Mental health and related factors after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Mental health is one of the most important issues facing disaster survivors. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and correlates of mental health problems in survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami at 6-11 months after the disaster. The questionnaire and notification were sent to the survivors in three municipalities in the Tohoku area of the Northern part of Honshu, Japan's largest island, between September 2011 and February 2012.

[The longitudinal change in physical activity among Great East Japan Earthquake victims living in temporary housing].

Objectives: This study investigated the longitudinal changes in the physical activity of the Great East Japan Earthquake victims living in temporary housing.

Methods: Thirty-nine residents (10 men and 29 women) living in temporary housing in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, participated in a health survey in 2012. Among these residents, 31 who also participated in a health survey in 2011 were included in a longitudinal study of physical activity.

Joint effects of smoking and alcohol drinking on esophageal cancer mortality in Japanese men: findings from the Japan collaborative cohort study.

Background: The purpose of our study was to elucidate the joint effects of combined smoking and alcohol intake on esophageal cancer mortality in Japanese men through a large cohort study with a 20-year follow-up period.

Materials And Methods: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC Study) was established in the late 1980s, including 46,395 men and 64,190 women aged 40 years and older and younger than 80. Follow-up of these participants was conducted until 2009.

[Validity and reproducibility of a physical activity questionnaire used for health surveying among victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake].

Objectives: This study was performed to assess the validity and reproducibility of a questionnaire on physical activity status used for health surveying among victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods: Seventy-four residents (21 men and 53 women) living in temporary housing in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, participated in this study. The physical activity status questionnaire was composed of 4 questions regarding the frequency of performing domestic and occupational physical activities, the frequency of leaving their residence, walking duration per day, and sedentary time.

Factors related to tooth loss among community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly Japanese men.

Background: Using data from a large-scale community-based Japanese population, we attempted to identify factors associated with tooth loss in middle-aged and elderly men.

Methods: A total of 8352 men aged 40 to 79 years who lived in the north of the main island of Japan and underwent health checkups were enrolled between 2002 and 2005. Number of teeth was assessed by the question, "How many teeth do you have (0, 1-9, 10-19, or ≥20)?".

Hip fracture incidence in Japan: estimates of new patients in 2007 and 20-year trends.

SUMMARY: We estimated the number of hip fracture patients in 2007 in Japan and investigated the trends in incidence during a 20-year period from 1987 to 2007. Despite the increasing number of new patients, the incidence of hip fracture in some age groups showed the possibility of decline. PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to estimate the number of hip fracture patients in 2007, to investigate the trends in incidence during a 20-year period from 1987 to 2007, and to show the regional differences in Japan.

Associations of ikigai as a positive psychological factor with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese people: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study.

Objective: To determine whether presence of ikigai as a positive psychological factor is associated with decreased risks for all-cause and cause-specific mortality among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women.

Methods: From 1988 to 1990, a total of 30,155 men and 43,117 women aged 40 to 79 years completed a lifestyle questionnaire including a question about ikigai. Mortality follow-up was available for a mean of 12.

Association of hip fracture incidence and intake of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

Objective: To analyze the association between hip fracture incidence in 12 regional blocks within Japan and dietary intake of four key nutrients: calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K.

Design: An ecological study.

Methods: Using data from the 2002 national survey on the incidence of hip fracture and the National Nutritional Survey of Japan, a standardized incidence ratio of hip fracture was calculated, and the association between the standardized incidence ratio and each nutritional intake was assessed for each region using Pearson's correlation coefficient and partial correlation analysis.

Mortality risk attributable to atrial fibrillation in middle-aged and elderly people in the Japanese general population: nineteen-year follow-up in NIPPON DATA80.

Background: The extent to which atrial fibrillation (AF) contributes to mortality in the Japanese general population has not been clarified.

Methods And Results: A randomly sampled general population from all over Japan (4,154 men, 5,329 women; age > or =30 years) was enrolled. Single electrocardiogram recordings were taken in the baseline survey.