Victimization and witnessing of workplace bullying and physician-diagnosed physical and mental health and organizational outcomes: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Compared to the numerous reports on mental health outcomes of workplace bullying victims, research on organizational outcomes of witnesses and physical health outcomes of victims and witnesses is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between bullying victimization and witnessing and various physical and mental health outcomes and organizational outcomes such as sickness absence, work performance, and job satisfaction. METHODS: This study used cross-sectional data from a nationally representative, community-based sample of 5,000 Japanese residents aged 20-60. We analyzed data from 1,496 respondents after excluding those not working at the time of the survey and those with missing values. Workplace bullying, psychological distress, physical complaints, and job satisfaction were assessed with the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire and work performance with the World Health Organization's Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. In addition, subjective health status, physician-diagnosed mental or physical illness, and sickness absence were asked as one item. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis or Poisson regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between victimization/witnessing workplace bullying and health and organizational outcomes. RESULTS: Both victimization and witnessing workplace bullying were significantly associated with psychological distress, physical complaints, subjective poor health, physician-diagnosed mental disorders, and job dissatisfaction. Victimization of workplace bullying was further associated with physician-diagnosed respiratory diseases, sickness absence (≥7 days), and poor work performance. Victims were absent from work for 4.5 more sick days and had 11.2% lower work performance than non-victims. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that both victimization and witnessing workplace bullying were significantly associated with physical and mental outcomes and various organizational outcomes. Organizations should implement further measures to prevent personal and organizational losses due to workplace bullying.

[Comparison of the two methods of defining high-stress on the Japanese Stress Check Program].

OBJECTIVES: In Japan, companies are required to implement a "stress check program" to prevent mental health problems in workers. To identify "high-stress" workers, the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) is recommended. According to the stress check program manual issued by the government, high-stress can be defined using two criteria, either the "sum method" (simply summing the scores for each scales) or the "score converted method" (using converted scores according to the conversion table for each scales). In this study, we examined the differences in results found using these two criteria on "stress check program" data. METHODS: We used data of 71,422 workers in 117 companies and organizations who conducted stress checks in 2016. The prevalence of high-stress was calculated by applying the two criteria simultaneously, and the chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of workers with high-stress. We subsequently divided participants into the four following groups and calculated the proportion of each group: group A was defined as having high-stress by both criteria; group B, only by the sum method; group C, only by the score converted method; and group D, not defined as high-stress by either criterion. We compared the average values of stress response among four groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and further compared the average values between group B and group C using the Bonferroni method. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 43.7 ± 11.1, and 66.8% were males. The proportion of those defined as having high-stress were 11.7% using the sum method and 13.2% using the score converted method; the proportion of high-stress workers was thus significantly higher when using the score converted method (p <.001). Physical stress response was higher in group B; however, lack of vigor, irritation, fatigue, and depression were higher in group C (p <.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the sum method, 1.5% more high-stress workers were observed using the converted method, and this result was similar for individual and employment-related factors. Furthermore, workers were more likely to be judged as having "high-stress" when the score of the physical stress response was higher in the sum method. Hereafter, it is important to consider which criteria are applied when discussing proportions of high-stress. Further research is needed to examine which criteria will predict health disorders.

Association of overtime work hours with various stress responses in 59,021 Japanese workers: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

This study aims to clarify the relationships between length of overtime work and various stress responses using large-scale cross-sectional data of Japanese workers. This study's participants are 59,021 Japanese workers in 117 companies. Data was collected by self-reporting questionnaire. The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire was used to measure stress responses on six scales (i.e. "lack of vigor", "irritability", "fatigue", "anxiety", "depression", and "somatic responses"). Length of overtime work hours were classified as 0-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, and >80 hours/month. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the association of stress responses with overtime while adjusting all possible confounders. In result, workers with longer overtime showed significantly higher "irritability", "fatigue", "anxiety", "depression", and "somatic responses" for both genders (p-for-trend <0.001), however, length of overtime was negatively associated with "lack of vigor" among men (p-for-trend <0.001). Men with 61-80 hours of overtime showed high fatigue with high vigor at the same time. Length of overtime was linearly associated with various stress responses, except for "lack of vigor". Length of overtime shows linear associations with various psychosomatic stress responses. However, "lack of vigor" was not consistently associated with overtime. Male workers with 61-80 hours of monthly overtime were more likely to feel vigorous than workers with shorter overtime. However, potential longterm effects of such extreme overtime should not be underestimated and must be paid attention to.

A cross-sectional study of the association between city scale and daily steps in Japan: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey Japan (NHNS-J) 2006-2010.

Objective There is little evidence showing that inhabitants of urban areas engage in more physical activity than do rural ones, although accumulating evidence concerning the best neighborhood environments conducive to physical activity supports the idea. This study sought to fill the research gap by examining the association between city scale and daily steps using data from Japan's National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS).Methods We analyzed data from 15,763 men and 18,479 women aged 20 years and older who participated in a one-day pedometer measurement during any part of the NHNS between 2006 and 2010. The data obtained for these years were combined into a single data set. City scale was categorized into 5 groups based on population: 1) 12 large cities and 23 wards, 2) population greater than 150,000, 3) population 50,000-150,000, 4) population less than 50,000, and 5) towns and villages. Differences in daily steps among city scale groups were analyzed using an ANCOVA, adjusting for age by gender. The Bonferroni method was employed for multiple comparisons, and linear regression was used to test for linear trends. Subgroup analyses were performed by age (20-39, 40-64, older than 64), and job status. The study was approved by the Tokyo Medical University ethics committee, and use of these data complied with the Statistics Act of Japan.Results The steps per day for men after adjusting for age were Group 1 : 7,494±4,429 (mean±SD), Group 2 : 7,407±4,428, Group 3 : 7,206±4,428, Group 4 : 6,911±4,428, and Group 5 : 6,715±4,429. Women's daily steps according to city scale group were 6,767±3,648, 6,386±3,647, 6,062±3,646, 6,069±3,649, and 6,070±3,649 for Groups 1 through 5, respectively. There were overall statistically significant differences (ANCOVA, P<0.001) between both genders. The larger the city scale, the more mean daily steps that were taken by both men and women (P values for both trends <0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in the mean daily steps by city scale, regardless of age or job status for both genders. There were no significant differences among Groups 3, 4, or 5 among unemployed men, men older than 64, or overall women, which differed from the results for men with jobs, who took fewer steps in smaller cities.Conclusions Our study showed that men and women living in larger cities took more steps compared to those living in smaller cities. Subgroup analyses further revealed that the associations between city scale and physical activity differed according to gender, age, and job status.

Relationship between performances of 10-time-repeated sit-to-stand and maximal walking tests in non-disabled older women.

AIM: Sit-to-stand (STS) test is extensively used to assess the functionality of the lower body in elderly people. This study aimed to examine how the score of STS can be associated with that of maximal walking (MW) tests through a cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analysis for non-disabled older women. METHOD: Times taken for a 10-time-repeated STS (STS time) and 5-m MW (MW time) were determined before (pre) and after (post) a 3-month body mass-based exercise program in 154 non-disabled women aged 60 to 79 years. In addition to the time scores, STS and MW power indexes (STS-PI and MW-PI, respectively) were calculated using the following equations: STS-PI = (body height - 0.4) × body mass × 10/STS time and MW-PI = body mass × 5/MW time. RESULTS: At pre- and post-intervention, STS-PI was significantly correlated to MW-PI, with higher correlation coefficients (r = 0.545-0.567, P < 0.0001) than those between the two time scores (r = 0.271-0.309, P < 0.001). The intervention significantly improved STS-time (13.6 ± 3.2 s at pre to 9.4 ± 1.8 s at post, P < 0.0001), MW time (2.4 ± 0.3 s to 2.2 ± 0.3 s, P < 0.0001), STS-PI (46.5 ± 12.5 to 65.7 ± 12.7, P < 0.0001), and MW-PI (112.1 ± 20.2 to 124.2 ± 24.4, P < 0.0001). There were significant correlations between the changes of STS and MW times (r = 0.281, P < 0.001) and between those of STS-PI and MW-PI (r = 0.366, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In elderly women, the performance of sit-to-stand task and its training-induced gain are associated with those of the maximal walking task. In addition, the current results indicated that translation of the performance scores of the sit-to-stand and maximal walking tasks to power indexes may be a useful approach for examining the association between the two tasks.

Sex difference in age-related changes in knee extensor strength and power production during a 10-times-repeated sit-to-stand task in Japanese elderly.

BACKGROUND: For middle-aged and elderly women, age-related decline in an index representing power production during STS task (STS-PI), calculated by using an equation reported previously, has been shown to be greater than that in the force generation capability of lower extremity. Whether this is specific to women remains unclear. This study examined how the age-related changes in knee extensor strength and power production during STS differ between Japanese men and women aged 65 years or older. METHODS: The time taken for a 10-times-repeated STS test (STS time) and force developed during maximal voluntary isometric knee extension (KE-F) were determined in Japanese younger-old (262 men and 285 women) aged 65-74 years and older-old (96 men and 89 women) aged 75-90 years. STS-PI was calculated using the following equation: STS-PI = (body height - 0.4) × body mass × 10/STS time. RESULTS: KE-F and STS-PI were significantly greater in the younger-old than in the older-old group (p < 0.0001) and in men than in women (p < 0.0001). STS-PI and KE-F, expressed as the percentages of the mean value of the corresponding variable for the younger-old group (%STS-PI and %KE-F, respectively), were negatively correlated to chronological age in both men (r = -0.386 and r = -0.269, respectively, p < 0.0001) and women (r = -0.504 and r = -0.294, respectively, p < 0.0001). Regression slopes in the relationship between age and %KE-F were not significantly different between men (-1.521) and women (-1.618). However, regression slope in the relationship between age and %STS-PI was significantly steeper in women (-3.108) than in men (-2.170) (p < 0.05). In OOG, %KE-F had no significant effect of sex, but %STS-PI was significantly lower in women than in men (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In Japanese men and women aged 65 years or over, age-related loss in power production during STS is steeper in women than in men, with greater magnitude than that in knee extensor strength. This suggests a higher priority of improving power generation capability during whole-body movement such as STS in older women than in older men.

Socioeconomic determinants of bullying in the workplace: a national representative sample in Japan.

Bullying in the workplace is an increasingly recognized threat to employee health. We sought to test three hypotheses related to the determinants of workplace bullying: power distance at work; safety climate; and frustration related to perceived social inequality. A questionnaire survey was administered to a nationally representative community-based sample of 5,000 residents in Japan aged 20-60 years. The questionnaire included questions about employment, occupation, company size, education, household income, and subjective social status (SSS). We inquired about both the witnessing and personal experience of workplace bullying during the past 30 days. Among 2,384 respondents, data were analyzed from 1,546 workers. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the social determinants of workplace bullying. Six percent and 15 percent of the total sample reported experiencing or witnessing workplace bullying, respectively. After adjusting for gender and age, temporary employees (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.45 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.03-5.85]), junior high school graduates (OR: 2.62 [95%CI: 1.01-6.79]), workers with lowest household income (OR: 4.13 [95%CI:1.58-10.8]), and workers in the lowest SSS stratum (OR: 4.21 [95%CI:1.66-10.7]) were at increased risk of experiencing workplace bullying. When all variables were entered simultaneously in the model, a significant inverse association was observed between higher SSS and experiencing bullying (p = 0.002). Similarly in terms of witnessing bullying; SSS was significantly inversely associated (p = 0.017) while temporary employees reported a significantly higher risk of witnessing bullying compared to permanent workers (OR: 2.25 [95%CI:1.04 to 4.87]). The significant association between SSS and experiencing/witnessing workplace bullying supports the frustration hypothesis. The power distance hypothesis was also partly supported by the finding that temporary employees experienced a higher prevalence of workplace bullying.

Walkable area within which destinations matter: differences between Australian and Japanese cities.

Adults' walking for transport is important for health benefits and can be associated with availability of destinations such as shops and services within a walking distance of 10 to 15 minutes from home. However, relevant evidence is mostly from Western countries. This study examined associations of destinations with walking for transport in Australian and Japanese cities. Data were collected from Adelaide, Australia (n = 2508), and 4 Japanese cities (n = 1285). Logistic regressions examined associations of self-reported walking for transport with the number of destination types within walk-distance categories. Walking was significantly associated with the number of destination types within a 10-minute walk from home for Australia and with the number of destination types within a 6- to 20-minute walk for Japan. Further research is needed on why walking by residents of Japanese cities can be influenced by more distant local destinations than in Australia to inform physical activity-related environmental and policy initiatives.

Distinct associations of different sedentary behaviors with health-related attributes among older adults.

OBJECTIVE: Leisure-time sedentary behaviors (LTSBs) have been associated adversely with health outcomes. However, limited research has focused on different categories of LTSB. We aimed at identifying categories of LTSBs and examining their separate associations with indices of health among Japanese older adults. METHODS: A postal survey collected data on self-reported health, psychological distress, body mass index, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), LTSBs (five behaviors) and socio-demographic characteristics from 1,580 Japanese older adults (67% response rate; 65-74 years) in 2010. Exploratory factor analysis was used to classify LTSBs. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for associations of LTSB categories with self-reported health, psychological distress, overweight, and lower MVPA. Data were analyzed in 2013. RESULTS: Two categories of LTSB: passive sedentary time (consisting of TV time, listening or talking while sitting, and sitting around) and mentally-active sedentary time (consisting of computer-use and reading books or newspapers) were identified. Higher passive sedentary time was associated with a higher odds of being overweight (OR: 1.39, [95% CI: 1.08-1.80]), and lower MVPA (1.26, [1.02-1.54]). Higher mentally-active sedentary time was associated with lower odds of lower MVPA (0.70, [0.57-0.86]). CONCLUSIONS: Two types of sedentary time-passive and mentally-active-may play different roles in older adults' well-being.

Development of a short version of the new brief job stress questionnaire.

This study was aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability and validity of a short version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) whose scales have one item selected from a standard version. Based on the results from an anonymous web-based questionnaire of occupational health staffs and personnel/labor staffs, we selected higher-priority scales from the standard version. After selecting one item with highest item-total correlation coefficient from each scale, a 23-item questionnaire was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to Japanese employees (n=1,633) to examine test-retest reliability and validity. Most scales (or items) showed modest but adequate levels of test-retest reliability (r>0.50). Furthermore, job demands and job resources scales (or items) were associated with mental and physical stress reactions while job resources scales (or items) were also associated with positive outcomes. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the short version of the New BJSQ is reliable and valid.

Development of a short questionnaire to measure an extended set of job demands, job resources, and positive health outcomes: the new brief job stress questionnaire.

This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of a new version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ), which measures an extended set of psychosocial factors at work by adding new scales/items to the current version of the BJSQ. Additional scales/items were extensively collected from theoretical job stress models and similar questionnaires in several countries. Scales/items were field-tested and refined through a pilot internet survey. Finally, an 84-item questionnaire (141 items in total when combined with the current BJSQ) was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to employees in Japan (n=1,633) to examine the reliability and construct validity. Most scales showed acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Principal component analyses showed that the first factor explained 50% or greater proportion of the variance in most scales. A scale factor analysis and a correlation analysis showed that these scales fit the theoretical expectations. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the New BJSQ scales are reliable and valid. Although more detailed content and construct validity should be examined in future study, the New BJSQ is a useful instrument to evaluate psychosocial work environment and positive mental health outcomes in the current workplace.

Gender differences in association between psychological distress and detailed living arrangements among Japanese older adults, aged 65-74 years.

PURPOSE: Past studies have shown that living alone is detrimental to older adults' mental health. However, there has been little focus on how older adults' psychological distress differed by more detailed living arrangement, as well as by gender. The present study investigates various living arrangements in association with psychological distress among older men and women. METHODS: Data from community-dwelling Japanese older adults were collected through a mail survey (n = 1,807, aged 65-74 years, 51.5 % men). Psychological distress level was measured using Kessler's six-item psychological distress scale. Living arrangements were categorized into four groups; "living with spouse only", "living with spouse and other family", "living with other family without spouse" or "living alone". Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of living arrangements with psychological distress level. RESULTS: Older adults living alone were observed to have higher psychological distress. In addition, gender-stratified analyses showed that higher distress levels were observed among older men living with family, but without a spouse (OR: 2.85, 95 % CI: 1.51-5.39). In contrast, higher distress was observed among older women living with spouse and other family (OR: 1.53, 95 % CI: 1.03-2.28). CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress in older Japanese adults was associated with living arrangements, but such associations differed by gender. The association of living with a spouse on older men's mental health was striking, while living with any family was found to be rather important for older women, aged 65-74 years.

Mental illness and a high-risk, elderly Japanese population: characteristic differences related to gender and residential location.

PURPOSE: Examining the sociodemographic determinants of psychological distress is important in identifying specific subgroups in need of further intervention. However, there are few studies focusing on older populations and on the role of gender or location of residence. To try to clarify characteristics of a population at high risk for mental illness, we examined the sociodemographic determinants of psychological distress in older adults living in three different locations. METHODS: A mail survey was used to collect data on levels of psychological distress and sociodemographic characteristics from a population-based sample of 1894 older adults who lived in Bunkyo (urban setting), Fuchu (suburban setting) and Oyama (rural setting) in Japan (aged 65-74 years, 51.3% men). Psychological distress level was measured based on Kessler's six-item psychological distress scale (K6) and dichotomized into two groups with a cut-off score of 5 (0-4 or 5-24). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between sociodemographic factors, specifically gender and location of residence, and psychological distress levels. RESULTS: The variables of older age, living in Bunkyo, living in Oyama and living alone were significantly associated with high psychological distress. Although these associations were observed in men, no associations were observed in women. Location-specific analyses showed significant associations between sociodemographic and psychological distress among men living in Oyama, but not among those in Bunkyo or Fuchu. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic factors were significantly correlated with psychological distress, particularly among older men in rural areas. Characteristics of a population at high risk for mental illness may vary based on gender and location of residence. Health promotion initiatives for older adults may be more effective if they take these demographic factors into account.

Effect on mental health of a participatory intervention to improve psychosocial work environment: a cluster randomized controlled trial among nurses.

OBJECTIVES: Improvement of psychosocial work environment has proved to be valuable for workers' mental health. However, limited evidence is available for the effectiveness of participatory interventions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect on mental health among nurses of a participatory intervention to improve the psychosocial work environment. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in hospital settings. A total of 434 nurses in 24 units were randomly allocated to 11 intervention units (n=183) and 13 control units (n=218). A participatory program was provided to the intervention units for 6 months. Depressive symptoms as mental health status and psychosocial work environment, assessed by the Job Content Questionnaire, the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire, and the Quality Work Competence questionnaire, were measured before and immediately after the 6-month intervention by a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: No significant intervention effect was observed for mental health status. However, significant intervention effects were observed in psychosocial work environment aspects, such as Coworker Support (p<0.01) and Goals (p<0.01), and borderline significance was observed for Job Control (p<0.10). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that a 6-month participatory intervention is effective in improving psychosocial work environment, but not mental health, among Japanese nurses.

Factors associated with shift work disorder in nurses working with rapid-rotation schedules in Japan: the nurses' sleep health project.

Workers who meet the criteria for shift work disorder (SWD) have elevated levels of risk for various health and behavioral problems. However, the impact of having SWD on shiftworkers engaged in rapid-rotation schedules is unknown. Moreover, the risk factors for the occurrence of SWD remain unclear. To clarify these issues, we conducted a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey on a sample of shiftworking nurses. Responses were obtained from 1202 nurses working at university hospitals in Tokyo, Japan, including 727 two-shift workers and 315 three-shift workers. The questionnaire included items relevant to age, gender, family structure, work environment, health-related quality of life (QOL), diurnal type, depressive symptoms, and SWD. Participants who reported insomnia and/or excessive sleepiness for at least 1 mo that was subjectively relevant to their shiftwork schedules were categorized as having SWD. The prevalence of SWD in the sampled shiftworking nurses was 24.4%; shiftworking nurses with SWD showed lower health-related QOL and more severe depressive symptoms, with greater rates of both actual accidents/errors and near misses, than those without SWD. The results of logistic regression analyses showed that more time spent working at night, frequent missing of nap opportunities during night work, and having an eveningness-oriented chronotype were significantly associated with SWD. The present study indicated that SWD might be associated with reduced health-related QOL and decreased work performance in shiftworking nurses on rapid-rotation schedules. The results also suggested that missing napping opportunities during night work, long nighttime working hours, and the delay of circadian rhythms are associated with the occurrence of SWD among shiftworking nurses on rapid-rotation schedules.

Correlates of prolonged television viewing time in older Japanese men and women.

BACKGROUND: In addition to insufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), prolonged sitting time is also a health risk for older adults. An understanding of population subgroups who have prolonged television viewing (TV) time, a predominant sedentary behavior, can aid in the development of relevant health promotion initiatives; however, few such studies have focused on older adults, the most sedentary segment of the population as a whole. The aim of this study is to examine the socio-demographic attributes associated with TV time among community-dwelling Japanese older men and women. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional mail survey was used to collect data on TV time, MVPA, and socio-demographic characteristics. The survey was conducted from February through March 2010. Participants were 2700 community-dwelling older adults (aged 65-74 years, 50% men) who were randomly selected from the registry of residential addresses of three cities in Japan. Data from 1665 participants (mean age: 69.5 years, 52% men) who completed all variables for the present study were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) of prolonged TV time (>2 hours/day) for each socio-demographic attribute, stratified by gender. RESULTS: Of the 1665 participants, 810 (48.6%) watched TV for more than 2 hours/day. The median television viewing time (25th, 75th percentile) was 2.00 (1.07, 3.50) hours/day. Prolonged TV time was associated with not in full-time employment, lower educational attainment, weight status, living in regional areas and low MVPA for the whole sample. For men, prolonged TV time was associated with lower educational attainment; (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.12-2.07), underweight (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.02-2.60), overweight (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.11-2.21), and low MVPA (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.02-2.02). For women, living in regional areas (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.33-3.08), living alone (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.03-2.49), not driving (OR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.21-2.65), overweight (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.00-2.24), and low MVPA (OR = 1.51. 95% CI: 1.05-2.17) were associated with prolonged TV time. CONCLUSIONS: These findings identify particular socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics related to TV time among Japanese older adults. It should be noted that correlates of prolonged TV time differed by gender. Women in living situations with limited transportation options tended to spend prolonged time watching TV. Health promotion initiatives for older adults, particularly for older women, may be more effective if they take these attributes into account.

Physical activity of Japanese older adults who own and walk dogs.

BACKGROUND: Dog ownership is emerging as an important correlate of sufficient physical activity and therefore has the potential to positively affect a portion of the population. A growing body of literature indicates that dog-walking contributes to increased physical activity. However, most of the previous studies have been conducted in Australia or the U.S. and have sampled from the general adult population. PURPOSE: This study examined the association between dog ownership, dog-walking, and physical activity in older Japanese adults. METHODS: Participants were community-dwelling residents aged 65-74 years who responded to a population-based cross-sectional survey (N=1926). Physical activity, dog ownership, dog-walking, and sociodemographic attributes were self-reported (collected in 2010; analyzed in 2011). ANCOVAs and multivariate logistic regressions were used. RESULTS: Overall, 14.0% of older adults were dog owners, with 71% reporting that they walked their dog for an average of 308.5±300.7 minutes/week. Dog walkers reported more minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (M±SE: 241.7±27.0) and total physical activity (M±SE: 698.6±40.6) than both non-dog walkers (M±SE: 110.7±41.8; M±SE: 527.2±62.9) and non-dog owners (M±SE: 164.7±9.1; M±SE: 519.2±13.7), respectively (p<0.05). Dog walkers also walked more minutes per week (M±SE: 508.0±33.4) than non-dog owners (M±SE: 384.5±11.3; p<0.05). Dog walkers were more likely to be sufficiently active than both non-dog walkers and non-dog owners (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of dog-walking may be a potentially viable means of intervention for increasing walking and overall physical activity in older Japanese adults.

Association of self-reported physical activity patterns and socio-demographic factors among normal-weight and overweight Japanese men.

BACKGROUND: It is still not known whether overweight men have different patterns and socio-demographic correlates of self-reported physical activity (PA) compared with normal-weight men. Thus, this study examined the perceived PA patterns and associated socio-demographic factors among normal-weight and overweight Japanese men. METHODS: Data were analyzed for 1,420 men (aged 44.4 ± 8.3 years) who responded to an Internet-based cross-sectional survey relating to socio-demographic variables, BMI status, and a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Mann-Whitney, chi-square, and binary logistic regression analyses were employed. RESULTS: Normal-weight men were significantly more likely to attain 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA than overweight men (26.6% vs. 21.3%; p=0.035), whereas there were no significant proportional differences in total PA and walking between the two BMI subgroups. With PA, a significant interaction was observed between BMI status and household income (p=0.004 for total PA; p=0.02 for walking). In the subgroup analyses, having a lower household income (odds ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.96) was negatively associated with attaining 150 minutes of walking per week among normal-weight men. No significant associations between household income and attaining 150 minutes per week of total PA and walking were found among overweight men. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that patterns and socio-demographic correlates of self-reported PA in overweight men are different from those in normal-weight men. This finding suggests the necessity of developing specific strategies for PA intervention among overweight men. Socio-demographic correlates of PA may be more important for normal-weight than overweight men.

Television viewing time is associated with overweight/obesity among older adults, independent of meeting physical activity and health guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown associations of sedentary behavior with cardiovascular risk, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, few studies have focused on older adults. This study examined the joint associations of television (TV) viewing time and MVPA with overweight/obesity among Japanese older adults. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional mail survey was used to collect self-reported height, weight, time spent in TV viewing, and MVPA from 1806 older adults (age: 65-74 years, men: 51.1%). Participants were classified into 4 categories according to TV viewing time (dichotomized into high and low around the median) and MVPA level (dichotomized into sufficient and insufficient by the physical activity guideline level of ≥ 150 minutes/week). Odds ratios (ORs) for overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m²) were calculated according to the 4 TV/MVPA categories, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of all participants, 20.1% were overweight/obese. The median TV viewing time (25th, 75th percentile) was 840 (420, 1400) minutes/week. As compared with the reference category (high TV/insufficient MVPA), the adjusted ORs (95% CI) of overweight/obesity were 0.93 (0.65, 1.34) for high TV/sufficient MVPA, 0.58 (0.37, 0.90) for low TV/insufficient MVPA, and 0.67 (0.47, 0.97) for low TV/sufficient MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of older adults, spending less time watching TV, a predominant sedentary behavior, was associated with lower risk of being overweight or obese, independent of meeting physical activity guidelines. Further studies using prospective and/or intervention designs are warranted to confirm the presently observed effects of sedentary behavior, independent of physical activity, on the health of older adults.