Mortality from colorectal cancer has markedly increased in Japan over the past decades. Much attention has been drawn to a hypothesis that low-fiber and high-fat diet may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. However, this hypothesis has not necessarily been supported by recent epidemiological studies. Available evidence indicates that vegetable consumption convincingly confers protection against colorectal cancer and that red meat probably increases the risk. Epidemiological findings indicate that physical activity is undoubtedly protective against colon cancer. Colorectal adenoma itself is a benign neoplasm, but is a well-known precursor lesion of colorectal carcinoma. Studies of colorectal adenoma have an advantage in that the exposure in the recent, rather than distant, past is relevant to the risk of adenoma. We have investigated lifestyle factors associated with sigmoid colon adenoma in the Self Defense Forces Study, which is based on a health examination program. Physical inactivity and central obesity were related to an evident increase in adenoma risk. Smoking was also shown to be strongly associated with increased risk of adenoma while a modest increase in adenoma risk was observed in relation to alcohol drinking. The author recommends that epidemiological studies be developed in the health examination programs in communities and working places to advance behavioral health science.

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Morbid obesity is a life-threatening disorder associated with many comorbid conditions and an impaired quality of life. The general goals of weight loss and management are 1) to prevent further weight gain, 2) to reduce body weight, and 3) to maintain a lower body weight. Conservative treatment has demonstrated limited success and poor maintenance. Behavior therapy is useful when incorporated into low-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight loss and weight maintenance.

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In diabetes mellitus, which is a common lifestyle-related disease, environmental factors such as overeating, obesity, lack of exercise and stress, are closely related to development of the disease, as are genetic factors. Thus, medical treatment for diabetes places a great deal of more emphasis on diet therapy and exercise therapy. However, it is difficult to get patients to adhere to treatment due to the fact that they have few symptoms at the early stages of the disease. Therefore, psychosocial and behavioral interventions are considered essential parts of the process of providing the motivation needed to change a patient's behavior in order to improve their habits and subsequently to maintain these behavioral changes. Intervention involves a complicated regimen of treatment and progression of the diabetic complications. It is important to first understand the psychological aspects and the social factors associated with an individual's background so that these approaches may function smoothly in a clinical setting. Questionnaires are used to assess anxiety, depression and alexithimia, as well as hypoglycemic fear, which is peculiar to diabetes. Furthermore, in stress related diabetes, life satisfaction, social support, self-esteem, behavior stress coping, and eating behavior were all studied. The authors were involved in a liaison-consultation system, in which the physician, psychiatrist, and psychologist all played a key role in making this system work effectively in a clinical setting. Patients who had been judged to require counseling by an internist or from the results of a questionnaire focusing on psychosocial issues, were assessed to determine if they had a psychiatric disorder and thus to require medication and continuous counseling. The counseling was held in a consultation room established next to the physician's office. Compliance with psychological intervention was excellent, and a tendency for an improvement in glycemic control was seen during the liaison session. Psychological and behavioral intervention in the treatment of patients with diabetes is thought to be effective for increasing adherence to treatment and thus in achieving good glycemic control. The relationship between patients and families and also between patients and the medical personnel was believed to be important.

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Stress is a major problem in present day life. It has been argued over recent years that stress plays a role in the development of illness. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which stress responses may affect physical and psychosomatic illness are poorly understood. This paper discussed how important stress is, in comparison with other factors that are known to affect illness. How does stress lead to ill-health outcomes? What are the processes linking the experience of stress with physical changes in the body and pathological responses? The present article is to examine the role of biopsychosocial factors in the development of physical and psychosomatic illness according to the stress-coping vulnerability models. The main conclusion to be drawn is that the involvement of two major processes of psychophysiological and cognitive-behavioral pathways mediating ill-health outcomes. Future research must establish these connections more precisely.

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The purpose of this study is to measure the anger of each scene and to analyze the relationship between anger and health. Subjects were 191 undergraduates (61 men and 130 women).
First, 50 items of “Anger Scale for Undergraduates” were collected by the free description survey about the anger scene. In this survey, “Anger Scale for Undergraduates” and “CMI Medical Index” were implemented during the schooltime. The result of factor analysis about 35 items which weren't deleted by the item analysis, “Anger Scale for Underegraduates” was composed of 5 factors (the relationship with friend, the dissatisfaction at the self, the dissatisfaction at the others, the school life, the relationship with parents). In this way, “Anger Scale for Undergraduates (35 items)” was constructed to measure the anger of each scene.
Next, the coefficient of correlation with anger score and CMI score was calculated to analyze relation between anger and health. As the result, it found that the anger score was related especially closely to the mental subjective symptoms (the anger, the anxiety, the inadequacy). Moreover, as the result of ANOVA, a person with the stronger neurosis tendency had, the higher anger score was.
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Psychometrical reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Grossarth-Maticek Short Interpersonal Reactions Inventory (J-SIRI) were examined in 601 Japanese men and women, mostly aged 40 to 69 years, who visited a clinic for a health checkup. Six subscales (Types 1 to 6) based on the Grossarth-Maticek personality typology had alpha-coefficients > 0.6 except for Types 3 and 6, and testretest reliability > 0.6 except for type 6. A correlation analysis with Eysenck's extraversion, neuroticism, and lie scales showed a similar pattern as reported elsewhere. A factor analysis on all the J-SIRI items identified nine factors, and subscales based on these factors were constructed: ‘lack of control’, ‘repression of emotion’, ‘ambivalence’, ‘having annoyance’, ‘rational coping’, ‘antisocial tendency’, ‘autonomy’, ‘egoism’, and ‘impatience’. Correlation between the J-SIRI-typological- and factor-based-subscales generally agreed with the Grossarth-Maticek theory. Interestingly, lack of control strongly and positively correlated with both Types 1 and 2, and negatively with Type 4, suggesting that the construct may represent a common ‘toxic’ component of proneness to different diseases. Type allocation by the J-SIRI showed a markedly low rate of Type 2 personality among the Japanese sample. The J-SIRI could well be applicable to further epidemiologic or clinical studies.

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The present study was to investigate the stages of smoking acquisition and behavioral factors in junior high school students, and the relationship between self-efficacy, social skills and smoking motivations. The survey about stages of smoking acquisition and behavioral factors were conducted with 350 (197 boys and 153 girls) first, second, third grade of junior high school students. The results showed that: 1) It is reasonable to suppose that there are four stages of smoking acquisition; that is, pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action stage. 2) Self-efficacy and social skills decreased from the pre-contemplation to the action stage. 3) Smoking stages had influence on smoking motivation. These results suggest that appropriate intervention and smoking programs for each stage would be necessary to prevent smoking behavior. The health promotion activities like health education and primary prevention are important issues for the future research in junior high school students.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder producing gastrointestinal symptoms and there are many subjects who had bowel symptoms not consulting hospitals in general population.
The aims of this study were to investigate psychological character, behavior style, quality of life (QOL) of the subject who had irritable bowel syndrome like symptoms not consulting hospitals.
The questionnaires involving abdominal symptoms within the Rome criteria for IBS, stress coping style, social support, behavior style, psychological symptoms, physical symptoms, egogram, QOL and self-esteem were administered to 179 healthy undergraduate students (male 61, female 118).
Students with irritable bowel syndrome meeting the Rome criteria for IBS (IBS non patient group) were 9 (5%), students with bowel symptoms not meeting the criteria (unspecified group) were 63 (35%), and controls without bowel dysfunction (control) were 107 (60%).
IBS non patient group had more active stress coping, aggressive behavior style, psychological symptoms and physical symptoms than controls without bowel dysfunction. Also they had lower QOL score and social support.
These facts will be useful for the treatment of IBS patient on behavior styles, stress coping, recognition.

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