With regard to public health, it is essential to assess physical activity and to reduce physical inactivity. Physical activity questionnaires (PAQs) are a common method of assessing physical activity. If PAQs can be used to obtain information about 24-hour behaviors and metabolic equivalents (METs), then total energy expenditure (TEE) can be estimated. TEE is an important measure to test dose-response relationships with health outcomes. If TEE can be calculated from various PAQs, comparability among cohort studies is improved. The purpose of the present study is to collect PAQs used in major Japanese cohort studies, and to show the scoring protocol for TEE estimation through the PAQs. With cooperation from principal investigators of each cohort study, 21 PAQs were collected. Of these, 7 PAQs were detailed enough to calculate TEE, and the scoring protocols for TEE estimation were shown. It remains a matter of debate as to how to assign METs to some questionnaire items, as consistency among PAQs needs to be taken into account. And also, in some PAQs, METs were not officially assigned. Further discussion of these points and further studies to test the validity of the scoring protocol for TEE estimation are necessary.

Objective: This study aimed to translate the physical activity (PA) questions in the WHO Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey questionnaire into Japanese (HBSC-J) and to examine their validity.

Methods: Participants were the 5th grade primary school students (70 students aged 11.3 ± 0.3 years: 10.6-11.9 years). The questionnaire was translated into Japanese and refined through the processes of preliminary test, backtranslation into English and discussion with authors of original version. Validity was determined by comparing the data with accelerometer estimates. To assess the validity of the PA questions, we used Spearman rank correlation between the questions and the objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) or vigorous PA (VPA) by the accelerometer. Comparisons of the mean objective time in MVPA between students classified as a self-reported days at least 60 minutes/day of MVPA in ≥ 5 days students and < 5 days students according to the HBSC-J were carried out using unpaired t tests.

Results: A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MVPA and the number of days with at least 60 minutes/day of MVPA (ρ = 0.339). In addition, statistically significant positive correlations were found between VPA and the HBSC-J questions looking at the frequency of VPA (ρ = 0.515), and between VPA and the HBSC assessment of VPA duration (ρ = 0.400). Moreover, the MVPA time with the ≥ 5 days tended to be greater than that in students with less than 5 days.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the questionnaire is valid for evaluating MVPA and VPA patterns in Japanese primary school students.

We tested the effect of multicomponent exercise program on cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by a randomized controlled trial. The program had positive effects on cognitive functions and brain atrophy. We demonstrated detail about program and examined the generalizability. The multicomponent exercise program had a log-term continuity due to high feasibility. The program was widely used in a clinical setting, particularly preventive project, and easily accepted because an exercise program could be conducted without a specific environment. Further investigations were required to develop the evident strategy for preventing dementia.

This study aims to investigate factors that contribute to the differences in incidence of hypertension between different regions in Japan, by accounting for not only individual lifestyles, but also their living environments. The target participants of this survey were individuals who received medical treatment for hypertension, as well as hypertension patients who have not received any treatment. The objective variable for analysis was the incidence of hypertension as data aggregated per prefecture. We used data (in men) including obesity, salt intake, vegetable intake, habitual alcohol consumption, habitual smoking, and number of steps walked per day. The variables within living environment included number of rail stations, standard/light vehicle usage, and slope of habitable land. In addition, we analyzed data for the variables related to medical environment including, participation rate in medical check-ups and number of hospitals. We performed multiple stepwise regression analyses to elucidate the correlation of these variables by using hypertension incidence as the objective variable. Hypertension incidence showed a significant negative correlation with walking and medical check-ups, and a significant positive correlation with light-vehicle usage and slope. Between the number of steps and variables related to the living environment, number of rail stations showed a significant positive correlation, while, standard- and light-vehicle usage showed significant negative correlation. Moreover, with stepwise multiple regression analysis, walking showed the strongest effect. The differences in daily walking based on living environment were associated with the disparities in the hypertension incidence in Japan.

This study protocol introduces the Kasama Study, a mid-sized longitudinal study of health, fitness, and physical activity in older people. The study is a challenging research project that discusses the future of the system for preventive nursing care and for supporting successful aging in Japan. In May 2008, we began the Kasama Study with an exercise program of preventive nursing care for community-dwelling older adults. As of March 2016, we have conducted six study projects: 1) the Kasama health checkup for longevity, 2) an all-round exercise class, 3) the volunteer and the circle, 4) an exercise class for men only, 5) an exercise class for improving cognitive and physical function, and 6) the Kasama Iki-iki checklist survey. We describe each project in detail in the present study protocol.