Purpose To study associations of the type A behavior pattern with the results of physical and blood examinations and data from a questionnaire on lifestyle for elementary school and junior high school students.
Methods 277 elementary school students of 4th grade (9-10y) and 297 junior high school students of 1st grade (12-13y) in a community in Saitama who completed a test for the type A behavior pattern developed by Yamasaki, underwent physical and blood examinations for parameters like serum cholesterol, blood pressure, height and weight and were administered a questionnaire concerning lifestyle.
Results Points of the test for a type A behavior pattern were higher in 9-10y than in 12-13y individuals (both sexes or boys). Factor analysis applying 17 items of the test for type A behavior as variables demonstrated two common factors; “competitiveness” and “impatience-aggression”. Mean impatience-aggression scores for individuals were significantly higher in 9-10y than in 12-13y children; however, the competitiveness score showed no significant difference between the two groups. Higher competitiveness scores were shown by children who prefer sports or play sports after school, also in 9-10y children not warned against excess eating or not eating slowly by their parents. Higher impatience-aggression scores were shown by children not preferring sports, not playing sports after school, eating while watching TV or reading books, and also in 9-10y children eating until full, and in 12-13y children not chewing foods well or who were warned of excess eating by parents. 12-13y students having a higher atherosclerosis index showed low competitiveness and high impatience-aggression scores.
Conclusion By analyzing two factors included in the type A behavior pattern in school children, we found associations with lifestyle and the atherosclerosis index. The results provide a basis for further follow-up studies on the relationship between type A behavior pattern and prevention of future cardiovascular disease.

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Objective To clarify the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure variation and symptoms of depression and sleep disturbance in community-dwelling elderly persons with independent activities of daily living.
Methods The subjects were 41 volunteers in a health education class for the elderly in a rural community. We carried out: (1) an interview about symptoms of depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), competence of daily living, subjective daily sleep complaints and past history of disease,; (2) ambulatory blood pressure measurements over 24 hours with a portable device,; (3) sleep-awake judgment by wrist actigrams,; and (4) instructions for self-records of his/her life activities.
Results (1) The average value for 24 hour-mean diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in subjects undergoing hypertension treatment.
(2) No significant relationship was observed between subjective sleep disturbance and ambulatory blood pressure variation.
(3) No significant relationship was observed between objective sleep disturbance assessed by wrist-actigraphy and ambulatory blood pressure variation.
(4) Severe depression was related to a lower degree of night decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects undergoing hypertension treatment, while it was associated with higher average values for 24 hour- and awaking-mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects not receiving such treatment.
Conclusions In community-dwelling elderly persons with independent activities of daily living, severer depression was associated with the higher mean blood pressure in subjects not taking medicine for hypertension and with a low degree of night decrease in diastolic blood pressure in those receiving hypertension treatment, while no significant relationship was observed between sleep disturbance and ambulatory blood pressure variation.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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 An indoor air quality research project was conducted in a new private house built in January 1997 to investigate time course changes in formaldehyde concentrations during an 11-month period from April 1997 to February 1998. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen dioxide were also measured in August 1997 and February 1998.
 Indoor formaldehyde concentrations were measured 14 times (48 hrs sampling for each measurement) for 28 days in the living room, a bedroom and the kitchen in April '97. The concentrations exceeded the Japanese Government's guideline value of 0.08 ppm in 34 of the 42 (81.0%). Day to day variation in the formaldehyde concentration was found to be substantial, the range being between 0.073 and 0.232 ppm for the bedroom, for example. In June and August '97, values for 20 of 21 measurements exceeded the guideline, the results suggesting that indoor formaldehyde concentrations remain high until 7 months after the completion of construction. There were positive correlations between the formaldehyde concentrations in the living room and the kitchen and personal exposure levels to formaldehyde, the result indicating a direct influence of the home environment. The formaldehyde concentration in the living room also exhibited a positive correlation with the room temperature. Natural ventilation by opening windows was found to be effective for decreasing the concentration of formaldehyde in the indoor air. Indoor VOC concentrations decreased rapidly after the completion of construction except for that of toluene, which was higher than the outdoor concentration even after 7 months. Indoor concentrations of all of the VOCs were, however, found to be almost the same as those outdoor at the 13 month time point. Indoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations measured in the bedroom in winter (February '98) exceeded the Environmental Air Quality Standard in Japan, this result being considered due to use of an oil fan heater.
 These data suggest that personal exposure levels to formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide are high in newly constructed private homes in Japan. In order to avoid prolonged exposure to high concentrations of indoor air pollutants, it is considered very important to take measures such as of use building materials with low formaldehyde emissions and to discontinue the use of oil fan heaters.

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[in Japanese]

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Purpose The purpose of this survey was to study childcare problems in the families with twins as compared with singletons.
Methods The subjects were 234 mothers of twins and 200 mothers of singletons, all born after 1994.
Results 1. Mothers of twins showed significantly higher anxiety during pregnancy compared with those having singletons. There was no significant difference in prevalence of anxiety for infant health between the two groups, but the mothers of twins showed significant higher rate for childcare after delivery, economy, or childcare of other brothers and sisters.
2. Mothers who felt shortage of time for childcare were more frequent in the twin group than in the singleton group.
3. Mothers of twins showed significant more severe fatigue (physical and mental) as compared with those having singletons. They also reported significantly poorer sleeping conditions. In particular, the average sleeping time for mothers of twins was 6.54 hours a day, while for those of singletons, it was 7.32 hours.
4. Mothers of twins who did not receive assistance from fathers for childcare reported more severe physical and mental fatigue than those of twins who were given such help.
Conclusion This study indicated a tendency for mothers of twins to show more severe fatigue, poorer sleeping condition and a greater shortage of time for childcare as compared with those having singletons.

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Objective The objetive of the paper are to introduce the current global tobacco control measures undertaken by WHO and other international organizations, and to describe the impact on domestic tobacco control in Japan.
Methods Publications and documents, mainly for WHO, were reviewed especially with reference to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Results WHO has been promotion comprehensive tobacco cotrol globally as well as regionally in order to assist and promote its national health policy. In 1998, WHO established the Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) to take action against the growing health impact of tobacco consumption around the world. WHO has also been proposing the FCTC, the first international convention in the health field, which includes, for example, restrictions on advertisement, selling to, or buying from persons aged under 18. Currently, the FCTC is beint negotiated by governments and is expected to be ratified before May 2003. WHO is also working together with other international organizations, such as the World Bank, in synchronizing its global tobacco control policy.
Discussion and Conclusions “Smoking and health” is, without doubt, the most significant public health problem internationally and domestically. However, tobacco control tends to be less strict in Japan than in other developed countries. Even among health personnel in Japan, the health impact is still underestimated, thus its cintrol remains partial. Accelerated public health compaigns against tobacco and health promotion activities are greatly needed. These could be carried out more effectively in the broad context of promotion of the FCTC.

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