-eight individuals participated in the program (intervention group) and seventy individuals were selected from the respondents of a health and lifestyle survey by matching age, sex, and baseline value of severity of knee pain as a control group.

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Objective: Ergonomic office redesigning possibly improves physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB); however, its impact on cardiometabolic risk has not yet been determined. This study aimed to examine the effect of office relocation on cardiometabolic risk factors.

Methods: Annual health check-up data of 95 office workers from four offices in Tokyo, Japan, who relocated to an office with activity-based working (ABW) and height-adjustable desk (HAD) and a propensity-score matched control-cohort were analyzed.

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This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between 24-hour movement behaviors and mental health among Japanese workers, accounting for the co-dependence of time spent in different behaviors during a single day. This research is part of a prospective cohort study called the Meiji Yasuda LifeStyle study. Participants were 1095 workers in Tokyo, Japan, who underwent annual health check-ups between 2017 and 2018.

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Background: Although social group engagement (SGE) has been suggested to affect physical activity (PA) in older age, the longitudinal relationship between these variables is unclear. This study used 2-year panel data to investigate the link between changes in SGE and changes in PA among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: This study was a 2-year community-based longitudinal study enrolling older adults living in a rural municipality in Japan.

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It has been reported that office environment is an important determinant of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in office workers. However, the effect of changes in office environment (office renovation) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine PA, SB, and space utilization changes among office workers in response to office renovation.

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We investigated the relationship between workplace exercise and psychological distress, and work engagement, both of which are factors related to the mental health and work productivity of employees. Data from the Meiji Yasuda Lifestyle study, collected from July 2017 through December 2017, were used. Data from an annual health checkup and questionnaire were collected from the Meiji Yasuda Shinjuku Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan.

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This study aimed to examine when and how physical activity (PA) influences gestational weight gain (GWG) and infant birthweight (BW) by considering the PA's total volume, timing, intensity, and type, controlling for the influence of energy intake. A total of 1272 participants in different stages of pregnancy were recruited from hospital. The associations between PA and GWG or BW in the latter half of pregnancy were significant.

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Background: Physical activity (PA) and dietary intake are important modifiable factors associated with health outcomes. However, Chinese pregnant women's PA and dietary intake are only vaguely understood. The aim of this study was to reveal the characteristics of PA and dietary intake of Chinese women in different trimesters as well as the associations between PA and dietary intake.

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Background: Considering that building a sports facility is a major investment to promote population health, it is important to understand whether it is effective in increasing the level of physical activity (PA) in the community. This study examined the impact of building a new multipurpose exercise facility on community-level PA in Japan.

Methods: This non-randomised panel study compared two sites: an intervention site where a new exercise facility was built (opened after baseline data collection) and a control site where there was no such additional exercise facility.

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This study evaluated the effect of a community-wide walking intervention (involving walking maps and events) on older residents' walking and environmental perceptions. In this nonrandomized quasi-panel study, older adults living in an intervention and control site were recruited at baseline and follow-up. All households in the intervention site received maps and were invited to participate in a walking event monthly.

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