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Lifestyle and psychosocial factors and a decline in competence in daily living among Japanese early elderly people: from an age-specified community-based cohort study (NISSIN project)
ConclusionLiving alone for men and low life satisfaction for women at age 64  years were markedly associated with the risk of a subsequent declining competence in daily living. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - May 5, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

The impact of work-related risk factors on the development of neck and upper limb pain among low wage hotel housekeepers in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study
ConclusionsA higher proportion of hotel housekeepers were found to be affected by neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders in Gondar town. Repetitive movement and reaching/overstretching were strongly associated risk  factors with neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, ergonomic, organizational and personal measures, which focus on minimizing repetitive movement and awkward working position and facilitating rest break with exercise, are important to tackle neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders among hotel housekeepers. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - May 2, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Short stature-related single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) activates endothelial repair activity in elderly Japanese
ConclusionSNP (rs3782886) was shown to be associated with high platelet count and short stature. This result partly explains how a genetic factor can influence the impact of height on endothelial repair. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 30, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Fermented foods and preterm birth risk from a prospective large cohort study: the Japan Environment and Children ’s study
ConclusionPTB low-risk women with a high consumption of miso soup, yogurt, and fermented soybeans before pregnancy have a reduced risk of early PTB. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 30, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Peripheral neuropathy induced by drinking water contaminated with low-dose arsenic in Myanmar
ConclusionSubjective symptoms, probably due to peripheral neuropathy, occurred at very low ACDW (around 10  ppb). Objective peripheral nerve disturbances of both small and large fibers occurred at low ACDW (>  50 ppb). These data suggest a threshold for the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy due to arsenic exposure, and indicate that the arsenic concentration in drinking water should be less than 10 ppb to ensure human health. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 22, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Hemoglobin A1c and 10-year information processing speed in Japanese community dwellers
ConclusionsHigher baseline HbA1c was associated with greater subsequent decline in information processing ability in Japanese community dwellers, even with the pre-clinical HbA1c level (6.0 to<  6.5%) in women. The results suggest that good glycemic control or prevention of hyperglycemia may contribute to maintaining information processing ability. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 22, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Association between lifestyle, parental smoke, socioeconomic status, and academic performance in Japanese elementary school children: the Super Diet Education Project
ConclusionsChildren ’s lifestyles, parental smoke, and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with low academic performance among Japanese children. Parents and health care providers should take these findings into consideration to prevent children from having low academic performance. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 8, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Perspectives of adolescents, parents, and teachers on barriers and facilitators of physical activity among school-age adolescents: a qualitative analysis
ConclusionsAdolescent participation in physical activity can be facilitated or hampered by many factors. Results from the focus group discussions showed that these factors belonged to different levels of the social-ecological model, but most were at the individual level. Our findings have several implications. First, they may offer suggestions for a tailored intervention program aimed at improving adolescent physical activity. Second, they can improve quantitative research by enriching the battery of questions of physical activity instruments (e.g., a question related to physical disability). Third, the proposed thematic m...
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - April 8, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Association between gaseous pollutants and emergency ambulance dispatches for asthma in Chengdu, China: a time-stratified case-crossover study
ConclusionsThis study provides additional data to the limited body of literature for potential health risks arising from ambient gaseous pollutants. The results of the study suggest that increased concentrations of SO2, NO2, and CO were positively associated with emergency ambulance dispatches for asthma in Chengdu, China. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of individual air pollutants on asthma. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 17, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Gene and environmental interactions according to the components of lifestyle modifications in hypertension guidelines
AbstractRisk factors for hypertension consist of lifestyle and genetic factors. Family history and twin studies have yielded heritability estimates of BP in the range of 34 –67%. The most recent paper of BP GWAS has explained about 20% of the population variation of BP. An overestimation of heritability may have occurred in twin studies due to violations of shared environment assumptions, poor phenotyping practices in control cohorts, failure to account for epistasis , gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, and other non-genetic sources of phenotype modulation that are suspected to lead to underestimations of herit...
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 10, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Factors associated with risky driving behaviors for road traffic crashes among professional car drivers in Bahirdar city, northwest Ethiopia, 2016: a cross-sectional study
ConclusionsThe study shows that risky driving behavior is common among professional car drivers in the study setting. Therefore, it is strongly advisable for policy makers and other stake holders to devise strategies that consider working conditions, like monthly salary and driving experiences. The study also suggests that it is often advisable to reduce the distance driven per year and learn from implications of previous history of involvement in traffic crashes. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 8, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Effects of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education on childhood intestinal parasitic infections in rural Dembiya, northwest Ethiopia: an uncontrolled before-and-after intervention study
ConclusionThis before-and-after intervention study found that households ’ WASH performance was significantly improved at the endline compared with the baseline. The endline prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was slightly lower than the baseline prevalence; however, the reduction was not statistically significant. The local health office needs to strengthen the WASH education program, mobilize the community to construct WASH facilities, and support the community to sustain households’ WASH performance. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 8, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids and associated factors among health care workers at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia
ConclusionThis study showed a high percentage of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers. Not wearing eye goggle, HBV vaccine status, and recapping needles were found to be independent predictors of occupational exposure to BBFs among HCWs. Therefore, relevant stakeholders need to formulate strategies to create a favorable working environment and increase their adherence to universal precautions. (Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine)
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 8, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Tooth loss leads to reduced nutrient intake in middle-aged and older Japanese individuals
AbstractReductions in masticatory function as a result of tooth loss have a negative impact on nutrient intake, decreasing general health. In addition, studies have reported an association between lower socioeconomic status (SES) and both higher numbers of lost teeth and worse nutrient intake status. Nakamura et al. conducted a study to clarify the relationship between number of teeth and nutrient intake status in their paper “Having few remaining teeth is associated with a low nutrient intake and low serum albumin levels in middle-aged and older Japanese individuals: Findings from the NIPPON DATA”, evaluating not only...
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 4, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

For making a declaration of countermeasures against the falling birth rate from the Japanese Society for Hygiene: summary of discussion in the working group on academic research strategy against an aging society with low birth rate
AbstractIn 1952, the Japanese Society for Hygiene had once passed a resolution at its 22nd symposium on population control, recommending the suppression of population growth based on the idea of cultivating a healthier population in the area of eugenics. Over half a century has now passed since this recommendation; Japan is witnessing an aging of the population (it is estimated that over 65-year-olds made up 27.7% of the population in 2017) and a decline in the birth rate (total fertility rate 1.43 births per woman in 2017) at a rate that is unparalleled in the world; Japan is faced with a “super-aging” society with lo...
Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine - March 4, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research