ABSTRACT
BackgroundAlthough disparities in socioeconomic status in health behaviors have been highlighted globally, they are not well understood in Japanese adolescents. The purpose of this study was to clarify the changes in socioeconomic disparities in adolescents fundamental health behaviors, such as physical activity, screen time (ST), sleep, breakfast intake, and bowel movement before and during COVID-19. MethodsThis was a repeated cross-sectional study which used data from the 2019 and 2021 National Sports-Life Survey of Children and Young in Japan. Data of 766 and 725 participants in 2019 and 2021, respectively, were analyzed. Favorable health behaviors were defined as daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of at least 60 minutes, ST of less than 2 hours, sleep of 8 to 10 hours, daily breakfast intake, and bowel movement frequency of at least once in every 3 days. We calculated the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) in each health behavior for equivalent household income levels for assessing absolute and relative economic inequalities. ResultsCompliance with MVPA and ST recommendation significantly declined from 20.1% and 23.0% in 2019 to 11.7% and 14.9% in 2021, respectively. The SII and RII increased in MVPA for income levels, but decreased in daily breakfast in 2019 to 2021. Although the widening and narrowing of the disparity was inconclusive for ST, it exacerbated for the higher income groups. ConclusionsOur study revealed widening of economic disparities in the achievement of recommended MVPA and narrowing of it in breakfast intake among adolescents before and during COVID-19. What is already known on this subjectO_LIAlthough disparities in the economic status of the family and neighborhood have been observed in several fundamental health behaviors among western countries adolescents, they have not been well understood in Japan. It has been pointed out that the economic disparities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to increase disparities in health and health behaviors. C_LI What this study addsO_LIThis is the first study to examine the change in socioeconomic inequalities in various health behavior among Japanese adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. C_LIO_LIWe found widening of socioeconomic disparities in the achievement of recommended PA C_LIO_LIWe found narrowing of socioeconomic disparities in breakfast intake. C_LI How this study might affect research, practice or policyO_LIContinuous monitoring of how this affects health in the short and long term is needed. C_LI
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Smoking among Japanese adolescents has decreased noticeably. However, little is known whether the decreasing trend in adolescent smoking can be seen across all socioeconomic status (SES) groups. This study aimed to examine trends in socioeconomic inequalities in smoking among Japanese adolescents between 2008 and 2016.@*METHODS@#We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using data from three surveys of high school students in Okinawa, Japan, in 2008, 2012, and 2016. The study participants consisted of 7902 students in grades 10 through 12 (15-18 years). Smoking was assessed as current cigarette use. SES indicators included familial SES (parental education and family structure) and student's own SES (school type). To evaluate absolute and relative inequalities, prevalence differences (PDs) and ratios (PRs) between low and high SES groups were estimated. The slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were also calculated.@*RESULTS@#Smoking prevalence among boys and girls significantly declined from 11.5% and 6.2% in 2008 to 4.7% and 1.9% in 2016, respectively. Similar decreasing trends in smoking were found among most of the SES groups. The PDs and SII for parental education in boys and family structure in girls decreased over time while those for school type persisted among boys and girls. The PRs and RII for school type in boys increased while those for other SES indicators among both sexes remained stable over time.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Smoking among Japanese adolescents has been declining and time trends of socioeconomic inequalities in smoking varied by absolute and relative measures. Further policies and/or interventions to reduce smoking inequalities should focus on the context of schools, especially in vocational high schools.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Cross-Sectional Studies , Japan , Prevalence , Socioeconomic Factors , Tobacco Smoking/epidemiologyABSTRACT
This study examined the relationship between meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years and motor skills and cognitive function in preschool children. Participants were 4-year-old boys and girls in urban and rural areas (n=69). Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X). Screen time and sleep duration were assessed via self-report by guardians. Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines was defined as: 10 to 13 h/night and nap of sleep, ≤1 h/day of sedentary screen time, and at least 180 min/day more than 1.5 METs. Motor skills were evaluated by the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3). Executive functions (shifting, visual-spatial working memory and inhibition) were evaluated by the Early Years Toolbox (Japanese translation). The prevalence of children meeting all three recommendations was 7.2% and 7.2% met none of the three recommendations. Children meeting physical activity recommendation had a better inhibition score compared to children meeting none of the recommendation (p=0.005). While, children not meeting the sleep recommendation had a better inhibition score compared to children meeting of the recommendation (p=0.042). In conclusion, meeting the physical activity or sleep recommendations were positively or negatively associated with the inhibition score. On the other hand, meeting none of the sedentary behaviour and the 3 recommendations was not associated with motor skills or cognitive function.
ABSTRACT
In order to obtain the basic data for the relationship between factors related to sports and bone density of high school girls, bone densities of a heel were measured, and physical characteristics and living backgrounds on exercises were surveyed. The subjects were one-hundred and forty two girls (15-18 years, mean±SD=16.5±0.84 years) of a high school in Nagano prefecture, accepted our visiting bone health check. Bone density was measured by ultrasound bone-densitometer ‘Achilles’ (Lunar) . As for the data, we obtained the stiffness index (Stiffness) with a self-registered questionnaire for the items of physical and exercise factors for the girls in puberty. High school girls who belong to a sport club have significantly higher bone density than other girls. In detail, those who do the sports which consist of mainly running or jumpping, have significantly higher bone density than others who do no sports. There also were significants on the kinds of sports, on the frequency of sports and on the duration of sports. Moreover, those who had the regular sports history have higher bone density than those who had no regular sports history, and the mean Stiffness of the group that care to do physical exercises daily was higher than those who do not care to do exercises. These results suggest that there are many kinds of factors related to sports which favourably contribute to obtain sufficient bone mass of high school girls who are in a developmental stage.
