Objective: Helicobacter pylori infections increase gastric cancer risk. Detecting and eradicating Helicobacter pylori infections and implementing a follow-up strategy should be considered by occupational health practitioners. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding an H. pylori antibody (HPA) test to current gastric cancer screening using upper gastrointestinal series (UGI) at the workplace in Japan. Methods: The data of Japanese people aged ≥40 years were collected from PubMed and evaluated in two cohorts: UGI (X-ray examination)+HPA test and UGI only. A Markov model was used for the cost-effectiveness analysis of the UGI+HPA test and UGI-only cohorts. The main outcomes were cost, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). The impact of uncertainty was assessed using one-way sensitivity analyses (OWSA) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA). Results: A base-case analysis showed that the UGI+HPA test strategy was less costly (−US＄1,039 and −US＄1,496) and more effective (0.415 and 0.437 QALYs) than the UGI-only strategy in the 40- and 50-year-old groups, respectively. The UGI+HPA test strategy was assessed as a dominant strategy. In the OWSA, the tornado diagram showed negative expected costs and positive QALY gains within the established ranges for all parameters. In the PSA, more than 95% of the simulations demonstrated ICER <5 million yen (US＄51,674; US＄1=96.76 yen)/QALY. Conclusions: This modeling study suggests that gastric cancer screening using UGI+HPA test followed by eradication and annual opportunistic screening, compared with UGI only, resulted in lower costs and greater QALY gains for both 40- and 50-year-old groups at the workplace.

Objective: The current study aimed to identify workplace stress and how stress factors differed in employees of a multinational company’s subsidiaries in Japan and Vietnam. Methods: For the study, a total of 340 Japanese and 379 Vietnamese workers were included from their corresponding subsidiaries of a multinational company headquartered in Japan. The data were anonymously collected via an online pre-administered questionnaire between November 2021 and February 2022. A brief Job Stress Questionnaire was used to assess the job stress. Doubly robust estimation combines a multivariate regression model with a propensity score model to identify the adjusted difference of job stress between workers in two companies. Results: Japanese employees included 292 males and 48 females, with an average age of 45.5 years. Vietnamese workers comprised 91 males and 288 females, with an average age of 36.5 years. Japanese workers reported higher level of job stress (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, p<.001), family dissatisfaction (OR 1.25, p<.001), and job dissatisfaction (OR 1.31, p<.001) than Vietnamese workers. Supervisor support had the lowest ranking in both countries (Mean 2.61; SD, 1.14 in Japan and mean 2.08; SD, 1.34 in Vietnam). The largest score differences between Japanese and Vietnamese workers were observed for family support (Diff=−1.25, p<.001) and colleague support (Diff=−1.20, p<.001). Conclusion: Although we have herein focused on the factors with the poorest perception and the highest gaps between the two countries, the managers in each country should be mindful of the other factors that appeared to be significant job stressors in their subsidiaries for further prevention of job stress.

Objectives: This study aimed to measure the air change per hour (ACH) in a workplace that spanned 880 m² and had a ceiling height of 3 m. This workplace experienced clusters of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, and the study measured ACH before and after remediation. The objective was to provide a quantitative estimate of ACH in various compartments. Methods: A network of CO₂ sensors was set up in the workplace. The data from the sensors were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model and dynamic time distortion to estimate the ACH in each area. Results: During the cluster outbreak, the ACH was in the range of 0.408 to 1.178/hour (p<.001), which was relatively low and likely contributed to the outbreak. Additionally, the room’s ventilation was imbalanced due to partitioning. However, the ACH improved significantly from 1.835 to 2.551/hour (p<.001) by simply opening the windows and allowing natural ventilation. Conclusions: Based on the evidence that the transmission of COVID-19 was contained following the enhancement of ventilation, an ACH rate of below 2/hour was the primary factor in developing COVID-19 clusters within the facility under investigation.

Objectives: This scoping review aims to examine the existing use of eye-tracking technologies being applied to measure negative mental health-related outcomes. The review was guided by the following questions: 1) What eye-tracking methods are currently in use?; and 2) What type of negative mental health-related outcomes are these methods being applied to for estimation? Results will be evaluated to determine their prospective implementation in remote work as a mental health indicator. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in order to collect data from a range of sources and evaluate many distinct research methodologies. A scoping review was chosen for this study to widely report on the research currently being conducted, rather than answer a specific question from a focused set of evidence. On May 26, 2022, a systematic search of the scientific literature was conducted to identify any eye-tracking methods that have been used to measure stress and anxiety. Results: Out of an initial 5,356 eligible articles, a total of 14 articles were included in this scoping review. Estimation outcomes also ranged from various mental health-related outcomes with the most common outcome relating to stress and fatigue. Other outcomes included sleepiness, drowsiness, arousal, frustration, hypervigilance, defensive state, peritraumatic dissociation, and anxiety. Conclusions: Preliminary results show a very promising connection between eye metrics and negative mental health-related outcomes, which are very relevant to workplace mental health as well.

Objectives: This study aims to elucidate a few of the challenges experienced by employees of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan while attempting to acquire support to strike a balance between medical treatment and work during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This descriptive qualitative study was conducted from February to March 2022 on SMEs. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 11 SMEs. Data collection focused on two key areas: (1) changes and challenges in medical treatment and health support at work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) ideas and strategies for coping with the crisis. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing. Results: Thematic analysis produced five main themes: difficulties in access to health services, rapid spread in teleworking, necessity of various responses depending on the situation, anxiety, and no major changes. Conclusions: SMEs in Japan faced difficulties in implementing regular support to help employees balance between medical treatment and work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, the incorporation of information and communication technology to stem the spread of the COVID-19 infection has advanced to continue to work for employees with a high risk of infection.

Objectives: Specific health guidance (SHG) has served as a preventive intervention for metabolic syndrome in Japan since 2008. For SHG, health professionals guide diet and physical activity to achieve body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC) reductions. Since 2013, SHG intervention using information and communication technology (ICT-based SHG) has also been available. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of ICT-based SHG, and identified factors associated with BW and WC reductions in response to this intervention. Methods: Our intervention was performed using a smartphone application with videophone guidance and message exchanges provided by health professionals. We analysed 1,994 participants. Primary outcomes included changes in BW and WC after versus before the intervention. We used multiple linear regression analyses to identify factors associated with reductions in BW and WC due to the intervention. Results: The mean ages were 49.3 (standard deviation [SD], 5.8) years for males and 50.5 (SD, 5.8) years for females. The mean BW change was −1.37 kg for both sexes. The mean WC changes were −1.05 for males and −2.05 cm for females. For males, baseline body mass index, pre-intervention action history, and the numbers of videophone communications and messages were significantly associated with larger changes in BW and WC. For females, no factors were significant for BW reduction, while baseline WC and pre-intervention action history were associated with WC reduction. Conclusions: ICT-based SHG reduces BW and WC. Videophone communication and messaging are associated with reductions in BW and WC in males. These results may help to improve the efficacy of ICT-based SHG.

The Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSOH) recommends the Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) as reference values for preventing adverse health effects on workers caused by occupational exposure to chemical substances, continuous or intermittent noise, impulsive or impact noise, heat stress, cold stress, whole-body vibration, hand-arm vibration and time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields and ultraviolet and ionizing radiation.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the ventilatory effect of plastic shields in a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection cluster site using the CO₂ tracer technique. Methods: We experimentally investigated indoor air ventilation using the CO₂ tracer technique to verify the formation of SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters that erupted in an office space shared by 30 individuals, among whom 11 were infected with SARS-CoV-2. The ventilation frequency was calculated based on the Wells–Riley model and the behavior of infectious aerosols was visualized using thermo-fluid simulation. Results: Observations at several locations revealed extremely low air change rates (0.1/h) in the study site. Local infection clusters were observed several meters away from the door, the only means of ventilation in the office, indicating the negative effect of plastic sheet shielding. The thermo-fluid simulation showed that the plastic sheet blocked the airflow and trapped the exhaled air in each partition cell. Conclusion: Our results verify that opening windows and using fans to blow air out of the window, which led to a considerable improvement in air ventilation (10–28/h) in each partition cell, are suitable methods for lowering SARS-CoV-2 infection risk.

Objectives: Work-related subjective well-being (SWB) may be negatively affected by early-life adverse experiences, such as school bullying experience. This study aimed to identify the association between work-related SWB and school bullying experiences. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using five electronic databases to search for published observational studies from inception to May 5^th, 2022. Eligibility criteria included the original papers in English, which measured school bullying experiences and work-related SWB (eg, satisfaction, engagement). Eight researchers independently conducted screening and a full-text review. We used the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Studies to assess the certainty of the evidence. Narrative data were summarized. The study has been registered at UMIN-CTR (UMIN000040513). Results: A total of 6,842 studies were initially searched. We included two cross-sectional studies. Both studies were rated as high risk for bias in exposure measurements and incomplete outcome data. These studies showed conflicting results. One study reported that school bullying was negatively associated with job satisfaction among British lesbian, gay, or bisexual workers; on the other hand, another study reported that school bullying was positively associated with work engagement among Japanese workers. Conclusions: We found limited inconsistent evidence for the association between work-related SWB and school bullying experiences.

Objectives: Responsible workplaces strive to minimize the harmful effects of alcohol and drug abuse. However, gambling is still a neglected area in workplace research. This study describes workplace gambling and investigates variables associated with at-risk and problem gambling (ARPG) and knowing about colleagues who gambles during work, using cross-sectional data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial on gambling prevention in the workplace (N=3,629). Methods: Measures included ARPG and knowledge about colleagues who gamble during work. Results: Of the respondents, 168 (4.7%) knew of someone who gambles at work. Knowing about a colleague who gambles during work was more common among employees who were men (odds ratio [OR] 2.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.07–4.29), aged 16–34 years (OR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.19–3.28), knew about a gambling policy (OR 1.57; 95% CI, 1.03–2.39), and who themselves were classified as ARPGs (OR 2.95; 95% CI, 1.60–5.35). Similarly, being classified as an ARPG was significantly associated with being a man (OR 2.14; 95% CI, 1.43–3.20), aged 16–34 (OR 2.35; 95% CI, 1.21–4.54) or 35–44 (OR 2.36; 95% CI, 1.30–4.27) years, being a subordinate (OR 2.53; 95% CI, 1.02–6.30), and knowing about a colleague who gambles during work (OR 4.02; 95% CI, 2.38–6.79). Conclusions: Gambling during work is a prevalent phenomenon. Organizations should consider implementing gambling policies that facilitate helping workers who are problem gamblers. To determine policy contents and measures to implement, the type of gambling and its effect on employees should be explored.

Objectives: While women are expected to support Japan’s labor force, they often quit their jobs because of pregnancy and childbirth. Occupational stress affects reproductive life events unique to women, including pregnancy intention and premature birth. This study aimed to examine occupational stress and its related factors among working women of reproductive age, especially from the perspective of pregnancy. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study involved a web survey of childless female workers aged 20–44 years, conducted in April–May 2019 in Japan. The survey items included the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, demographic characteristics, and work-related variables. Logistic regression analysis was performed with physical and psychological stress reactions as dependent variables and demographic characteristics and work situation as control variables. Results: Of the 904 employees, 450 were pregnant. Physical stress reactions indicated that being pregnant and stress risk related to job control, interpersonal conflict, suitable jobs were significantly associated. Further, psychological stress reactions including stress risk related to job overload, job control, interpersonal conflict, and suitable jobs were significantly associated, but being pregnant was not. Among pregnant women, being in the first trimester and maternity harassment were significantly associated with physical and psychological stress reactions. Conclusions: To ensure that women in their prime continue working through pregnancy and after childbirth, gender-friendly social systems and workplaces free of harassment are required, as well as workplace support systems appropriate for each stage of pregnancy.

Objectives: This study explored the perceptions of workers regarding mobile health (mHealth) services for physical activity and mental health. Methods: Single, online, one-on-one, 60-minute semi-structured interviews were conducted with workers living or working in Tokyo, Japan. The transcribed text corpus of the interviews was used as data to explore their perceptions. The top 200 nouns in the utterances were extracted and modeled using a bag of words (BoW) and embedded into a two-dimensional space. Results: The interviews extracted 476 utterances with 1,294 nouns from the 12 workers (7 males and 5 females). A total of 10 themes were estimated from the top 200 nouns. The participants mostly agreed that physical activity was effective in improving their mental health. They needed individualized, attractive, and easy mHealth services. Other estimated themes were: limited effects of non-leisure physical activity on mental health, lower priority on physical activity rather than sleep and rest, reluctance to share the data within the groups, and difficulties in wearing the devices to measure physical activity due to work rules. Conclusion: Workers’ perceptions of mHealth services were consistent with previous findings: the need for individualization, attraction, and ease of use. In the working population, mHealth services for physical activity and mental health should consider working conditions and focus on leisure-time physical activity. Social sharing might not be a mandatory technique because of the private topics and variety of associations between physical activity and mental health.

Objectives: This study examined the relationship of potential advisors — human resources or services that advise workers when they experience health issues that affect their work and work-related health — with psychological distress and analyzed which human resources have a greater impact on improving workers’ mental health. Methods: An Internet-based survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. The target population was workers between the ages of 20 and 69 years. Among a total of 5,111 participants, 4,540 were included in the present analysis. Participants were asked questions regarding potential advisors on work-related health issues. The Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was used to assess psychological distress. We used a generalized linear model with a binomial response for assessing the relationship between K6 scores and each potential advisor on work-related health issues. Results: Participants without potential advisors on work-related health issues were significantly more likely to score both K6 ≥5 (cutoff for mild psychological distress) and K6 ≥13 (cutoff for severe psychological distress) than the participants with potential advisors (all p<0.001). The participants for whom a supervisor was the potential advisor on work-related health issues were significantly less likely to score K6 ≥13 than their counterparts (p=0.005). Those for whom an occupational physician or family members was the potential advisor on work-related health issues were significantly less likely to score K6 ≥5 than their counterparts (p=0.011 and p=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Having potential advisors could be important for workers’ mental health improvement. Specifically, having supervisors, occupational physicians, or family members as potential advisors may be effective in reducing workers’ psychological distress.

Objective: To investigate whether implementing a radiation management safety checklist (RMSC) can improve personnel dosimetry among physicians’ dosimeter wearing rate for those performing fluoroscopy. Methods: Initially, we visually inspected whether the physicians were wearing personal dosimeters. Subsequently, during a “time-out” period recommended by the RMSC, the medical worker mutually confirmed whether the personal dosimeters were worn correctly. If errors in personnel dosimetry were noted, verbal recommendations to correct the error and follow double dosimetry were made. Lastly, the physicians’ dosimeter wearing rates before and during RMSC implementation were compared and analyzed. Results: Before the measurement period, the personal dosimeter wearing rate among all physicians who perform fluoroscopy at the study center (n=72) was 58.2%; during the measurement period, it reached 80.1% (χ²[2]=21.254, p<0.01, φ=−0.227), indicating that RMSC implementation improved the physician’s dosimeter wearing rate. However, 40.1% and 37.9% of the physicians were not registered radiation workers before and during the measurement period, respectively, and RMSC implementation did not significantly improve the registration rate during the study period (χ²[2]=0.349, p=0.554, φ=−0.023). Conclusions: The risk of radiation injury may have been overlooked among physicians involved in fluoroscopy and other routine clinical practices that cause radiation exposure. The investigated medical facilities registered physicians as radiation workers at the individual’s discretion. There is an urgent need to develop a radiation management system that mandates the use of personal dosimeters among all physicians at risk of radiation exposure.