Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi(JAPANESE JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH)
Online ISSN : 2187-8986
Print ISSN : 0546-1766
ISSN-L : 0546-1766
Volume 62, Issue 5
Displaying 1-4 of 4 articles from this issue
Review article
  • Yasuyuki KAWANISHI, Sharon J. B. HANLEY, Kazuki TABATA, Yoshihiko NAKA ...
    2015 Volume 62 Issue 5 Pages 221-231
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 25, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Objectives While several studies on the preventive and therapeutic effects of prenatal yoga (maternity yoga) have been reported in recent years, there has been no systematic review on the effects of prenatal yoga based on randomized controlled trials (RCT). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to systematically review the literature to clarify the effects of prenatal yoga in RCT focusing on the contents of the intervention, the intervention means, and the frequency of practice.
    Methods The literature search was performed using the electronic database, PubMed. The inclusion criteria were RCT, pregnant women, and yoga intervention.
    Results In total, 54 citations were found; of these, eight studies (10 reports) were included in the final analysis. In four studies on healthy pregnant women, significant improvement in pain and pleasure at delivery, duration of delivery, perceived stress levels during pregnancy, anxiety levels, depression, pregnancy-related experiences, quality of life, and interpersonal relationships were compared to those in the control group. In two studies on depressed pregnant women, one reported that depression, anxiety levels, anger levels, leg pain, and back pain significantly improved with yoga, while the other found no differences from the control group. In one study of high-risk pregnant women with morbidity factors such as obesity or advanced age, yoga resulted in significantly fewer cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, and intrauterine growth restriction, as well as a decrease in perceived stress levels. In one study on pregnant women with pelvic pain, the median pain score was lower in the yoga group. Regarding the contents of the intervention, while the two studies for depressed pregnant women only included physical postures, the remaining six studies also included breathing technique and meditation. Interventions were performed using lectures by instructors alone or together with self-teaching. The frequency of the intervention varied within each study.
    Conclusion The findings suggest that prenatal yoga may help reduce pelvic pain. It may also improve mental condition (stress, depression, anxiety, etc.), physical condition (pain and pleasure at the delivery, etc.), and perinatal outcomes (obstetrical complications, delivery time, etc.). However, further studies are needed. The contents of the intervention, the intervention means, and the frequency varied with each study. Thus, it is necessary to further examine the content of effective interventions, intervention means, and frequency that suit participant's characteristics and each outcome. Further research in this field, particularly randomized controlled trials, is merited.
    Download PDF (448K)
Short communication
  • Taisuke TOGARI, Yoshihiko YAMAZAKI, Kazuhiro NAKAYAMA, Yukari YOKOYAMA ...
    2015 Volume 62 Issue 5 Pages 232-237
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 25, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Objectives The amount of research relating to evaluation of intervention programs with regard to sense of coherence, a concept of salutogenic stressor coping capacity, is increasing in Japan. However, a nationally representative score of the Japanese version of the sense of coherence scale has not yet been reported. The aim of this study was to describe the 13-item, 7-point Japanese sense of coherence scale (SOC-13), with scoring by sex and age group, and to examine the relationships between the score and locality and city size.
    Methods Four thousand Japanese men and women were selected by stratified random sampling, and a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted using the placement method. Responses were obtained from 2,067 individuals (response rate: 51.7%). This study analyzed 956 men and 1,107 women (mean age [standard deviation]: 50.0 [14.3]).
    Results The mean score on the SOC-13 was 59.0 (12.2) in all participants, 59.1 (11.8) in men, and 58.9 (12.5) in women. No significant difference was found between men and women (P=0.784). ANOVA and multiple comparison for age difference showed a clear relationship (P<0.05) between higher age and a higher SOC-13 score. Moreover, the results of main and interaction effects in ANCOVA, with independent variables for locality (11 segments) and city size (four segments), were not significant when controlled for age.
    Conclusion A nationally representative score for the Japanese SOC-13 was acquired. In future research, application of the SOC-13 in Japan for clinical studies is anticipated based on the nationally representative score.
    Download PDF (339K)
Public health report
  • Naomi SEKI, Yuko IWASHITA, Ryoko MOTO, Nobuyuki KAMIYA, Masayuki KURIT ...
    2015 Volume 62 Issue 5 Pages 238-250
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 25, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Objectives An outbreak of autochthonous dengue fever was reported in August 2014, with cases suspected mainly from Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. This is the first epidemic of dengue fever in Japan since 1945.
    Methods From August to October 2014, the following measures were taken to control the outbreak: 1) risk communication and information sharing; 2) active case finding; 3) vector surveillance in affected sites; and 4) laboratory testing.
     We also reviewed the surveillance data as reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Diseases during the 44 epidemiological weeks.
    Results An official dengue fever call center was set up temporarily for the general public and 3,005 calls were received. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued 39 press releases regarding patients and nine related to dengue virus (DENV) detection and vector control activities for the media.
     Confirmed autochthonous dengue fever cases were reported between the 35th and 44th epidemiological weeks. Out of 160 cases of outbreak, 108 (67.5%) confirmed cases were reported in Tokyo. The estimated illness onset dates were between August 9 and October 7, and estimated dates of infections were between August 3 and October 3, 2014. The data suggest that the infective mosquitoes had already been present in Yoyogi Park at the end of July 2014.
     During the weekly vector surveillance at Yoyogi Park, a total of 1,152 adult mosquitoes, of which 856 (73.3%) were Aedes mosquitoes, were collected over 11 weeks by a light trap with dry ice. DENV was detected from adult Aedes mosquito samples collected on the 2nd, 9th, and 16th of September, 2014.
     Serum samples from 240 suspected cases were examined at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health, and 78 were positive for the DENV NS1 antigen, DENV-specific IgM antibody, or DENV nucleic acid with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (NS1: 66 cases; IgM: 50 cases; PCR: 57 cases).
     Genetic analysis of DENV-positive serum and mosquito samples found all to be categorized as DENV-serotype 1 (gene type I). Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope protein genome sequence from patients and mosquitoes in Tokyo revealed more than 99% similarity with each other and with the strain from the first outbreak-associated patient in Saitama.
    Conclusion Measures important for control of infectious disease epidemic were learned during this recent indigenous dengue outbreak in Tokyo. It also highlighted the importance of preparedness for epidemics of indigenous or imported infectious diseases, especially in light of the fact that Tokyo is in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.
    Download PDF (3540K)
Information
  • Ryota SAKURAI, Hisashi KAWAI, Taro FUKAYA, Hideyo YOSHIDA, Hunkyung KI ...
    2015 Volume 62 Issue 5 Pages 251-258
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: June 25, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Objectives This study investigated 1) the incidence of bicycle-related accidents and subsequent injuries and 2) the number of injuries (accidents) reported to the police (i.e., examining the number of potential accidents) among community-dwelling Japanese older adults, after examining the percentage of those who were regular cyclists.
    Methods Based on local resident registration, we mailed questionnaires to 7083 community-dwelling older adults. The questionnaire included questions about the incidence of bicycle-related accidents and subsequent injury within a year, the degree of injury and presence or absence of reporting that injury (bicycle-related accident) to the police. For the bicycle-related accident, we asked regarding both riding and pedestrian accidents (i.e., accidents caused by a bicycle when walking).
    Results Excluding the blank responses (n=3539, 50.0%), the targets for analysis were 3098 older adults in riding accidents and 2861 older adults in pedestrian accidents. The results showed that 63.0% of older adults (n=1953) routinely rode a bicycle. Among them, 9.4% (n=184) experienced riding accidents, and 3.4% (n=98) experienced pedestrian accidents caused by a bicycle. For the riding accidents, 76.1% (n=140) had some injuries, and for the pedestrian accidents, 55.1% (n=54) had some injuries. Furthermore, in 70.2% (n=59) and 76.9% (n=20) of riding and pedestrian accidents, respectively, those who went to the hospital for treatment of their injury (i.e., injury requiring treatment) did not report the accident to the police.
    Conclusion The present study revealed that there are many potential bicycle-related accidents in older adults. This suggests that there may be a large gap in the national survey data between reported bicycle-related accidents and the actual number of incidents in older adults.
    Download PDF (351K)
feedback
Top