The mental health status of children who have been evacuated or migrated from rural areas in Fukushima prefecture after the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power station accident:results from the Fukushima health management survey.

INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the mental health status of children residing in Kawauchi village (Kawauchi), Fukushima Prefecture, after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, based on the children's experience of the nuclear disaster. METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study within the framework of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS);FHMS data on age, sex, exercise habits, sleeping times, experience of the nuclear disaster, and the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)" scores for 156 children from Kawauchi in 2012 were collected. Groups with and without experience of the nuclear disaster - "nuclear disaster (+)" and "nuclear disaster (-)" - were also compared. RESULTS: Our effective response was 93 (59.6%);the mean SDQ score was 11.4±6.8 among elementary school-aged participants and 12.4±6.8 among junior high school-aged ones. We statistically compared the Total Difficulties Scores (TDS) and sub-item scores of the SDQ between "elementary school" and "junior high school" or "nuclear disaster" (+) and (-). There was no significant difference between these items. CONCLUSIONS: We found indications of poor mental health among elementary and junior high school-aged children in the disaster area immediately following the accident, but no differences based on their experience of the nuclear disaster. These results indicate the possibility of triggering stress, separate to that from experiences related to the nuclear disaster, in children who lived in affected rural areas and were evacuated just after the nuclear disaster.

Associations among anthropometric measures, food consumption, and quality of life in school-age children in Tanzania.

Objectives: The factors associated with quality of life (QOL) and anthropometric measurements as outcomes of food consumption were examined among school-age children in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in September 2013 in Tanzania. Anonymous self-administered questionnaire surveys were conducted in the Kiswahili language among primary school children in the fifth and/or sixth grade aged 10-14 years. The survey probed sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, living with family members, number of meals/snacks per day, food consumption in the previous 24 hours, and QOL, as well as anthropometric measurements (height and weight). The Rohrer index was calculated based on height and weight. After presenting the mean and standard deviation (SD) of height, weight, and the Rohrer index score by age and gender, the Rohrer index score was categorized into three groups (low weight, normal weight, and overweight) and analyzed according to sociodemographic characteristics and food consumption using the chi-square test. Furthermore, the QOL score was analyzed using the t test. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to analyze the associations between the QOL score and sociodemographic characteristics and food consumption. Results: A total of 694 children (male: 312; female: 382) participated in this study. According to the Rohrer index, 273 (39.3%) children were classified as low weight, 353 (50.9%) were normal weight, and 68 (9.8%) were overweight. A total of 459 (66.1%) children reported having had three or more meals and/or snacks on the day before the study. In addition, 127 (18.3%) children had not eaten any protein-rich food on the day before the study, although almost all had eaten at least one carbohydrate-rich food per day. Regardless of region, location, gender, and age, living without parents was associated with short stature (P = 0.010). A high QOL score was associated with having three or more meals and/or snacks per day (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The security of physiological needs such as a guarantee of three meals per day could contribute to higher QOL among underserved children.

Oxytocin Mediates a Calming Effect on Postpartum Mood in Primiparous Mothers.

OBJECTIVES: The current study sought to characterize changes in salivary oxytocin (OT) secretion patterns across the breastfeeding cycle, and to evaluate whether breastfeeding has a positive effect on mood disturbances related to postpartum depression, via endogenous OT release. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four primiparous mothers who delivered vaginally at term and were exclusively breastfeeding were examined 4-5 days postpartum. Salivary OT was measured using enzyme immunoassays at 30 minutes before breastfeeding (baseline), during breastfeeding (feeding), and 30 minutes after completing breastfeeding (postfeeding). In addition, maternal mood changes were evaluated at baseline and postfeeding using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. RESULTS: OT levels rose significantly during feeding (pcorr < .05) and postfeeding (pcorr < 0.05), compared with baseline. POMS scores for Tension-Anxiety were decreased postfeeding compared with baseline (p < 0.001). This decrease was significantly associated with increased OT (feeding minus baseline: r = -0.52, rpart = -0.51, postfeeding minus baseline: r = -0.53, rpart = -0.52, ps < 0.05). POMS scores for Fatigue and Confusion also decreased, while Vigor significantly increased. Significant correlations were found between Fatigue decreases and OT increases (feeding minus baseline: r = -0.48, rpart = -0.53, postfeeding minus baseline: rpart = -0.60, ps < 0.05). This result partially contradicted with the finding of no correlation between increased Vigor and increased OT. CONCLUSIONS: OT is released across the breastfeeding cycle and can be detected with salivary measurement. This OT release exhibited a temporary anxiolytic-like calming effect on postpartum maternal mood disturbances.

Association of maternal pre-pregnancy weight, weight gain during pregnancy, and smoking with small-for-gestational-age infants in Japan.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), weight gain during pregnancy, and smoking, with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births among Japanese women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects were pregnant women who gave birth to single, term infants (37-42 weeks) at a clinic and hospital in the Nagasaki area between 2012 and 2013. To examine associations with SGA, 49 underweight (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)) and 579 normal-weight (18.5 ≤ BMI<25.0 kg/m(2)) Japanese women with either appropriate-for-gestational-age or SGA infants were selected and analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of SGA infants was 6.8%. Seven percent of women were current smokers. Prevalence of pre-pregnancy underweight and gestational weight gain less than recommendation were 20.8% and 16.7%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess factors affecting SGA infants in the pregnant women. After adjusting for covariates, the amount of maternal weight gain below recommendation (odds ratio (OR), 2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37-5.39) and maternal smoking status (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.14-6.91) were significantly and independently associated with SGA births. Pre-pregnancy maternal weight status showed a borderline association (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 0.96-3.83, p=0.067). CONCLUSION: To prevent SGA births, education regarding the adequate nutrition and the adverse effect of maternal smoking is important for the women of reproductive age.

Mental health problems and influencing factors in Japanese women 4 months after delivery.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum mental health problems are a major public health issue; however, studies on the mental health status of mothers and its influencing factors between 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum are scarce. Furthermore, it would be necessary to examine the factors influencing mothers' mental health in order to evaluate their physiological adaptations to the nursing environment. METHODS: We examined the mental health status of postpartum women and the factors influencing poor mental health at 4 months after delivery. A cross-sectional study of 584 postpartum women was conducted. Information on mental health status, delivery, and other factors was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Women were asked about their age, height, weight, gestational or marital status, whether they were eating regular meals, appetite, frequency of going out, financial difficulty, stressful life events, and history of depression. The Japanese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify potential poor mental health status. Participants with GHQ-12 scores of ≥4 were classified as the high GHQ-12 score group (poor mental health status) and participants with GHQ-12 scores of ≤3 were classified as the low GHQ-12 score group (good mental health status). RESULTS: Forty-five women (7.7%) were classified as having high GHQ-12 scores. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older age, not eating meals regularly, and history of depression were significantly associated with poor mental health. Financial difficulty had a borderline association with poor mental health in this model. CONCLUSIONS: These risk factors might help practitioners identify women at high risk of poor mental health after delivery.

Knowledge, experience, and potential risks of dating violence among Japanese university students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The Domestic Violence Prevention Act came into effect in Japan in 2001, but covers only marriage partner violence and post-divorce partner violence, and does not recognize intimate partner violence (IPV). The present study was performed to determine the experience of harassment, both toward and from an intimate partner, and recognition of harassment as IPV among Japanese university students. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey regarding the experience of harassment involving an intimate partner was conducted as a cross-sectional study among freshman students in a prefectural capital city in Japan. RESULTS: A total of 274 students participated in the present study. About half of the subjects (both male and female students) had experience of at least one episode of harassment toward or had been the recipient of harassment from an intimate partner. However, the study participants did not recognize verbal harassment, controlling activities of an intimate partner, and unprotected sexual intercourse as violence. Experience of attending a lecture/seminar about domestic violence and dating violence did not contribute to appropriate help-seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: An educational program regarding harassment and violence prevention and appropriate help-seeking behavior should be provided in early adolescence to avoid IPV among youth.

Fetal response to induced maternal emotions.

This study investigated the relationship between fetal movements and acute maternal emotional changes during pregnancy. Two empirically validated feature film clips were used for the external generation of two subjectively and facially well-characterized target emotions: happiness and sadness. We simultaneously monitored separate fetal arm, leg, and trunk movements by means of two ultrasound apparatuses while maternal emotions were manipulated by film clip presentation. The number of fetal arm movements, but not the duration, was increased when pregnant women were being shown a happy film. Both the number and the duration of fetal arm movements decreased with the sad film presentation. Neither the presentation of happiness nor the presentation of sadness affected fetal leg or trunk movements. These findings suggest that induced emotions in pregnant women primarily affect arm movements of their fetuses, and that positive and negative emotions have the opposite effects on fetus movement.

Initiation of breastfeeding within 120 minutes after birth is associated with breastfeeding at four months among Japanese women: a self-administered questionnaire survey.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of mothers in Japan who breastfeed exclusively has been low since the 1970s. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the time of first breastfeed after birth and the proportion of mothers fully breastfeeding up to four months postpartum. METHODS: A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were 318 mothers who participated in a physical examination of their four month old infants in Nagasaki City, Japan in 2003. RESULTS: The time of first breastfeeding up to 120 minutes was significantly associated with the proportion of mothers fully breastfeeding during their stay in the clinic/hospital (p = 0.006), at one month (p = 0.004) and at four months after birth (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in the proportion of full breastfeeding in mothers who first breastfed between the period of less 30 minutes after birth and that of between 31 and 120 minutes after birth. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the proportion of mothers who continued full breastfeeding at four months was significantly higher in those who breastfed their baby within 120 minutes compared with more than 120 minutes (OR 2.5, p = 0.01), but was not significantly different in those who breastfed within 30 minutes compared with more than 30 minutes (OR 1.8, p = 0.06). Early breastfeeding was affected by caesarean section, premature delivery and severe bleeding during delivery. CONCLUSION: Commencement of early breastfeeding was associated with the proportion of mothers who fully breastfed their infants up to four months. Early breastfeeding, especially within two hours, is recommended for child and maternal health.

Developing an instrument to measure climacteric symptoms among Korean and Japanese women.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct a measurement instrument for climacteric symptoms among Korean and Japanese women. METHODS: From Dec. 1st of 2003 to March 30th of 2004, in-depth interviews were made with 26 women (15 in Jinju, Korea and 11 in Nagasaki, Japan) aged from 45 to 59 years who had not taken hormone replacement therapy to relieve the climacteric symptoms. A draft questionnaire with 45 items was constructed on the basis of the interview data and literature review. Three obstetricians, three PhDs in nursing science, and a chief nurse who was exclusively in charge of the climacteric management, examined the draft questionnaire to evaluate content validity. After deletions 39 items remained for a preliminary questionnaire. A survey was conducted by using a convenient sampling method in Jinju of Korea and Nagasaki of Japan during the period from April 1st, 2004 to July 10th, 2005. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified 4 factors, which were "mental and psychological symptoms", "physical symptoms", "loss of autonomic nervous system symptoms", "sexual symptoms". These four factors explained 46.9% of total variance. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that climacteric symptom scale was multidimensional, and the reliability and validity of the scale was supported.

Secular trends of sizes at birth in Japanese healthy infants born between 1962 and 1988.

Body sizes at birth are important clinical indicators widely used for evaluation of prenatal growth. Japan had significant socioeconomic improvement around the 1960s, and these environmental changes may influence physiologically prenatal growth. Furthermore, in Japan, measurements of size at birth for birth certificates are weight and height. Thus, we can refer to annual data on weight and height, but not on head and chest circumference at birth. In this study we measured the weight, height, and head and chest circumference at birth among 6,563 Japanese singleton healthy infants, annually in 1962 and 1988, and examined secular trends of these anthropometric measurements. The boys consistently exceeded the girls in all four variables. Birth weight and height increased significantly from the 1960s to '70s, but did not differ between the '70s and '80s in both boys and girls. Secular trends of head and chest circumference were different from them. In both boys and girls, head and chest circumference increased significantly from the '60s to the '70s, but decreased significantly from the '70s to the '80s. No difference of head circumference during the '60s and '80s was found, but the difference of chest circumference was found. Size at birth was likely to increase from the '60s to '70s in Japan. These findings suggest that the environmental changes such as socioeconomic improvements influence the prenatal growth.