Effectiveness of catch-up and routine program of the 9-valent vaccine on cervical cancer risk reduction in Japan.

In 2013, the national human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program began. However, in June 2013, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) announced a "temporary" suspension of its recommendation for the human papillomavirus vaccine. Finally, in November 2021, the MHLW ended its suspension of the recommendation of the HPV vaccine. To address the 9-year gap in HPV vaccinations the suspension had caused, the MHLW conducted a program of catch-up vaccinations from April 2022 to March 2025. Finally, in April 2023, the 9-valent HPV vaccine was approved for both the routine and catch-up vaccination programs in Japan. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of the introduction of the 9-valent vaccine on the increased risk of cervical cancer in females born after fiscal year (FY) 2000. We estimated the lifetime relative risk of cervical cancer incidence and death using the improved routine and catch-up vaccination rates after the recent resumption of the governmental recommendation for women and girls to have the HPV vaccination. These relative risks were calculated using a lifetime risk of 1.000 for cervical cancer incidence and death for females born in FY 1993. We predicted that even if a 90% vaccination rate were to be achieved by FY 2024 with the 9-valent vaccine among women born between FY 2000 and FY 2005, the risk would remain higher than for the vaccination generation. Therefore, for women born between FY 2000 and FY 2005, it will be necessary to significantly improve the cervical cancer screening rate to compensate for this increased risk.

Preferences of bereaved family members on communication with physicians when discontinuing anticancer treatment: referring to the concept of nudges.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to clarify the situation and evaluate the communication on anticancer treatment discontinuation from the viewpoint of a bereaved family, in reference to the concept of nudges. METHODS: A multi-center questionnaire survey was conducted involving 350 bereaved families of patients with cancer admitted to palliative care units in Japan. RESULTS: The following explanations were rated as essential or very useful: (i) treatment would be a physical burden to the patient (42.9%), (ii) providing anticancer treatment was impossible (40.5%), (iii) specific disadvantages of receiving treatment (40.5%), (iv) not receiving treatment would be better for the patient (39.9%) and (v) specific advantages of not receiving treatment (39.6%). The factors associated with a high need for improvement of the physician's explanation included lack of explanation on specific advantages of not receiving treatment (ß = 0.228, P = 0.001), and lack of explanation of 'If the patient's condition improves, you may consider receiving the treatment again at that time.' (ß = 0.189, P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Explaining the disadvantages of receiving treatment and the advantages of not receiving treatment, and presenting treatment discontinuation as the default option were effective in helping patients' families in making the decision to discontinue treatment. In particular, explanation regarding specific advantages of not receiving treatment was considered useful, as they caused a lower need for improvement of the physicians' explanation.

Actual situation of decision-making support from medical staff when cancer patients make treatment choices.

Background: We investigated factors involved in decision-making support provided by physicians, nurses, pharmacists and medical and psychiatric social workers involved in cancer care. Materials & methods: A questionnaire survey on decision-making support was conducted. The level of clinician support was classified as 'supporting patients' 'decision-making process regarding cancer treatment', 'no support for patients' 'decision-making process regarding cancer treatment' or 'team-based support for patients' 'decision-making process regarding cancer treatment'. Results: Physicians estimated that 83.7% of patients made a cancer treatment decision within 1 week, but 45.4% of patients had difficulty making a decision. Conclusion: Medical personnel should support patients who have difficulty making decisions, establish a screening method to identify those needing support and develop a system providing decision-making support through interprofessional work.

We conducted a survey to investigate issues related to the level of decision-making support provided by physicians, nurses, pharmacists medical social workers and psychiatric social workers involved in cancer care. The physicians reported that 83.7% of patients with cancer chose a treatment plan within 1 week, although 45.4% of patients had difficulty making a decision. These decision-making difficulties arose at the time of diagnosis, when having difficulty controlling adverse events and when cancer metastasis or recurrence occurred. Some medical providers supported patients who had particular difficulty in choosing their cancer treatment, others provided no support, while a third group orchestrated a team to support them in their decision-making. To improve the quality of decision-making support, interprofessional work should be promoted and screening tools to identify those who need support should be established.

Intentions for catch-up HPV vaccination in Japan: an internet survey.

PURPOSE: In Japan, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare decided to suspend govermental recommendation for HPV vaccination in FY 2013. The HPV vaccination rate for those born in FY 2000 or thereafter declined dramatically. In 2021, the "suspension of recommendation" ended. The catch-up vaccinations for the unvaccinated have been offered nationwide from FY 2022 to FY 2024. We aimed to quantify the vaccination intentions and characteristics of those young women now eligible for catch-up vaccination.  METHODS: In February of 2022, we conducted an internet survey targeted women who were born in 1997-2004 but who had not yet been HPV vaccinated. RESULTS: We received 1,648 valid responses. 41.6% of the respondents wanted to uptake the catch-up HPV vaccination, 29.7% were undecided, and 28.7% did not want to be vaccinated. The intention to uptake catch-up HPV vaccination was associated with a good history of gynecological visits, intention to receive cervical cancer screening, sexual activity, degree of anxiety about cervical cancer, familiarity with problems associated with cervical cancer, experience with vaccination recommendations, and knowledge about cervical cancer (p < 0.05, respectively). In the vaccinated generation, the proportion of the group that did not want to be vaccinated was significantly higher (p < 0.05). In the vaccine-suspended generation, the proportion of the group that wanted to be vaccinated was significantly higher (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our survey revealed that catch-up vaccination intentions differed depending on the vaccination environment. It is necessary for all organizations involved with HPV vaccination, such as government, medical institutions, and educational institutions, to make recommendations based on an understanding of the characteristics of the "vaccinated generation" and the "vaccine-suspended generation".

Change of HPV vaccination rates in Japan: the effect of individual notifications implemented by local governments.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, in June 2013, The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) decided to temporarily suspend its official recommendation for the participation of girls in the national immunization program. The HPV vaccination rate in Japan soon declined to below 1%. In October 2020, the MHLW notified that the municipalities could and should begin to individually notify girls and their parents targeted for routine vaccination. We have examined how that type of individual notification has affected the number of vaccinations. METHODS: From 12 municipalities (with a combined total population of approximately 4.06 million), we collected vaccination data for all girls who attended grades 6 through 10 from April 2019 to March 2021. We analyzed the number of initial-round vaccinations that occurred by month and the timing and the subjects of the individual notifications. RESULTS: The annual vaccination rate for tenth-grade students in 2020 in the six municipalities that had implemented individual notification was 9.46% (342/3618), which was significantly higher than the rate of 3.22% (54/1676) in the three municipalities that had not implemented individual notification (p < 0.001). On the other hand, the annual vaccination rate for the sixth to ninth-grade students in 2020 in the six municipalities that had implemented individual notification was not significantly (p = 0.56) higher than the rate in the three municipalities that did not: 1.43% (197/13,785) versus 1.33% (83/6260), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study clearly demonstrates the importance of providing information for routine vaccination directly to the targets and their parents.

The 'best friend effect': a promising tool to encourage HPV vaccination in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, HPV vaccination rates has dramaticaly declined since 2013. Since mothers are the ones making the decision to vaccinate their daughters against HPV, we probed the mothers' intention to receive vaccinations for themselves and to vaccinate their daughters against HPV, and their reasoning. METHODS: An internet survey was conducted in March of 2021. Through the screening, 1576 participants were extracted from a survey panel and divided into 3 groups based on their daughter's birth fiscal year (Group 1: 1994 to 1999, Group 2: 2000 to 2003, Group3: 2004 to 2008). The chi-square test and residual analysis were used for the statistical analysis of comparison among the groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent variables with mothers intention to get their daughters vaccinated under specific situations. RESULTS: The percentage of respondents without anxiety regarding their daughter's general vaccination was significantly higher in Group 1 (p < 0.05). In the mothers of daughters born in or after 2000 when vaccination rates declined (Groups 2 and 3), a situation in which 'The daughter's best friends were vaccinated before her' made the mothers think positively about HPV vaccination, and to the same degree as a situation in which 'You received a notice from your local government recommending vaccination' (Group 2: 41.6% (214/514) and 40.5% (208/514), Group 3: 48.5% (257/530) and 47.0% (249/530)). CONCLUSION: If mothers who have had their daughters vaccinated were to recommend HPV vaccination to their close friends, 'the best friend effect' should promote others to be vaccinated.

Development of information dissemination methods that contribute to improving maternal and child healthcare using social networking sites: a community-based cross-sectional study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, feelings of isolation among mothers caring for small children has become a significant social issue in Japan. The purpose of this study is to develop a message to alleviate their loneliness, to evaluate the impact of social networking sites (SNS) for delivering such messages, and to propose means of more effective information transmission to promote health for mothers raising small children. METHODS: Our study was conducted in two stages, first an interview and then a cross-sectional study of the mothers involving a questionnaire survey. The interview was targeted two public-health nurses caring for mothers. Based on these interviews, we developed six messages intended to alleviate the mothers' sense of loneliness, which were vetted by seven mothers. The second stage was to conduct a questionnaire survey of mothers both before and after our selected message as advertisement on Instagram and analyzed the effect. The surveys were collected during routine child health check-ups in the City of Takatsuki, Japan. RESULTS: From the six draft messages created based on interviews with public health nurses, we selected the message that most relieves the feeling of loneliness of the mothers who are raising small children. The survey questionnaire was taken by 494 mothers prior to our posting of Instagram advertisements (ads), and afterwards by 419 mothers. The percentage of mothers feeling loneliness tended to decrease after reading the messages (before ads.:8.1%, after ads.:5.8%). 8.6% of the mothers (36/419) remembered seeing the Instagram ads. Mothers with financial anxiety were significantly more likely to have remembered seeing the Instagram ads (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that usefulness of SNS messaging for mothers raising small children may reduce their feeling of loneliness. Among the SNS, disseminating child-rearing information on Instagram may be more effective for people with financial instability.

A nationwide birth year-by-year analysis of effectiveness of HPV vaccine in Japan.

In Japan, the age-adjusted incidence of cervical cancer has been increasing constantly and rapidly among younger women. We set out to accurately confirm the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in Japan. Data were collected for women born in the fiscal year (FY) 1990 to 1997, who became eligible for their 20-y-old cervical cancer screening between the FY 2010 to 2017. The adjusted incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)1+ in women born in FY 1990 to 1993, that is those who reached the national vaccination target age prior to the introduction of publicly subsidized HPV vaccinations, referred here after as "the pre-introduction generation", was 1.42% (242/17 040). The incidence in the "vaccination generation" (women born in FY 1994 to 1997, that is those who were heavily vaccinated as a group when they were of the nationally targeted age of 13-16) was 1.66% (135/8020). There was no significant difference between these incidence rates. However, our FY birth year-by-year analysis revealed that the incidence of CIN1+ was obviously lower than that predicted based on just the trend for CIN1+ seen in the pre-introduction generation. Our analysis revealed that the incidence of CIN3+ was obviously lower in the vaccination generation than in the pre-introduction generation (P = .0008). The incidence of CIN was already tending to increase in both the pre-introduction and vaccination generations. The changes in CIN incidence by individual birth FY must be examined to accurately determine the actual effects of the HPV vaccine for reducing mild cervical lesions.

A questionnaire survey on a feeling of loneliness of the mothers raising children.

AIM: A feeling of isolation childcare mothers' face is a serious social problem in Japan because the relationships with mothers and local communities have grown sparser. The purpose of this study was to clarify the feelings of isolation of mothers during childcare and the factors related to it. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey in Yao City, Osaka. We mailed out a questionnaire survey of 1293 mothers with infants who had either a 4-month or 42-month routine health checkup during the period from September to December of 2018. RESULTS: There was no association between "feeling lonely while raising my child" and the absence of "people who helped raise my children." On the other hand, it was found that the mothers' inner feelings, such as "I wasn't satisfied with my childcare environment" (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.32-4.91, p = 0.0052) or "I lacked confidence in my own childcare abilities" (OR: 6.21, 95% CI: 4.31-8.95, p < 0.0001), were associated with their sense of loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers' "sense of loneliness" was shown to be best correlated with their dissatisfaction with the environment of their childcare and with their lack of confidence in raising their own children.

Examination of factors contributing to help-seeking behavior in accessing psychosocial support services among Japanese cancer patients: An application of the segmentation approach.

OBJECTIVE: Various psychosocial support services for cancer patients are available in Japan; however, their utilization rate is low. The present study aimed to examine factors contributing to help-seeking behavior in the use of psychosocial support services among cancer outpatients at three stages: Precontemplation (without adjustment disorder or major depression), Precontemplation (with adjustment disorder or major depression), and Contemplation. METHODS: We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey at two points with a panel of cancer outpatients. We collected data on demographic information, physical status, the use of and intention to use psychosocial support services, psychological distress, attitude toward using psychosocial support services for cancer patients, and social support. RESULTS: In total, 395 cancer patients were analyzed. In the Precontemplation (without adjustment disorder or major depression) stage, resistance to help-seeking (OR = 0.726, P = .011) and future prospects of the Brief Cancer-Related Worry Inventory (OR = 1.012, P = .019) were significant. In the Precontemplation (with adjustment disorder or major depression) stage, only recommendation by medical staff or family (OR = 0.000, P = .026) had a significant effect. In the Contemplation stage, only social and interpersonal problems (OR = 0.942, P = .080) showed a significant (negative) trend. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that contributing factors differed by stage. To encourage the use of psychosocial support services, it is desirable to recommend the use and to develop interventions for promoting, with responding to patients' conditions and intentions rather than responding to everyone in the same way.

Understanding help-seeking behaviour in relation to psychosocial support services among Japanese cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: There are various psychosocial support services for cancer patients in Japan; however, their utilization rate is lower than in Western countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the actual status of the utilization of such services and the related factors of their use, using the transtheoretical model. METHODS: We conducted an Internet survey of cancer outpatients. They were asked for information on their demographics, physical status and the usage of and intention to use psychosocial support services, and to answer the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. RESULTS: Data of 712 participants were analyzed; 111 had made use of psychosocial support services (15.6%). Participants who were younger, female, had breast cancer, experience with hormone therapy and did not have a good performance status (Karnofsky Performance Scale) more often used such services when comparing users/experiencers with non-users/inexperienced. Of the inexperienced, 538 were in the Precontemplation stage (89.5%), 62 were in the Contemplation stage (10.3%) and one was in the Preparation stage (0.2%). Approximately 35% of those in the Precontemplation stage would correspond to adjustment disorders or major depression. CONCLUSIONS: We showed the degree of cancer patients who have used the psychosocial support services and its contents and revealed the factors related to the utilization of such services in Japan. Our study supports previous reports that cancer patients with high levels of distress do not necessarily seek support, and thus future studies should also examine other modifiable factors considering the medical settings.

Correction to: Cost-effectiveness of a tailored intervention designed to increase breast cancer screening among a non-adherent population: a randomized controlled trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Correction to: Tailored message interventions versus typical messages for increasing participation in colorectal cancer screening among a non-adherent population: A randomized controlled trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Problems, goals and solutions reported by cancer patients participating in group problem-solving therapy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to categorize and develop lists of contents of problems, goals, solution plans generated through the brainstorming work in therapy, and selected solutions for execution, that treated in problem-solving therapy (PST) for cancer patients in clinical settings, and to describe their characteristics. Additionally, examining the associations of problem domains with characteristics of participants, was also aimed. METHODS: We conducted content analysis using records of thirty-one cancer patients (M = 62.6 years old; SD = 10.5) who participated in PST program. RESULTS: Problems were categorized into four domains (e.g. psychological and existential problems; physical problems; social relations; social living environment). Participants under treatment at baseline reported psychological and existential problems most often (P < 0.05). Goals were categorized into four domains (e.g. improving mental health; improving physical functions; improving social relations and improving one's social living environment). Solution plans generated through the brainstorming work in therapy were categorized into four domains (e.g. emotion regulation/cognitive adjustment; health behaviors; adjustment of social relationships and adjusting one's social living environment). Selected solutions for execution were categorized into four domains (e.g. emotion regulation/cognitive adjustment; health behaviors; adjustment of social relationships and adjusting one's social living environment). CONCLUSIONS: We found that various problems, goals and solutions were treated in PST of realistic clinical setting. Creating lists based on our study and making use of it for the materials as aids while implementing the PST or being shared with patients and medical staff would be expected.

Quality of care in hospitalized cancer patients before and after implementation of a systematic prevention program for delirium: the DELTA exploratory trial.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether the DELirium Team Approach (DELTA) program-a systematic management program aimed at screening high-risk groups and preventing delirium-would improve quality of care in patients hospitalized with cancer. METHODS: A retrospective before-after study was conducted during a pre-intervention period (between October 2012 and March 2013) and a post-intervention period (between October 2013 and March 2014) at a Japanese hospital providing specialized treatments for cancer. A total of 4180 inpatients were evaluated before the implementation of the DELTA program and 3797 inpatients were evaluated after implementation. RESULTS: After program implementation, the incidence of delirium decreased from 7.1 to 4.3% (odds ratio [OR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.42-0.64). The incidence of adverse events, including falls or self-extubation, also decreased, from 3.5 to 2.6% (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.92). There was a significant decrease in the prescription of benzodiazepines (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.87), increase in the level of independence in activities of daily living at discharge (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.11-3.38), and decrease in the length of stay (risk ratio 0.90; 95% CI, 0.90-0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The systematic management program for delirium decreased the incidence of delirium and improved several clinical outcomes. These data suggest that this simple cost-effective program is feasible and implementable as routine care in busy wards.

Verbal communication of families with cancer patients at end of life: A questionnaire survey with bereaved family members.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the verbal communication of feelings between families and patients in Japanese palliative care units from the perspective of bereaved family members by examining (1) proportions of families' and patients' verbalization of six feelings (gratitude, love, seeking forgiveness, giving forgiveness, wishes after death, and continuing bonds), (2) recognition of receiving these feelings through verbalization from the family's perspective, and (3) the specific attitudes of family members that influence their verbalizations. METHODS: In 2010, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 968 bereaved families of cancer patients in palliative care units across Japan. RESULTS: Five hundred thirty-seven responses were analyzed. (1) "Gratitude" was verbalized most often (families: 47%; patients: 61%), and "expressing forgiveness" least often (families: 16%; patients: 11%). (2) Even if the words were not used, 81.2% to 88.2% of families answered that they had received the patient's feelings, and 71.8% to 85.4% of families felt the patient had received their feelings. (3) Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the strongest attitudes determining verbalizing were "not wanting to say farewell without conveying feelings," "a daily basis of expressing," and "heart-to-heart communication" (ishin-denshin). CONCLUSIONS: For both families and patients, verbalizing feelings was difficult. Our results showed that families' and patients' verbalizing and receiving of feelings must be aligned to understand their communication at the end of life in Japan. Future research is needed to verify how attitude helps promote or inhibit verbalization.

Background factors associated with problem avoidance behavior in healthy partners of breast cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated avoidance behaviors of healthy partners of breast cancer patients and sought to (1) describe men's perception of their own avoidance behavior and (2) identify the background factors associated with such behavior. METHODS: An Internet-based survey was conducted, and analysis was performed on the responses of 368 male spouses of female breast cancer patients. RESULTS: Thirty to forty percent of spouses had some type of problem avoidance behavior toward their wives. There was a high correlation (r = 0.70, P < .001) between problem avoidance behavior at the time of diagnosis and subsequent problem behavior (mean follow-up period after diagnosis: 1.3 + 1.1 years). The characteristics of spouses with avoidant behaviors included having wives with recurrence, having wives treated with anticancer drug therapy or total resection, and having their own experience of cancer. Covariance structure analysis revealed 2 factors related to the background of spouses with problem avoidance behavior: (1) having a sense of difficulty in coping (beta = 0.68, P < .001) and (2) having a poor marital relationship (beta = -0.27, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that problem avoidance behavior among healthy male partners of breast cancer patients is common and correlates with difficulty coping and a poor marital relationship. It is important to address both the problem avoidance behavior itself and to support couples early, before this behavior surfaces.

Collaborative care intervention for the perceived care needs of women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant therapy after surgery: a feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of an intervention program for women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anticancer therapy, and determine its preliminary effectiveness in reducing their unmet needs and psychological distress. METHODS: The intervention was based on the collaborative care model, and compromised four domains: identification of unmet needs, problem-solving therapy and behavioral activation supervised by a psychiatrist, psychoeducation and referral to relevant departments. Eligible women with breast cancer were provided the collaborative care intervention over four sessions. The feasibility of the program was evaluated by the percentage of women who entered the intervention and by the percentage of adherence to the program. Self-reported outcomes were measured by the Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short Form 34 (SCNS-SF34), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Concern about Recurrence Scale, and pre- and post-intervention satisfaction with medical care. RESULTS: In total, 40 patients participated in this study. The rate of participation in the intervention was 68%, and the rate of adherence was 93%. Participants had significantly improved scores on total perceived needs, physical needs and psychological needs on the SCNS-SF34; vigor and confusion on the POMS and function (physical, emotional and cognitive), nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, appetite loss and financial difficulties on the EORTC QLQ-C30 compared with the baseline assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated the intervention program was feasible. Further study is needed to demonstrate the program's effectiveness in reducing unmet needs.

Development the Care Evaluation Scale Version 2.0: a modified version of a measure for bereaved family members to evaluate the structure and process of palliative care for cancer patient.

BACKGROUND: The Care Evaluation Scale (CES1.0) was designed to allow bereaved family members to evaluate the structure and process of care, but has been associated with a high frequency of misresponses. The objective of this study was to develop a modified version of CES1.0 (CES2.0) that would eliminate misresponses while maintaining good reliability and validity. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey by mail in October 2013. The participants were bereaved family members of patients who died from cancer in seven institutions in Japan. All family members were asked to complete CES2.0, the short form CES1.0, items on overall care satisfaction, the Family Satisfaction with Advanced Cancer Care (FAMCARE) Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Brief Grief Questionnaire (BGQ). To examine test-retest reliability, all participants were asked to complete a second CES2.0. RESULTS: Of 596 questionnaires sent, 461 (77%) were returned and 393 (66%) were analyzed. In the short form CES1.0, 17.1% of the responses were identified as misresponses. No misresponses were found in CES2.0. We identified 10 CES2.0 subscales similar to those in CES1.0 using exploratory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.83. Correlations were found between CES2.0 and overall satisfaction (r = 0.83) and FAMCARE (r = 0.58). In addition, total CES2.0 scores were negatively correlated with the PHQ-9 (r = -0.22) and BGQ (r = -0.10). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CES2.0 eliminated misresponses associated with CES1.0 while maintaining good reliability and validity and greatly improving test-retest reliability.

The effects of community-wide dissemination of information on perceptions of palliative care, knowledge about opioids, and sense of security among cancer patients, their families, and the general public.

PURPOSE: Prejudices against palliative care are a potential barrier to quality end-of-life care. There have been few large-scale community-wide interventions to distribute appropriate information about palliative care, and no studies have investigated their impact on cancer patients, their families, and the general public. Thus, we conducted a 3-year community intervention and evaluated the effects of distributing such information at the community level, and explored associations among levels of exposure, perceptions, knowledge, and the sense of security achieved. METHODS: Over a period of 3 years, we provided flyers, booklets, posters, and public lectures about palliative care in four regions of Japan, and carried out pre- and post-intervention surveys with repeated cross-sectional samplings of cancer patients (pre 859, post 857), bereaved family members (1110, 1137), and the general public (3984, 1435). The levels of exposure to the provided information were measured by a multiple-choice questionnaire after intervention. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for perceptions of palliative care, knowledge about opioids, and sense of security among the exposure groups. RESULTS: Overall perceptions of palliative care, opioids, and receiving care at home improved significantly among the general public and families, but not among the patients at the community level. However, multiple regression revealed that patients of extensive exposure category had significantly more positive perceptions of palliative care to those of non-exposure category (p = 0.02). The sense of security regarding cancer care of all patients, family members, and the general public improved. Among others, the respondents who reported extensive exposure in the general public and family members scored significantly higher sense of security. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that providing palliative care information via small media and lectures in the community is effective in improving perceptions of palliative care and knowledge about opioids among the community dwellers, especially for caregivers of the patients. The acquisition of adequate knowledge about palliative care from various information sources may improve people's sense of security regarding cancer.