Journal of Epidemiology
Online ISSN : 1349-9092
Print ISSN : 0917-5040
ISSN-L : 0917-5040
Volume 22, Issue 3
Displaying 1-13 of 13 articles from this issue
Review Article
  • Hiroshi Murayama, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Ichiro Kawachi
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 179-187
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: March 17, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: This article presents an overview of the concept of social capital, reviews prospective multilevel analytic studies of the association between social capital and health, and discusses intervention strategies that enhance social capital.
    Methods: We conducted a systematic search of published peer-reviewed literature on the PubMed database and categorized studies according to health outcome.
    Results: We identified 13 articles that satisfied the inclusion criteria for the review. In general, both individual social capital and area/workplace social capital had positive effects on health outcomes, regardless of study design, setting, follow-up period, or type of health outcome. Prospective studies that used a multilevel approach were mainly conducted in Western countries. Although we identified some cross-sectional multilevel studies that were conducted in Asian countries, including Japan, no prospective studies have been conducted in Asia.
    Conclusions: Prospective evidence from multilevel analytic studies of the effect of social capital on health is very limited at present. If epidemiologic findings on the association between social capital and health are to be put to practical use, we must gather additional evidence and explore the feasibility of interventions that build social capital as a means of promoting health.
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  • Akira Sekikawa, J. David Curb, Daniel Edmundowicz, Tomonori Okamura, J ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 188-198
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: April 07, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Both American and European guidelines recommend coronary artery calcification (CAC) as a tool for screening asymptomatic individuals at intermediate risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). These recommendations are based on epidemiologic studies mostly in the United States. We review (1) the use of CAC in primary prevention of CHD in the United States, (2) epidemiologic studies of CAC in asymptomatic adults outside of the United States, and (3) international epidemiologic studies of CAC. This review will not consider clinical studies of CAC among patients or symptomatic individuals. US studies have shown that CAC is a strong independent predictor of CHD in both sexes among middle-aged and old age groups, various ethnic groups, and individuals with and without diabetes and that CAC plays an important role in reclassifying individuals from intermediate to high risk. Studies in Europe support these conclusions. The Electron-Beam Tomography, Risk Factor Assessment Among Japanese and US Men in the Post-World-War-II birth cohort (ERA JUMP) Study is the first international study to compare subclinical atherosclerosis, including CAC among Japanese, Japanese Americans, Koreans, and whites. It showed that as compared with whites, Japanese had lower levels of atherosclerosis, whereas Japanese Americans had similar or higher levels. CAC is being increasingly used as a screening tool for asymptomatic individuals in Europe and the United States. CAC is a powerful research tool, because it enables us to describe differences in atherosclerotic burden across populations. Such research could identify factors responsible for differences among populations, which may improve CHD prevention.
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Original Article
  • Shuji Hashimoto, Miyuki Kawado, Hiroya Yamada, Rumi Seko, Yoshitaka Mu ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 199-204
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: Although disability-free life expectancy has been investigated in Japan, gains from elimination of diseases and injuries have not been examined.
    Methods: We used data from the 2007 Japanese national health statistics to calculate the number of years with and without activity limitation that could be expected from eliminating 6 selected diseases and injuries.
    Results: At birth, the number of expected years of life without and with activity limitation was 70.8 and 8.4, respectively, in males and 74.2 and 11.8 in females. More than 1.0 expected years without activity limitation were gained from eliminating malignant neoplasms and cerebrovascular diseases; smaller gains were observed after eliminating other diseases and injuries. Elimination of cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, and fracture decreased expected years with activities of daily living (ADL) limitation, and elimination of shoulder lesions/low back pain decreased expected years with non-ADL limitation.
    Conclusions: Elimination of diseases and injuries increased expected years with and without activity limitation among Japanese, which suggests that improved prevention of those diseases and injuries—including cerebrovascular diseases and dementia—would result in longer disability-free life expectancy and fewer years of severe disability.
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  • Akiko Nanri, Taichi Shimazu, Junko Ishihara, Ribeka Takachi, Tetsuya M ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 205-215
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: Analysis of dietary pattern is increasingly popular in nutritional epidemiology. However, few studies have examined the validity and reproducibility of dietary patterns. We assessed the reproducibility and validity of dietary patterns identified by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in the 5-year follow-up survey of the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study (JPHC Study).
    Methods: The participants were a subsample (244 men and 254 women) from the JPHC Study. Principal component analysis was used to identify dietary patterns from 28- or 14-day dietary records and 2 FFQs. To assess reproducibility and validity, we calculated Spearman correlation coefficients between dietary pattern scores derived from FFQs separated by a 1-year interval, and between dietary pattern scores derived from dietary records and those derived from a FFQ completed after the dietary records, respectively.
    Results: We identified 3 Japanese dietary patterns from the dietary records and 2 FFQs: prudent, westernized, and traditional. Regarding reproducibility, Spearman correlation coefficients between the 2 FFQs ranged from 0.55 for the westernized Japanese pattern in men and the prudent Japanese pattern in women to 0.77 for the traditional Japanese pattern in men. Regarding validity, the corresponding values between dietary records and the FFQ ranged from 0.32 for the westernized Japanese pattern in men to 0.63 for the traditional Japanese pattern in women.
    Conclusions: Acceptable reproducibility and validity was shown by the 3 dietary patterns identified by principal component analysis based on the FFQ used in the 5-year follow-up survey of the JPHC Study.
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  • Yosikazu Nakamura, Mayumi Yashiro, Ritei Uehara, Atsuko Sadakane, Sato ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 216-221
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: March 10, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: Although the number of patients and incidence rate of Kawasaki disease (KD) are increasing in Japan, the most recent epidemiologic features of KD are not known.
    Methods: The 21st nationwide survey of KD was conducted in 2011 and included patients treated for the disease in 2009 and 2010. Hospitals specializing in pediatrics, and hospitals with a total of 100 or more beds and a pediatric department, were asked to report all patients with KD during the 2 survey years.
    Results: A total of 1445 departments and hospitals reported 23 730 KD patients (10 975 in 2009 and 12 755 in 2010): 13 515 boys and 10 215 girls. The annual incidence rates were 206.2 and 239.6 per 100 000 children aged 0 to 4 years in 2009 and 2010, respectively; the 2010 rate was the highest ever reported in Japan. Monthly number of patients peaked during winter to spring months; lower peaks were noted during summer months. However, the seasonal patterns in 2009 and 2010 differed from those of previous years. The age-specific incidence rate had a monomodal distribution, with a peak during the latter half of the year of birth. The prevalences of cardiac lesions during acute KD and cardiac sequelae were higher among infants and older age groups. Despite a decrease in prevalence, the proportion of patients with giant coronary aneurysms—the most severe sequela of KD—did not substantially decrease.
    Conclusions: The incidence rate and number of patients with KD continue to increase in Japan.
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  • Daigo Yoshida, Toshiharu Ninomiya, Yasufumi Doi, Jun Hata, Masayo Fuku ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 222-229
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: There are limited data on the prevalence and causes of disability in the elderly general population in Japan.
    Methods: In a population-based cross-sectional study of 1550 Japanese aged 65 years or older, we examined the prevalence of functional disability (defined as a Barthel Index score of ≤95) and its causes.
    Results: A total of 311 of the participants had a disability (prevalence 20.1%). The prevalence of disability increased with age and doubled with every 5-year increment in age. Prevalence was higher in women than in men, especially among those aged 85 years or older. With respect to the cause of functional disability, dementia accounted for 23.5%, stroke for 24.7%, orthopedic disease for 12.9%, and other disease for 38.9% of cases in men; in women, the respective values were 35.8%, 9.3%, 31.0%, and 23.9%. Regarding age, dementia was the most frequent cause of disability in subjects aged 75 years or older, whereas stroke was most common in subjects aged 65 to 74 years. Approximately two-thirds of cases of total dependence were attributed to dementia in both sexes, whereas the main cause of slight or moderate/severe dependence was stroke in men and orthopedic disease in women. Among participants with total dependence, 94.8% resided in a hospital or health care facility.
    Conclusions: Our findings indicate that functional disability is common among Japanese elderly adults and that its major cause is stroke in men and dementia in women.
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  • Po-Wen Ku, Clare Stevinson, Li-Jung Chen
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 230-237
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: Few studies have explored the relations between naturally occurring changes in physical activity and cognitive performance in later life. This study examined prospective associations between changes in physical activity and cognitive performance in a population-based sample of Taiwanese older adults during an 11-year period.
    Methods: Analyses were based on nationally representative data from the Taiwan Health and Living Status of the Elderly Survey collected in 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2007. Data from a fixed cohort of 1160 participants who were aged 67 years or older in 1996 and followed for 11 years were included. Cognitive performance (outcome) was assessed using 5 questions from the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. Physical activity (exposure) was self-reported as number of sessions per week. The latent growth model was used to examine associations between changes in physical activity and cognitive performance after controlling for sociodemographic variables, lifestyle behaviors, and health status.
    Results: With multivariate adjustment, higher initial levels of physical activity were significantly associated with better initial cognitive performance (standardized coefficient β = 0.17). A higher level of physical activity at baseline (1996) was significantly related to slower decline in cognitive performance, as compared with a lower level of activity (β = 0.22). The association between changes in physical activity and changes in cognitive performance was stronger (β = 0.36) than the previous 2 associations. The effect remained after excluding participants with cognitive decline before baseline.
    Conclusions: Physical activity in later life is associated with slower age-related cognitive decline.
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  • Rumi Seko, Shuji Hashimoto, Miyuki Kawado, Yoshitaka Murakami, Masayuk ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 238-243
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 25, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: Using a previously developed method for calculating expected years of life with care needs based on data from the Japanese long-term care insurance system, we examined recent trends in expected years of life with care needs by age group and prefecture.
    Methods: Information on care needs was available from the long-term care insurance system of Japan. Expected years of life with care needs by age group and prefecture in 2005–2009 were calculated.
    Results: Expected years of life with care needs at age 65 increased from 1.43 years in 2005 to 1.62 years in 2009 for men, and from 2.99 to 3.44 years for women. As a proportion of total life expectancy, these values show an increase from 7.9% to 8.6% in men and from 12.9% to 14.4% in women. Expected years with care needs did not increase in the age groups of 65 to 69 and 70 to 74 years but markedly increased in the age group of 85 years or older. Expected years with care needs increased in every prefecture during the period studied. The difference in 2005 between the 25th and 75th percentiles in prefectural distributions was 0.16 years for men and 0.35 years for women. The difference remained nearly constant between 2005 and 2009.
    Conclusions: Expected number of years of life with care needs increased among Japanese from 2005 to 2009, and there was a wide range in distribution among prefectures. Further studies on coverage of care needs under the long-term insurance program are necessary.
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  • Jennifer Girschik, Jane Heyworth, Lin Fritschi
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 244-250
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: The longer-term health impacts of poor sleep quality are of increasing interest, as evidence suggests that there are rising levels of sleep disturbance in the community. Studies have reported links between sleep quality and increased morbidity and mortality. However, the results of these studies are constrained by limitations in the measurement of sleep quality in epidemiologic studies. The Breast Cancer Environment and Employment Study (BCEES) has developed a sleep questionnaire that attempts to address some of the limitations of previous sleep questionnaires. The present study assessed the test-retest reliability of the sleep questionnaire used in the Breast Cancer Environment and Employment Study (BCEES).
    Methods: Subjects for this reliability study were women who were participating as controls in the BCEES study. Test-retest reliability was evaluated for individual items, using weighted kappa for categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and limits of agreement for continuous variables.
    Results: Most sleep questions showed good agreement, ranging from 0.78 to 0.45. The ICC was 0.45 (95% CI 0.32–0.59) for lifetime sleep loss per year and 0.60 (95% CI 0.49–0.71) for symptom severity.
    Conclusions: The test-retest reliability of the general sleep questions was good, and future epidemiologic studies of sleep could reliably expand the number of assessed domains of sleep quality. However, reliability decreased as increasing detail was required from participants about specific periods of sleep disturbance, and changes to the questionnaire are warranted.
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  • Benjawan Tawatsupa, Lynette L-Y Lim, Tord Kjellstrom, Sam-ang Seubsman ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 251-260
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 18, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: We examined the relationship between self-reported occupational heat stress and incidence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed kidney disease in Thai workers.
    Methods: Data were derived from baseline (2005) and follow-up (2009) self-report questionnaires from a large national Thai Cohort Study (TCS). Analysis was restricted to full-time workers (n = 17 402 men and 20 414 women) without known kidney disease at baseline. We used logistic regression models to examine the association of incident kidney disease with heat stress at work, after adjustment for smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index, and a large number of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.
    Results: Exposure to heat stress was more common in men than in women (22% vs 15%). A significant association between heat stress and incident kidney disease was observed in men (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.01–2.16). The risk of kidney disease was higher among workers reporting workplace heat stress in both 2005 and 2009. Among men exposed to prolonged heat stress, the odds of developing kidney disease was 2.22 times that of men without such exposure (95% CI 1.48–3.35, P-trend <0.001). The incidence of kidney disease was even higher among men aged 35 years or older in a physical job: 2.2% exposed to prolonged heat stress developed kidney disease compared with 0.4% with no heat exposure (adjusted OR = 5.30, 95% CI 1.17–24.13).
    Conclusions: There is an association between self-reported occupational heat stress and self-reported doctor-diagnosed kidney disease in Thailand. The results indicate a need for occupational health interventions for heat stress among workers in tropical climates.
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  • Grujić Vera, Dragnić Nataša, Kvrgić Svetla ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 261-266
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 25, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: We evaluated the prevalence of high blood pressure and the level of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in a Serbian population.
    Methods: A cross-sectional study of an adult population was carried out across Serbia in 2006. The study involved 14 204 adults aged 20 years or older. Interviews and measurements of blood pressure were performed at participants’ homes.
    Results: Overall, 47% of the Serbian adult population had hypertension: 25.3% had stage 1 hypertension and 18.1% had stage 2 hypertension. Only 58.0% of the hypertensive population were aware that they had the disease, and 60.4% were receiving medical treatment. Among those receiving medical treatment, only 20.9% had a blood pressure within the normal range. One in 10 participants with hypertension were not treated because, among other reasons, they thought treatment was unnecessary (55.3%) or they lacked money for medication (19.3%).
    Conclusions: The prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated hypertension is high in the adult population of Serbia. Further action is required to hasten detection and treatment of high blood pressure. Attention should be directed toward educational programs that improve knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of hypertension among adults.
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Study Profile
  • Alexis J Hure, Clare E Collins, Warwick B Giles, Ian MR Wright, Roger ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 267-275
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 25, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: The developmental origins of health and disease is a conceptual framework that helps explain the links between our early life exposures and later health outcomes, and is a burgeoning field of research. In this report, we describe the study protocol used in a prospective cohort of women recruited during pregnancy, with postnatal follow-up of the mothers and offspring.
    Methods: The Women And Their Children’s Health (WATCH) cohort (n = 180 women) is being conducted at the John Hunter Hospital, Australia (from June 2006). Women attended study visits during pregnancy at 19, 24, 30, and 36 weeks’ gestation. Postnatal follow-up of the women and their offspring occurred at 3-month intervals during the first year after birth and annually thereafter, until age 4 years. Fetal ultrasound scans were performed at each pregnancy visit. Pregnancy and birth data were obtained from hospital records. Data collection has included maternal and child anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, physical activity, socioeconomic, medical, and other variables.
    Conclusions: The 2 most novel components of our prospective cohort study are (1) the regular and systematic tracking of fetal and child growth and body composition, starting in the second trimester of pregnancy and continuing to age 4 years, and (2) the detailed maternal and child dietary data collection, including biochemical parameters. Detailed cohorts that collect data on the early nutritional, physiological, and social determinants of health are valuable. Despite its relatively small sample size, many hypotheses on developmental origins can be tested or piloted using data collected from the WATCH cohort.
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  • Satoshi Kaneko, James K’opiyo, Ibrahim Kiche, Sheru Wanyua, Kens ...
    2012 Volume 22 Issue 3 Pages 276-285
    Published: May 05, 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: April 29, 2012
    Advance online publication: February 25, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Background: The Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) is a longitudinal data collection process that systematically and continuously monitors population dynamics for a specified population in a geographically defined area that lacks an effective system for registering demographic information and vital events.
    Methods: HDSS programs have been run in 2 regions in Kenya: in Mbita district in Nyanza province and Kwale district in Coast Province. The 2 areas have different disease burdens and cultures. Vital events were obtained by using personal digital assistants and global positioning system devices. Additional health-related surveys have been conducted bimonthly using various PDA-assisted survey software.
    Results: The Mbita HDSS covers 55 929 individuals, and the Kwale HDSS covers 42 585 individuals. In the Mbita HDSS, the life expectancy was 61.0 years for females and 57.5 years for males. Under-5 mortality was 91.5 per 1000 live births, and infant mortality was 47.0 per 1000 live births. The total fertility rate was 3.7 per woman. Data from the Kwale HDSS were not available because it has been running for less than 1 year at the time of this report.
    Conclusions: Our HDSS programs are based on a computer-assisted survey system that provides a rapid and flexible data collection platform in areas that lack an effective basic resident registration system. Although the HDSS areas are not representative of the entire country, they provide a base for several epidemiologic and social study programs, and for practical community support programs that seek to improve the health of the people in these areas.
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