To improve healthy behaviors and health communication practices, information media used for communicating healthy behaviors should be acceptable and usable. An acceptability and usability scale for assessing information media was developed and the effects of these variables on users' reading behavior, self-efficacy, and intentions to change health behaviors were investigated. Leaflets on changing health behaviors and the newly developed scale were distributed to residents of a community (n=846). Results of exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors: Acceptability and Usability, which supported the theoretical assumption of previous studies. Results of structural equation modeling indicated (1) acceptability affected reading behavior more than usability, (2) usability affected self-efficacy related to health behavior more than acceptability, and (3) only usability affected the intention to change health behavior. These findings suggest the necessity to consider both acceptability and usability when developing communication leaflets intended for changing health behaviors.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of coping by emotional expression on depression in women utilizing a prospective design. Japanese undergraduate students completed three self-report questionnaires: the situational version of the Emotional Coping Questionnaire to measure coping by emotional expression, the Social Support Scale for evaluating received support, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for assessing depression. Results showed that emotional expression directed at the self in situational coping had a significantly positive relationship with depression in highly depressive women, and that emotional expression directed at others had a significantly positive relationship with social support in less depressive women. However, no significant mediation effects of social support between emotional expression and depression were observed. The limitations of this study are discussed suggesting future research.

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Metacognitive Awareness (MCA) is a cognitive process in which negative thoughts and feelings are experienced from a decentered perspective. Previous studies have suggested that MCA is associated with less vulnerability to depression in clinical samples. However, there is little research on whether MCA maintains or improves mental health in non-clinical populations. Therefore, a three-wave, longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the effects of MCA on depressive symptoms in female college freshmen. The results indicated that participants with higher MCA, in comparison to those with lower MCA, had less stressors during four- and nine-month periods after entering a college, which in turn resulted in less depressive symptoms. These results suggest that MCA provides beneficial effects on the mental health of non-clinical populations, in addition to the beneficial effects on clinical populations.

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The daily uplifts scale for junior high school (DUS-J) was developed and its reliability and validity were investigated. In study 1, a pilot version of the DUS-J consisting of 66 items was developed. In Study 2, junior high school students (n=1,242) from the first to the third school year completed the 66-item draft scale, as well as scales assessing stress responses, self-esteem, and unwillingness to attend school. Exploratory factor analysis extracted six factors: Club activity, Support from friends, Peer relations, schoolwork, Relations with teachers, and Love. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 18-item, final version of DUS-J indicated a good fit (GFI=.95, AGFI=.93, CFI=.96, RMSEA=.05). Moreover, adequate internal consistency of each subscales was demonstrated (Cronbach's alpha=.89—.72). Most subscales of the DUS-J significantly and positively correlated with self-esteem, whereas they correlated significantly, but negatively with unwillingness to attend school, and the stress responses. These findings suggest that the DUS-J is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing daily uplifts in junior high school.

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The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare provides specific health checkups and specific health guidance that are intended to prevent, and to improve the metabolic syndrome. However, no assistance is provided to people with unhealthy lifestyles that do not have actual health problems. Therefore, a newsletter that included information based on the behavior change model, and content chosen on the basis of the change process theory, as well as the small change strategy were distributed to people attending specific health checkups (n=700). Among those that received the newsletter, data of people that responded to a pre-and a post-survey questionnaire (n=250), were analyzed. Results indicated that specific health checkups and the newsletter significantly increased health awareness in women. Furthermore, reading the newsletter and recognizing its usability were lower among men, compared to women. These results indicate the need for providing information tailored to the gender, for increasing health awareness levels, and for increasing the appeal of specific health checkups.

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