Impacts of anxiety and socioeconomic factors on mental health in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Japan: A web-based survey.

Owing to the rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic worldwide, individuals experience considerable psychological distress daily. The present study aimed to clarify the prevalence of psychological distress and determine the population most affected by risk factors such as the pandemic, socioeconomic status (SES), and lifestyle-related factors causing psychological distress in the early phases of the pandemic in Japan. This study was conducted via a web-based survey using quota sampling to ensure representativeness of the Japanese population aged 20-64 years. A cross-sectional study of 11,342 participants (5,734 males and 5,608 females) was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire that included the Japanese version of the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and questions related to the pandemic, SES, and lifestyle. The prevalence of psychological distress, represented by a K6 score of 5 or more, was 50.3% among males and 52.6% among females. Both males and females with annual household incomes less than 2 million yen and males aged in their twenties had significantly higher K6 scores than those with annual household incomes above 2 million yen and males aged over 30 years. Binary logistic regression analyses found pandemic-related factors such as medical history, inability to undergo clinical tests immediately, having trouble in daily life, unavailability of groceries, new work style, and vague anxiety; SES-related factors such as lesser income; and lifestyle-related factors such as insufficient rest, sleep, and nutritious meals to be significantly related to psychological distress. Psychological distress was more prevalent among people with low income and in younger generations than among other groups. There is an urgent need to provide financial, medical, and social support to those affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Impact of socioeconomic- and lifestyle-related risk factors on poor mental health conditions: A nationwide longitudinal 5-wave panel study in Japan.

The association of socioeconomic status and lifestyle behaviours on mental health appears well-established in the literature, as several studies report that better socioeconomic status such as higher levels of disposable income and employment as well as practising healthy lifestyles can enhance mental well-being. However, the reliance on cross-sectional correlations and lack of adequate statistical controls are possible limitations. This study aims to add the evidence of longitudinal association to the literature by using Japanese representative longitudinal household panel data. We employed panel data analytical techniques such as the random-effects conditional logistic regression (RE-CLR) and the fixed-effects conditional logistic regression (FE-CLR) models with possible time variant confounders being controlled. Our sample was comprised of 14,717 observations of 3,501 individuals aged 22-59 years for five waves of the Japanese Household Panel Survey. We confirmed many of the factors associated with mental health reported in existing studies by analysing cross-sectional data. These significant associations are also longitudinal (within) associations estimated by the FE-CLR models. Such factors include unemployment, low household income, short nightly sleeping duration, and lack of exercise. However, we also found that several factors such as disposable income, living alone, and drinking habits are not significantly associated with mental health in the FE-CRL models. The results imply the reverse causality that poor mental health conditions cause lower disposal income, possibly due to the inability to exhibit higher productivity, but an increase in disposal income would not necessarily improve mental health conditions. In this case, aggressive policy interventions to increase the disposal income of people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds would not necessarily be effective to minimize health inequalities.

Japanese citizens' behavioral changes and preparedness against COVID-19: An online survey during the early phase of the pandemic.

The Japanese government instituted countermeasures against COVID-19, a pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, in January 2020. Seeking "people's behavioral changes," in which the government called on the public to take precautionary measures or exercise self-restraint, was one of the important strategies. The purpose of this study is to investigate how and from when Japanese citizens have changed their precautionary behavior under circumstances in which the government has only requested their cooperation. This study uses micro data from a cross-sectional survey conducted on an online platform of an online research company, based on quota sampling that is representative of the Japanese population. By the end of March 2020, a total of 11,342 respondents, aged from 20 to 64 years, were recruited. About 85 percent reported practising the social distancing measures recommended by the government including more females than males and more older than younger participants. Frequent handwashing is conducted by 86 percent of all participants, 92 percent of female, and 87.9 percent of over-40 participants. The most important event influencing these precautionary actions was the infection aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which occurred in early February 2020 (23 percent). Information from the central and local governments, received by 60 percent of the participants, was deemed trustworthy by 50 percent. However, the results also showed that about 20 percent of the participants were reluctant to implement proper prevention measures. The statistical analysis indicated that the typical characteristics of those people were male, younger (under 30 years old), unmarried, from lower-income households, a drinking or smoking habit, and a higher extraversion score. To prevent the spread of infection in Japan, it is imperative to address these individuals and encourage their behavioural changes using various means to reach and influence them.

Association of socioeconomic and lifestyle-related risk factors with mental health conditions: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is rising public concern over the widening health inequalities in many countries. The aim of this study was to clarify the associations of socioeconomic status (SES)-related variables, such as levels of household disposable income and employment status, and lifestyle factors with mental health conditions among Japanese adults aged 40 to 69. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 3085 participants (1527 males and 1558 females) was undertaken by using a self-administered questionnaire that included the Japanese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and questions related to socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of poor mental health conditions, represented by a GHQ-12 score of 4 or more, was 33.4% among males and 40.4% among females. Males whose annual household disposable income was less than 2 million yen had significantly higher GHQ-12 scores than those with an annual household disposable income above 2 million yen. As per binary logistic regression analyses, short sleep duration and the absence of physical exercise were significantly related to poor mental health conditions among both males and females. Among females, a household disposable income of less than 2 million yen could be a risk factor for poor mental health conditions. Age and habitual drinking were inversely associated with poor mental health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of household disposable income and unhealthy lifestyle factors were significantly associated with mental health conditions. These results suggest the importance of improving unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and developing effective health promotion programmes. In addition, there is a need for social security systems for people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Seasonality affects dietary diversity of school-age children in northern Ghana.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dietary diversity score (DDS) is relatively easy to measure and is shown to be a very useful indicator of the probability of adequate micronutrient intake. Dietary diversity, however, is usually assessed during a single period and little is known about the effect of seasonality on it. This study investigates whether dietary diversity is influenced by seasonality. METHODS: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in two different seasons-dry season (October 2010) and rainy season (May 2011) among the same school-age children (SAC) in two rural schools in northern Ghana. The study population consisted of 228 school-age children. A qualitative 24-hour dietary recall was conducted in both seasons. Based on 13 food groups, a score of 1 was given if a child consumed a food item belonging to a particular food group, else 0. Individual scores were aggregated into DDS for each child. Differences in mean DDS between seasons were compared using linear mixed model analysis. RESULTS: The dietary pattern of the SAC was commonly plant foods with poor consumption of animal source foods. The mean DDS was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the rainy season (6.95 ± 0.55) compared to the dry season (6.44 ± 0.55) after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, sex, occupation (household head and mother) and education of household head. The difference in mean DDS between dry and rainy seasons was mainly due to the difference in the consumption of Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables between the seasons. While vitamin A-rich fruits (64.0% vs. 0.9%; P < 0.0001) and vitamin A rich dark green leafy vegetables (52.6% vs. 23.3%, P < .0001) were consumed more during the rainy season than the dry season, more children consumed vitamin A-rich deep yellow, orange and red vegetables during the dry season than during the rainy season (73.7% vs. 36.4%, P <0.001). CONCLUSION: Seasonality has an effect on DDS and may affect the quality of dietary intake of SAC; in such a context, it would be useful to measure DDS in different seasons. Since DDS is a proxy indicator of micronutrient intake, the difference in DDS may reflect in seasonal differences in dietary adequacy and further studies are needed to establish this.

Prevalence of self-reported finger deformations and occupational risk factors among professional cooks: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have pointed out that the school lunch workers in Japan are suffering from work-related disorders including finger deformations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported finger deformations and the association with job-related risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study of 5,719 subjects (response rate: 81%, 982 men and 4,737 women) was undertaken during September 2003 to February 2004. RESULTS: Finger deformations were found among 11.7% of the men and 35.6% of the women studied, with significant differences among sex, age and sex-age groups. For both men and women the pattern of finger deformations across the hand was similar for the right and the left hand. For women, the deformations were found in about 10% of the distal interphalangeal joints of all fingers. Based on multiple logistic regression analyses, the factors female sex, age, the number of cooked lunches per cook and cooking activities were independently associated with the prevalence of finger deformations. High prevalence odds ratios were found for those frequently carrying or using tools by hands such as delivering containers, distributing meals, preparing dishes, washing equipment, cutting and stirring foods. CONCLUSIONS: Among the school lunch workers studied, women had a higher prevalence of finger deformations on all joints of both hands. Various cooking tasks were associated with the prevalence of finger deformations. The results suggest that improvements in working conditions are important for preventing work-related disorders such as finger deformations.

Prevalence and risk factors for low back pain among professional cooks working in school lunch services.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of self-reported low back pain among professional cooks was estimated to examine the effects of daily life conditions, job-related factors, and psychological factors on this disorder. METHODS: Data was collected using a mailed self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 7100 cooks, 5835 (82%) replied to the questionnaire, including 1010 men and 4825 women. The mean age was 41.4 for men and 47.5 for women. The prevalence of low back pain during a 1-month period was 72.2% among men and 74.7% among women, with no significant differences between groups. By logistic regression analyses, factors significantly associated with the prevalence of low back pain in 1 month were female gender (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.32; 95% CI, 1.03-1.68), current smoking (PR 1.57; 95% CI, 1.24-1.98), and past smoking (PR 1.35; 95% CI, 1.01-1.79). As for job-related factors, the number of cooked lunches per person (PR 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.56), breaks in the morning session (PR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.13-1.56), kitchen environment (PR 1.09; 95%, CI, 1.03-1.15), and height of cooking equipment (PR 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.19) were associated with the prevalence of low back pain. As for psychological factors, job satisfaction (PR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.45), stress at work (PR 1.68; 95% CI, 1.42-1.99), financial constraints (PR 1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.47), health-related stress (PR 1.31; 95% CI, 1.08-1.59) and worries about the future (PR 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01-1.52) were similarly associated. CONCLUSION: Daily life conditions, job-related factors, and psychological factors are associated with the occurrence of low back pain. It is important to take comprehensive preventive measures to address a range of work and life conditions that can be improved to decrease the incidence of low back pain for professional cooks.