Objectives　This study aimed to identify social factors that contribute to harmful alcohol use, defined as consuming more than 20 g of ethanol per day and raising the risk of lifestyle-related diseases, among women living on an isolated island, which has a culture that tolerates heavy drinking.

Methods　The participants were residents of Yoron Island, Kagoshima prefecture, aged 20-64 years (393 women and 419 men). A survey that included general questions about health was conducted as part of the Health Yoron 21 (second term) survey in July 2016. The outcome was presence or absence of harmful alcohol use, and the predictors were social factors. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between harmful alcohol use and social factors. Age, presence or absence of child, and the length of time living on the island were also entered into the model as control variables.

Results　Analysis of data from 309 women showed that 46 women (14.8%) engaged in harmful alcohol use, and five significant factors were identified: restaurant and tourist industry workers (OR 6.73, 95%CI 1.13-39.98); smoking (OR 4.47, 95%CI 1.36-14.63); participation in recreational activities (OR 4.47, 95%CI 1.93-10.39); depressed within the past 2 weeks (OR 2.47, 95%CI 1.08-5.68); and drinking at home (OR 16.52, 95%CI 6.77-40.29).

Conclusion　This study identified negative aspects of social interactions in women engaged in harmful alcohol use. Additionally, depression within the previous 2 weeks was associated with harmful alcohol use. Given the island culture, drinking is expected to contribute to forming and maintaining better human relationships. However, drinking should be moderated in the interest of health. The results of this study will be used for Health Yoron 21 (second term).

Objectives　Although more than half of women who smoke attempt to stop smoking after conception, many relapse after delivery. We conducted a population-based longitudinal study to identify the predictors of postpartum smoking relapse.

Methods　Participants were expectant mothers living in Nagoya city, Japan, who notified Health Centers of their pregnancy from April 2014 to March 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the expectant mothers that includes individual factors in the pregnancy: expectant mother's smoking status, age, marital status, experience of parturition, (mother's and father's) occupations, infertility treatment reception, feelings when pregnancy was confirmed, plans to return to parents’ house for delivery, accessibility to help with childcare, household member(s) smoking in the same room, alcohol consumption, and depressive symptoms continuing more than 2 weeks.

　We followed their smoking status at their children's “3-month-old health check-up” (3 months) and “1-year-and-6-months-old health check-up” (18 months) held in Health Centers until March 2017.

　The data were analyzed using a combination of Chi-square or Fisher's exact test and logistic regression modeling. The analyses were conducted separately in primiparas and multiparas in addition to all expectant mothers.

Results　Participants were 24,413 mothers; 18,041 were followed up at 3 months and 14,163 at 18 months.

　Of the 18,041 mothers at 3 months, 1,031 primiparas and 695 multiparas stopped smoking when they confirmed pregnancy; 89 (8.6%) primiparas and 107 (15.4%) multiparas relapsed at 3 months. Of the 14,163 mothers at 18 months, 789 primiparas and 568 multiparas stopped smoking when they confirmed pregnancy; 155 (19.6%) primiparas and 174 (30.6%) multiparas relapsed smoking at 18 months.

　As a result of logistic regression modeling, “multiparas,” “younger (<25 years old),” “not married (only in multiparas),” “no plan to return to mother's parent's house for delivery,” “household member(s) smoking in the same room (only in primiparas),” and “depressive symptoms (only in all mothers and primiparas)” were the predictors of postpartum smoking relapse at 3 months. “Multiparas,” “not married (only in all mothers),” “no help with childcare (only in all mothers),” and “household member(s) smoking in the same room” were the predictors of postpartum smoking relapse at 18 months.

Conclusion　More mothers relapsed with smoking after 3 months than before 3 months. The predictors of postpartum smoking relapse differed between 3 and 18 months. Support to continue smoking cessation was needed for each mother at an appropriate time not only in pregnancy but also after delivery.

Objectives　The present study investigated subjective happiness in Japanese adults and offers basic knowledge for future studies. In addition, how subjective happiness varies in relation to certain demographic variables, such as gender and age, as well as factors that influence this variability, are examined.

Methods　A total of 2,000 Japanese people (1,000 females and 1,000 males) over the age of 20 completed an anonymous self-report internet survey. There were approximately the same number of participants in each of six age groups ranging from the 20s to 70s. How Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) scores were related to various demographic variables, including gender and age, as well as happiness, life satisfaction, and stress response, were analyzed.

Results　The validity of the SHS was supported by positive correlations with happiness and life satisfaction scores and negative correlation with stress response scores. The results also showed that females had higher SHS scores than males, and this gender difference was distinctive, especially among young adults. In addition, there was a U-shaped change in SHS score by age. That is, subjective happiness dropped with age, but started increasing again after the 50s. The same findings were reconfirmed by an additional survey one year later. Moreover, those with a spouse showed higher SHS scores than unmarried participants. Lastly, SHS scores were low among those whose highest education was junior high school and those who lived alone, although the limitations of sampling bias should be considered.

Conclusion　The SHS is an internationally accepted measure of subjective happiness consisting of only four items and can easily be used in public health research and practice. The current study offers basic information regarding SHS scores as well as subjective happiness in Japanese adults of different age groups and genders. The findings of the present study clearly indicate higher levels of subjective happiness among older age groups than younger ones, those with a spouse than those without a spouse, and females than males. As many studies conducted in other cultures have shown no such gender difference, further cross-cultural comparison studies are needed to clarify this discrepancy. The SHS as an indicator of personal well-being can be strongly expected to show extended utility in the future.