Job stress and loneliness among desk workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: focus on remote working.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported an increase in loneliness since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but there are few data on the relationship between job stress and loneliness. This study aimed to assess the relationship between job stress and loneliness among desk workers, with a focus on the impact of remote working. METHODS: This study was part of the Collaborative Online Research on the Novel-coronavirus and Work (CORoNaWork) project in Japan. We extracted data from 13,468 workers who indicated that they were doing desk work. Loneliness was assessed using a single question and job stress was valuated using the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Multiple logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Participants who worked remotely 4 or more days per week were marginally more likely to report feeling lonely compared with those who did not work remotely (adjusted odds ratio = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.99-5.84, P = 0.066). Remote working did not explain the interaction between JCQ scale scores and loneliness. Among remote workers, the level of support provided by co-workers and supervisors was strongly associated with feelings of loneliness as well as non-remote workers (co-worker support: AOR = 4.06, 95% CI: 2.82-5.84, P < 0.001; supervisor support: AOR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.79-3.47, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: To reduce loneliness and the risk of associated mental health problems, high-frequency remote workers should interact with supervisors and co-workers using the information and communication technology developed for this purpose.

Prospective cohort study of bedroom heating and risk of common cold in children.

BACKGROUND: In countries with mild winter climates and inadequate heating, the relationship between housing conditions and health outcomes in winter have not been well studied. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between heater type and temperature factors in the bedroom and incidence of the common cold among children in Japan. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we distributed baseline questionnaires and temperature loggers in December 2019 and administered follow-up questionnaires in March 2020. We recruited children under the age of 15 years. We performed Poisson regression analysis and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 297 participants, air conditioners were the most prevalent (n = 105, 35%), followed by gas or kerosene heaters (n = 50, 17%), and floor heaters (n = 31, 10%). Air-conditioners were associated with higher incidence of all events related to the common cold, especially having a fever (adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.41-2.40). Gas or kerosene and floor heaters showed a lower incidence rate of some events related to the common cold, such as school or nursery school absence (aIRR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.37-0.82 and aIRR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23-0.67, respectively). Bedroom temperature did not show a positive association, but children who always felt cold showed a higher incidence of some events related to the common cold. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply that the heating approach and modal thermal comfort, such as location of heating appliances, humidity, airflow, and radiant heat, may be more important for the onset of common cold in children than bedroom temperature itself.

A Prospective Cohort Study of Bedroom Warming With a Heating System and Its Association With Common Infectious Diseases in Children During Winter in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Customarily, bedrooms in Japan are left unheated. Although several studies have reported that the use of a heating system has positive outcomes on respiratory infection and asthma, the preventive effect of heating systems against infectious diseases in children is not well known. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study using two questionnaire surveys, one before the winter season in November, 2018 and the second after winter in March, 2019. Participants were 155 children who did not use a heating system in the bedroom and 156 children who did. RESULTS: Having a heated bedroom with a heating system was associated with decreased odds for the frequency of cold (≥3 times) (adjust odds ratio [AOR] 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19-0.65), duration of fever (≥3 days) (AOR 0.38; 95% CI, 0.22-0.66), duration of medicine for a cold (≥3 days) (AOR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.95), hospital visit due to cold (≥3 days) (AOR 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.94), absence from school or nursery (≥3 days) (AOR 0.43; 95% CI, 0.27-0.70), influenza infection (AOR 0.43; 95% CI, 0.26-0.71), and gastroenteritis (AOR 0.39; 95% CI, 0.21-0.72). Influenza vaccination reduced the odds of influenza infection (AOR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.22-0.59) and absence from school or nursery (≥3 days) (AOR 0.62; 95% CI, 0.39-0.99). CONCLUSION: This study implies that the heating of bedrooms may have a preventive effect against infections among children. Broader dissemination of this knowledge in Japan will require cultural change through public health awareness.

[The Self-rated Health Status of Foreign People in Japan: Does Their Employment Status Matter?]

International immigration into Japan is increasing. It would make sense that investigating the health status of immigrants would be associated with improvements in their health and would be beneficial in building a complete social security system in which minorities can live safely and securely. The objective of this study is to describe the health status of immigrants in Japan and to explore the association between self-rated health status and employment status. As a result, half of those surveyed had some health problem, particularly a lot of mental stress. We did not find a significant relationship between self-rated health status and employment status, but it seems that people who stay in Japan 5 years or more tend to have poor self-rated health status. The factors associated with poor self-rated mental health status were being a non-employee, and having visited a hospital 1 time or more during the past 12 months. A system of mental stress care would be the most necessary health care for international students in Japan.

Estimation of the global burden of mesothelioma deaths from incomplete national mortality data.

BACKGROUND: Mesothelioma is increasingly recognised as a global health issue and the assessment of its global burden is warranted. OBJECTIVES: To descriptively analyse national mortality data and to use reported and estimated data to calculate the global burden of mesothelioma deaths. METHODS: For the study period of 1994 to 2014, we grouped 230 countries into 59 countries with quality mesothelioma mortality data suitable to be used for reference rates, 45 countries with poor quality data and 126 countries with no data, based on the availability of data in the WHO Mortality Database. To estimate global deaths, we extrapolated the gender-specific and age-specific mortality rates of the countries with quality data to all other countries. RESULTS: The global numbers and rates of mesothelioma deaths have increased over time. The 59 countries with quality data recorded 15 011 mesothelioma deaths per year over the 3 most recent years with available data (equivalent to 9.9 deaths per million per year). From these reference data, we extrapolated the global mesothelioma deaths to be 38 400 per year, based on extrapolations for asbestos use. CONCLUSIONS: Although the validity of our extrapolation method depends on the adequate identification of quality mesothelioma data and appropriate adjustment for other variables, our estimates can be updated, refined and verified because they are based on commonly accessible data and are derived using a straightforward algorithm. Our estimates are within the range of previously reported values but higher than the most recently reported values.