Workers' experiences of improvement in work environment and mental health problems: a web-based 1-year prospective study for Japanese employees.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to prospectively investigate the association between work environment improvements and multiple mental health outcomes in a large sample of Japanese employees. METHODS: A web-based longitudinal study surveyed 20 000 Japanese employees, 7 970 of whom completed a follow-up after 1 year. Various types of work environment improvements experienced by workers were assessed using a 24-item checklist. Three mental health outcomes (poor mental health, presenteeism, and high psychosocial stress) were assessed and defined using standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: Overall, as the total number of work environment improvements increased, the odds ratio for mental health outcomes in the follow-up survey decreased by several percentages, even after adjusting for demographic and occupational factors. Analysis of the types of work environment improvements showed that mutual support improvements were particularly effective in reducing mental health issues. The subgroup analyses also showed that the effectiveness of workplace environment improvements might vary between secondary and tertiary industry workers depending on the types of improvements and mental health outcomes. DISCUSSION: The study suggests that workplace improvements can significantly affect mental health. The effectiveness of these improvements may vary according to the type of intervention, industry of the targeted workers, and mental health outcomes. This study provides basic data on the effectiveness of workplace environment improvements that can be used for future intervention trials.

Joint association of daily rest periods and sleep duration with sick leave: a one-year prospective cohort study of daytime employees in Japan.

Daily rest period (DRP) refers to the interval between the end of one workday and the start of the next. This study examined the joint association of DRP and sleep duration with subsequent sick leave among Japanese daytime employees. Participants (n=5,593) were measured for DRP and sleep duration at baseline and for sick leave at 1-year follow-up. They were categorized into 10 groups based on their DRP and daily sleep duration. Logistic regression analyses for individuals experiencing sick leave for longer than a month showed that the combination of short DRP (<11 h) and sleep duration (<6 h) had a higher odds ratio (4.981, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.126-22.046) than the reference group. Furthermore, the combination of short DRP and normal sleep duration had a higher odds ratio (8.152, 95% CI = 1.801-36.902) than the reference group. Short DRP was associated with subsequent long sick leave.

Spending Longer Time in the Kitchen Was Associated With Healthier Diet Among Japanese Older Women With Frailty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the conditional effect of time spent in the kitchen on the association between frailty status and healthy diet among older women. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of an online cross-sectional survey conducted in January 2023. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred Japanese women (aged ≥ 65 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Frailty status evaluated using the Kihon Checklist (25 affirmative questions assessing daily functions, weight status, and mental condition); healthy diet assessed by the days of consuming ≥ 2 meals that include staple, main and side dishes in a meal (SMS meal) in a day; and time spent in the kitchen. ANALYSIS: Moderation analysis was used to evaluate the conditional effect of time spent in the kitchen on frailty status and SMS meal intake. Chi-square tests for independence were used to evaluate the differences in the Kihon Checklist items by frailty status. RESULTS: Spending longer time in the kitchen indicated more frequent SMS meal intake and the trend was stronger among older women with frailty than those with robustness. All items except for 1 item regarding weight status (P = 0.15) were significantly associated with frailty status (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Further studies are needed to evaluate the causal relationship between frailty status, healthy diet, and kitchen use.

X-irradiated umbilical cord blood cells retain their regenerative effect in experimental stroke.

Although regenerative therapy with stem cells is believed to be affected by their proliferation and differentiation potential, there is insufficient evidence regarding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this regenerative effect. We recently found that gap junction-mediated cell-cell transfer of small metabolites occurred very rapidly after stem cell treatment in a mouse model of experimental stroke. This study aimed to investigate whether the tissue repair ability of umbilical cord blood cells is affected by X-irradiation at 15 Gy or more, which suppresses their proliferative ability. In this study, X-irradiated mononuclear (XR) cells were prepared from umbilical cord blood. Even though hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell activity was diminished in the XR cells, the regenerative activity was surprisingly conserved and promoted recovery from experimental stroke in mice. Thus, our study provides evidence regarding the possible therapeutic mechanism by which damaged cerebrovascular endothelial cells or perivascular astrocytes may be rescued by low-molecular-weight metabolites supplied by injected XR cells in 10 min as energy sources, resulting in improved blood flow and neurogenesis in the infarction area. Thus, XR cells may exert their tissue repair capabilities by triggering neo-neuro-angiogenesis, rather than via cell-autonomous effects.

Development and validation of the gratitude for food scale for Japanese adults.

Gratitude for food is a concept associated with various aspects of healthy and sustainable diet and originates from Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan. Against this background, a scale specifically targeting adults is essential for boosting studies concerning gratitude for food. This study aimed to adapt the Gratitude for Food Scale (GFS), originally developed for Japanese children, to Japanese adults and to examine the reliability and validity of GFS for adults (GFS-A). This cross-sectional study used baseline and one-week follow-up data from a longitudinal survey. The analysis included 1800 Japanese adults at baseline and 1380 at the one-week follow-up based on completion of self-administered questionnaires in February 2023. Construct validity was confirmed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Further, Spearman's and intraclass correlation coefficients and Cronbach's alpha were calculated to confirm criterion validity and reliability (test-retest and internal consistency). Participants' mean (SD) age was 40.2 (11.2) years (women: n = 900, 50.0%) at baseline. The analysis revealed a one-factor structure comprising five items with good model fit. Criterion validity was confirmed by the correlation coefficients between the total GFS score and the gratitude questionnaire and the sub-score of awareness and appreciation for food, which represents a subscale of the expanded mindful eating scale. Moreover, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were confirmed. From this study's results, we can see that the developed GFS-A is an appropriate scale with good reliability and validity for measuring Japanese adults' gratitude for food.

Protocol for a web-based study on the work environment and daily lifestyle of Japanese employees.

Mental health problems are prevalent among the working population and must be resolved. We conducted a web-based large-scale study of workers, including a baseline survey and two follow-up surveys, to investigate the associations between self-care behaviors in daily life (e.g., stress coping, sleep, diet, and exercise), work environment improvements, and mental health among Japanese employees from various industries. In this protocol, we demonstrate the study design and demographic data of the participants in the baseline survey. Invitations to participate in this study were sent to 421,825 internet monitor registrants in February 2022. Overall, 20,000 registrants who met the inclusion criteria participated in the survey. There were large variations in occupations and working styles (e.g., physical work, night work, and teleworking) among the participants, and we also found significant differences between male and female participants in the demographic data. An overview of the survey data suggests that the demographic characteristics of the participants in this study are comparable to those reported in previous studies on Japanese employees. We plan to use these survey data in the future to examine the associations of daily lifestyles and work environments with the mental health of Japanese employees.

Cross-sectional associations of weekly time, social context, and motivation of exercise with mental health among workers.

PURPOSE: Exercise is considered a strategy to promote mental health among workers. However, the optimal exercise conditions that promote mental health benefits for workers are still unclear. This study examined the cross-sectional associations of weekly exercise time duration, social context of exercise, and exercise motivation levels with the mental health among Japanese workers. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 18,902 workers, aged 20-59 years. The mental health variables (psychological distress, psychological stress reaction, physical stress reaction, job satisfaction, and work engagement), exercise participation (non-exercisers, exercisers), and demographic factors of all responders were measured. Weekly exercise time, social context of exercise (alone only, with others only, both alone and with others), and exercise motivation (non-regulation, external/introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and internal regulation) were also measured amongst exercisers. After adjusting for demographic factors, multiple regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Exercisers had significantly lower psychological distress, lower psychological and physical stress reactions, higher job satisfaction, and higher work engagement than non-exercisers. Among exercisers, while weekly exercise time duration and social context of exercise were not clearly and robustly associated with mental health variables, respondents with intrinsic regulation had significantly lower psychological distress, lower psychological and physical stress reaction, higher job satisfaction, and higher work engagement than those with lower self-determined motivations. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that more self-determined exercise motivation is closely associated with advantageous mental health variables, than the duration or the social context of exercise among Japanese workers.

[Utilization of the standard questionnaire in specific health checkups].

Objectives　Interviewing people about their health behaviour in specific health checkups (SHCs) is thought to promote awareness of and help improve such behaviour. The standard questionnaire (SQ) for SHCs consists of 22 items presented in the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. However, using items other than those necessary for stratification for specific health guidance (SHG) is optional. We believe that clarifying the actual utilization of SQ items could contribute to improving the procedure used for the fourth SHCs and SHG, which will be initiated in 2024.　This study seeks to clarify the actual utilization of the SQ for (1) conducting SHCs, (2) planning, implementing, and evaluating SHG and health programs aimed at preventing lifestyle-related diseases, and (3) planning, implementing, and evaluating the data health plan.Methods　We enrolled 3,179 people from 1,741 departments in charge of national health insurance, 47 Japan Health Insurance Association branches, and 1,391 health insurance societies across all municipalities in Japan. One participant among the study participants was the main person in charge of SHCs and SHG at each facility. We conducted a self-reported survey on the implementation of SHCs and SHG in February 2022. This study was approved by the ethics review board of the institution to which the first author belongs.Results　A total of 1,221 (38.4%) were received. The proportions of valid responses from national health insurance departments, Japan Health Insurance Association branches, and health insurance societies were 816 (46.9%), 47 (100%), and 358 (25.7%), respectively. Over 96% of responders used the group SHCs method, and over 93% of those adopting the individual SHCs method used each of the 22 SQ items. However, 187 (18.2%) responders found it difficult to use the item "If you had the opportunity to receive health guidance for lifestyle improvement, would you take it?" The reason was that the on-request SHG system was misunderstood. Additionally, only approximately 50% of respondents used the SQ to develop, implement, and evaluate their health program.Conclusion　We believe there will be no problem in implementing the SQ even if using all its component items is required. However, the aforementioned item needs to be revised. Methods to encourage health insurers and their supporters to use the SQ for health-related data collection and health program planning should be devised.

Sensory profile of picky eaters among college female students.

Picky eaters are at risk of an unbalanced diet, which is critical for women of reproductive age. A sensory profile, which is a potential factor in picky eating, has not been well researched. This study assessed the differences in sensory profile and dietary intake according to the picky eating status among female Japanese undergraduate college students. Cross-sectional data were obtained from the Ochanomizu Health Study conducted in 2018. The questionnaire included items regarding demographic characteristics, picky eating status, sensory profile, and dietary intake. Sensory profile was assessed using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile questionnaire, and dietary intakes were calculated using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. Among the 111 participants, 23% were picky eaters and 77% were non-picky eaters. The age, body mass index and household status did not differ between the picky eaters and non-picky eaters. Being a picky eater was associated with higher scores on sensory sensitivity and sensation avoiding, and lower thresholds for taste and smell, touch, and auditory stimuli than being a non-picky eater. Of the picky eaters, 58% and 100% were at a high risk for folate and iron deficiencies, respectively, compared to 35% and 81% of non-picky eaters. Nutrition education for picky eaters in reproductive age to increase vegetable dishes comfortably in their diet is suggested to prevent anemia during their future pregnancy.

Integrated consumers' sustainable and healthy dietary behavior patterns: Associations between demographics, psychological factors, and meal preparation habits among Japanese adults.

The consumers' Sustainable and Healthy Dietary Behaviors (SHDBs) links sustainable behaviors related to eating (e.g., choosing, cooking, eating, and disposing of foods) with the level of "dietary behavior." It was hypothesized that SHDBs will vary depending on consumers' meal preparation habits, such as food selection, cooking frequency, and skill. This study examined (1) some of the behavioral patterns of SHDBs and (2) independent predictors of each pattern. In total, 508 Japanese adults who completed cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire surveys in December 2021 were included in the study. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the behavioral patterns of the 30-item SHDBs developed previously by the authors. Additionally, independent predictors of each component score were analyzed using multiple linear regression models, which included demographics, psychological factors concerning SHDBs (pros and cons for the decisional balance of SHDBs and number of environmental issues of interest), and meal preparation habits. Participants' median age was 41 (18-59) years (women: n = 259, 51.0%). Five SHDB patterns with several independent predictors were identified: amalgamation of all SHDBs, healthy food choices but unsustainable cooking, sustainable disposal, avoiding plastic products, and sustainable behaviors regarding expiry date. The multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated the independent predictors of the amalgamation of all SHDBs, such as being a man (ß = -0.105), greater pros (ß = 0.134), higher cooking frequency (ß = 0.443) and skill (ß = 0.244). Greater pros and/or smaller cons were associated with four of the five SHDB patterns, including an amalgamation of all SHDBs, healthy food choice and unsustainable cooking, avoiding disposal, and avoiding plastic products. Sustainable and healthy diet education must be implemented to ensure the adoption of all SHDBs.