BACKGROUND：Grip strength measurement is widely used as an indicator to reflect physical function. However, differences in physical function with and without the use of walking aids have not been clarified. Therefore, it is unclear whether grip strength is useful as an indicator of physical function in walking aids user. OBJECTIVE：The purpose of this study was to examine whether grip strength and physical function differ depending on whether or not a walking aid is used, and to determine whether the relationship between grip strength and physical function differs depending on the use of a walking aid. METHODS：One hundred and forty-nine elderly subjects were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: those using walking aids and those not using walking aids. Physical functions such as grip strength, knee extension muscle strength, single leg standing, and stride length were compared between the two groups. In addition, a correlation analysis between grip strength and eight physical functions was conducted. RESULTS：The group with walking aids performed significantly worse than the group without walking aids in physical functions except grip strength. There was no significant difference in grip strength. Significant correlations were found between grip strength and all physical functions in the group without walking aids, but not in the group with walking aids. CONCLUSION：Grip strength of walking aid users was not different from that of non-users, and there was no relationship between grip strength and other physical functions in walking aid users.

BACKGROUND：Sedentary behavior has been reported to be deleteriously associated with several health outcomes of pregnant women and their own baby. However, there are no studies examining pattern of sedentary behavior and its associated factors in pregnant women in Japan. OBJECTIVE：The present study aimed to describe actual sedentary behavior and identify its associated factors among pregnant women. METHODS：A self-reported questionnaire （e.g. basic attributes, exercise status, health status during pregnancy） was firstly conducted with 10 first child-birth women who were pregnant in the previous year. Next, for the first and second trimesters and two categories of third trimesters （<37 weeks and >=37 weeks pregnancy）, they were asked about the sedentary time status （including changes from the previous period） and the reasons for it with personal semi-structured interview. The Kawakita-Jiro （KJ） method was used for analysis. RESULTS：In pregnant women, sedentary behavior increased in the first trimester, decreased in the second trimester, and increased in the third trimester. Changes in physical functions due to pregnancy and its discomfort, anxiety about the continuation of pregnancy, excessive social support from their husband, family, and colleagues, low health literacy and inaccurate information acquisition related to pregnancy, and the maternity leave system were extracted as major associated factors of sedentary behavior throughout the perinatal period. CONCLUSION：Physical, mental, social, and environmental factors were alternatively associated with sedentary behavior. Some identified factors could be modified with the intervention.

BACKGROUND：In Japan, vegetable intake consistently falls below the recommended 350 g/d by Health Japan 21. A device, "VEGE CHECK," was developed to encourage better vegetable intake, which non-invasively estimates vegetable consumption through skin carotenoid measurements. This self-monitoring device is expected to improve vegetable intake. OBJECTIVE：This study identified cognitive biases related to voluntary device use. METHODS：We placed the device in two supermarkets, interviewing subjects on Sundays and Mondays about device awareness, usage, and reasons for use or non-use. To determine which stage of the behavioral model is affected by biases, we summarized identified biases based on the AIDA（Attention-Interest-Desire-Action）model. RESULTS：Among 554 subjects, 39.4% and 17.0% of the subjects noticed the device placed in and out of their line of sight, respectively. Half of those who noticed the device used it, especially when someone accompanied them. The main reasons for use were “interest in vegetable intake”（52.5%）and “interest in the device and measurement”（30.0%）. Reasons for non-use included competing priorities like shopping or childcare（26.3%）and avoiding lines when others used it（21.1%）. We identified the non-attentional blindness bias that inhibits use in the Attention stage, the conformity and altruism biases that promote use the ambiguity aversion, overconfidence, and optimism biases that inhibit use in the Interest stage, and the Status Quo bias that inhibits use in the Desire stage. CONCLUSION：We have identified cognitive biases that promote/inhibit voluntary use of the device. Subsequent field experiments are necessary to develop nudges that address these cognitive biases effectively.

BACKGROUND：Because exercising with others has diverse aspects, its influences on maintenance of exercise behavior would be diverse. OBJECTIVE：This study examined whether the influence of exercising with others on maintenance of exercise behavior and social support among old adults were different by its four aspects: exercise consistency, enjoyment of conversation, membership in exercise organization, and types of exercise partner. METHODS：A web-based two-wave survey with one-year interval was conducted with older adults registered with a survey company. Among the respondents, this study targeted 71 individuals who exercised with others at wave 1. Their data of exercise consistency（no, yes）, enjoyment of conversation（4-point Likert scale）, membership in exercise organization（no, yes）, and types of exercise partner（family, friends, both family and friends）at wave 1 and changes in social support and exercise time from wave 1 to wave 2 were analyzed. RESULTS：Multiple regression analyses showed that exercise consistency（social support（standardized coefficient［p-value］）, -0.12［0.328］; exercise time, 0.08［0.528］）, enjoyment of conversation（social support, -0.07［0.605］; exercise time, -0.11［0.418］）, membership in exercise organization（social support, 0.12［0.325］; exercise time, -0.11［0.372］）, and types of exercise partner（social support, 0.10 to 0.18［0.160 to 0.417］; exercise time, -0.07 to -0.03［0.615 to 0.830］）did not significantly predict changes in social support and exercise time. CONCLUSION：The influence of exercising with others on maintenance of exercise behavior and social support were not different by exercise consistency, enjoyment of conversation, membership in exercise organization, and types of exercise partner.

BACKGROUND：Exercise behavior can improve physical health, mental health, and academic performance among university students. However, according to the national statistics, considerable number of university students do not engage in exercise behavior. Although previous studies have investigated the associations of perceived barriers and facilitators with exercise intention and behavior among various populations, few studies have targeted on Japanese university students. OBJECTIVE：This study aimed to examine which factors of perceived barriers and facilitators were associated with exercise intention and behavior among Japanese university students. METHODS：This study was a cross-sectional study. An online survey asked participants about their level of exercise intention（single item with four-Likert scale）, exercise behavior（twice a week or more, less than twice a week）, and five perceived barriers（discomfort, lack of time, lack of social support, lack of motivation, poor physical environment）and five facilitators（physical benefit, psychological benefit, social benefit, weight management, self-improvement）to exercise. This study conducted a path analysis. RESULTS：Fifty-five people（31.40%）exercised twice a week or more. The path analysis showed that although all barriers and facilitators were not significantly associated with exercise behavior, exercise intention was significantly and positively associated with exercise behavior. Furthermore, while psychological benefit and lack of time were significantly and positively associated with exercise intention, lack of motivation and discomfort were significantly and negatively associated with exercise intention. CONCLUSION：These results suggest that individual-level factors, such as perceived psychological benefits, motivation, and discomfort, would be important for promoting exercise intention and behavior among university students.

BACKGROUND： Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes persistent postural, balance, and gait deficits and reduced quality of life despite optimal medical therapy. OBJECTIVE： We developed a health support program using tango therapy to improve the motor function and quality of life. METHODS： A total of seven patients with Parkinson’ s disease（five women and two men） were included. The tango therapy program was designed using a motor skills instructional strategy based on Gagné’s nine events of instructions. The program held one 90-minute intervention in one day. It consisted of three sessions of 30 minutes each, for a total of 90 minutes. RESULTS： In a pre-post, the results showed that in Timed Up and Go, post was faster. Also, in stride length, post was wider. The effect size in the overall Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire39 score was calculated to be large effect size（d = 0.80）. CONCLUSION： Tango therapy program in this study revealed an improvement in physical activity and quality of life. These indicate that tango therapy may be an effective health support program for patients with Parkinson’s disease.