Background: Despite guideline recommendations to deliver cessation advice, implementation in Japan remains inconsistent. We examined tobacco use prevalence, receipt of healthcare providers’ advice, and its association with quit attempts.

Methods: We analyzed the 2024 wave of a nationwide web-based survey (N = 27,374; ages 16–74 years). Non-probability quota sampling and post-stratification weighting were used to approximate national population distributions. Current (past 30-day) tobacco use was assessed for heated tobacco products (HTPs), cigarettes, non-cigarette combustible tobacco, and dual use (HTPs plus combustible). Exposure was receipt of healthcare providers’ advice, and outcome was quit attempt in the past year. Associations were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression to obtain adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Overall, 24.2% reported current any tobacco product use: 12.9% HTPs, 17.8% cigarettes, 3.7% non-cigarette combustible, and 7.3% dual use. Among any tobacco users (N = 6,361), 13.2% received advice and 26.7% attempted to quit. Among any tobacco users currently receiving medical care (N = 2,779), 20.9% received advice, primarily from doctors (10.3%) and nurses (8.0%), and 29.9% attempted to quit. Compared with no advice, quit attempts were more likely when advice came from one professional (APR 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05–1.58) or multiple professionals (APR 1.61; 95% CI, 1.17–2.23). Exclusive HTP users were less likely than exclusive combustible tobacco smokers to attempt quitting (APR 0.57; 95% CI, 0.41–0.81).

Conclusion: Receipt of providers’ advice remains low in Japan yet is strongly associated with quit attempts, especially with multi-professional involvement. Policy, training, and system-level supports are needed to strengthen provider engagement.

Background: In Korea, grandparents often play a crucial role in childrearing. Therefore, this study investigated the association between family structure and obesity among Korean adolescents.

Methods: Data were analyzed from 3,328 adolescents (1,783 male adolescents and 1,545 female adolescents aged 10–18 years) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2018 to 2023. Overweight and obesity were defined as a body mass index ≥85^th and ≥95^th percentiles, respectively, based on the 2017 Korean Growth Charts. Family structure was categorized as follows: living with both parents; living with a single parent; living with grandparents and parents; or living with grandparents only. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for age and household income, number of siblings, region, parental education level, frequency of eating out, and regular breakfast intake.

Results: The prevalence of obesity was 15.0% (17.7% in male adolescents and 12.1% in female adolescents). Male adolescents living with grandparents and parents were more likely to be overweight (odds ratio [OR] 2.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46–3.81) or obese (OR 2.47; 95% CI, 1.46–4.19) than those living with both parents, whereas no significant associations with family structure were observed in female adolescents.

Conclusion: Korean male adolescents living with grandparents had higher odds of being overweight or obese. Accordingly, further research is warranted to explore how family structure influences adolescent obesity.

Background: The Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database is Japan’s most widely used administrative inpatient dataset supporting epidemiological and health services research. While its validity is established for various diagnoses and procedures, accuracy for intensive care unit (ICU) variables has not been directly evaluated using a clinical registry as the gold standard.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective validation study using four Japanese ICUs. Patient records from the national ICU registry, the Japanese Intensive care PAtient Database (JIPAD), were matched with corresponding DPC data, retaining only successfully matched patients to evaluate coding accuracy rather than case ascertainment. We assessed binary variables (demographics, comorbidities, diagnoses, interventions, ICU admission, mortality) and continuous variables (demographics, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] scores). We calculated sensitivity and specificity for binary variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for continuous variables.

Results: We included 14,070 ICU admissions. Most binary variables, including demographics, major diagnostic categories, ICU interventions, and mortality, had high sensitivity and specificity (≥80%). Comorbidity specificity exceeded 95%, but sensitivity was <30% for several diseases. Sensitivity was 83.3% for invasive mechanical ventilation but low for noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (5.5%) and high-flow nasal cannula (36.1%), although specificity was high across respiratory supports (97.3–99.9%). SOFA scores showed moderate agreement (ICC, 0.61). Sensitivity/specificity were 99.1%/100.0% for in-hospital mortality and 96.2%/99.9% for ICU mortality.

Conclusion: The DPC administrative inpatient database accurately captures most key ICU variables, but comorbidities, noninvasive respiratory support, and SOFA scores require caution. These findings support its use for ICU clinical and epidemiological research in Japan.

The Community Empowerment and Care for Well-being and Healthy Longevity (CEC) Study is an ongoing, multigenerational, population-based cohort designed to evaluate community-driven lifespan developmental care in a rapidly aging society. Conducted in Village T, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, whose demographic structure broadly resembles national patterns, the study includes residents from infancy to older adulthood. Since 2017, the CEC Study has maintained three age-specific sub-cohorts (0–19, 20–64, and ≥65 years), integrating questionnaire surveys, health examinations, home visits, and administrative records from medical, health, and long-term care systems. A total of 4,638 residents participated in the baseline survey, with 4,079 subjects responding. The study adopts a community empowerment approach, in which residents serve as co-designers and co-implementers of local health initiatives through workshops, monitoring activities, and public feedback sessions. Triennial follow-up surveys and continuous administrative data linkage enable long-term tracking of health trajectories and contextual influences across the life course. The dataset provides detailed information on physical and cognitive function, mental health, lifestyle, social participation, and environmental factors. Although generalizability may be greatest for regions with demographic and socioeconomic profiles similar to Village T, the CEC Study offers a valuable platform for evaluating real-world, community-led health strategies. Its integration of longitudinal data with empowerment-oriented practice provides insights relevant to evidence-based community health policy and global healthy aging initiatives.