著者

Yuko Kachi Tsuguhiko Kato Ichiro Kawachi

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.JE20180216, (Released:2019-03-23)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

7

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Background: Accumulating evidence has shown that high-quality early childhood education and care may be an effective way of promoting children’s optimal health and development, especially for the most disadvantaged. However, socially disadvantaged families are less likely to enroll children in center-based childcare. In this study, we explored characteristics associated with use of center-based childcare among Japanese families.Methods: We used data from two Japanese birth cohorts in 2001 (n=17,019) and 2010 (n=24,333). Enrollment in center-based childcare was assessed at the ages of three and four years in the 2001 cohort and at the age of three in the 2010 cohort. Logistic regression analyses were conducted.Results: Children in the lowest quintile of household income were 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.20-1.98) times more likely to not receive center-based childcare than those in the highest-income quartile at the age of four in the 2001 cohort. Other socio-economic disadvantage (mother’s low education, non-Japanese parent, and higher number of siblings) and child’s health and developmental problems (preterm birth, congenital diseases, and developmental delay) were also associated with the non-use of center-based childcare at the age of three in the 2001 and 2010 cohorts.Conclusions: An inverse care law operates in the use of early childhood education, i.e. children with the least need enjoy the highest access. Children with socio-economic, health, and developmental disadvantages are at a greater risk of not receiving early childhood education and care. Social policies to promote equal access to early childhood education are needed to reduce future socio-economic inequalities.

著者

Yuko Kachi Toshiaki Otsuka Tomoyuki Kawada

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.JE20140108, (Released:2015-05-23)

参考文献数

35

被引用文献数

12 21

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Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) as a determinant of obesity has received scant attention in Japan. This study examined the association between SES and overweight among Japanese children and adolescents.Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of a representative sample of Japanese children (6–11 years: n = 397) and adolescents (12–18 years: n = 397) were performed, with measured heights and weights from the 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2010 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. Overweight, including obesity, was defined by International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. SES indicators included household income, equivalent household expenditure, parental educational attainment, and parental occupational class.Results: Overweight prevalence was 12.3% in children and 9.1% in adolescents. Adolescents living in middle-income households were more likely to be overweight than those living in high-income households (OR 2.26, 95% CI, 1.01–5.67) after adjustment for age, sex, and parental weight status. Similarly, adolescents living in households with low expenditure levels were more likely to be overweight than those living in households with high expenditure levels (OR 3.40, 95% CI, 1.20–9.60). In contrast, no significant association was observed among children.Conclusions: Our results indicated that low household economic status was associated with being overweight, independent of parental weight status, among Japanese adolescents.

著者

Akiomi Inoue Yuko Kachi Hisashi Eguchi Akihito Shimazu Norito Kawakami Akizumi Tsutsumi

出版者

Japan Society for Occupational Health

雑誌

Environmental and Occupational Health Practice (ISSN:24344931)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.1, pp.2020-0002-OA, 2020 (Released:2020-06-30)

参考文献数

35

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Objectives: We prospectively examined the combined effect of high stress (i.e., being under great work-related stress), as defined in the Japanese Stress Check Program manual using the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), and job dissatisfaction on long-term sickness absence lasting 1 month or more. Methods: Participants were 7,343 male and 7,344 female financial service company employees who completed the BJSQ. We obtained personnel records covering a 1-year period to identify employees with long-term sickness absence, which was treated as a dichotomous variable. Participants were classified into four groups (high-stress+dissatisfied, high-stress+satisfied, not high-stress+dissatisfied, and not high-stress+satisfied groups) to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of long-term sickness absence for these groups using Cox’s proportional hazard regression analysis. Furthermore, to examine whether the combined effect of high stress and job dissatisfaction is synergistic or additive, we calculated relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), synergy index (SI), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: After adjustment for covariates, the HR of long-term sickness absence was highest among the high-stress+dissatisfied group (HR 6.49; 95% CI, 3.42–12.3) followed by the high-stress+satisfied group (HR 5.01; 95% CI, 1.91–13.1). The combined effect of high stress and job dissatisfaction was additive (95% CIs of RERI and AP included 0 and that of SI included 1). Conclusions: Our findings suggest incorporating high stress with job dissatisfaction improves the predictability of long-term sickness absence. However, employees reporting high stress but satisfaction with their jobs may still at increased risk of developing long-term sickness absence.

著者

Bibha Dhungel Tsuguhiko Kato Yuko Kachi Manami Ochi Stuart Gilmour Kenji Takehara

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.33, no.6, pp.294-302, 2023-06-05 (Released:2023-06-05)

参考文献数

59

被引用文献数

4

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Background: In Japan, ten percent of single-parent households are led by fathers. Taking care of children as a single father is very stressful and could put a strain on their health. It is very important to prevent and identify psychological distress among fathers for both their own health and to avoid negative impacts on children. This study aims to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with psychological distress among single fathers and understand how it is different from partnered fathers.Methods: We used data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2016. Psychological distress, assessed using the K6 scale, was analyzed among 868 single and 43,880 partnered fathers. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for psychological distress, such as employment type, sleep hours, and smoking and drinking habits.Results: Single fathers had a higher proportion (8.5%) of psychological distress compared to partnered fathers (5.0%). A larger percentage of single fathers had a lower educational level and were more likely to be non-regular workers, self-employed, or unemployed than partnered fathers. Among single fathers, the crude and adjusted odds ratio for employment type and sleep hours were significantly associated with psychological distress.Conclusion: As single parents who are self-employed or directors are likely to have significantly reduced psychological distress than those with regular jobs, measures are needed to improve the work-family balance for non-self-employed fathers. There is a need to provide greater financial assistance and other social welfare support to single parents to ensure their and their children’s good health.

著者

Bibha DHUNGEL Kato TSUGUHIKO Yuko KACHI Manami OCHI Stuart GILMOUR Kenji TAKEHARA

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.JE20210273, (Released:2021-10-23)

参考文献数

59

被引用文献数

4

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Background: In Japan, ten percent of single-parent households are led by fathers. Taking care of children as a single father is very stressful and could put a strain on their health. It is very important to prevent and identify psychological distress among fathers for both their own health and to avoid negative impacts on children. This study aims to determine the prevalence of, and factors associated with psychological distress among single fathers and understand how it is different from partnered fathers.Methods: We used data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2016. Psychological distress, assessed using the K6 scale, was analysed among 868 single and 43,880 partnered fathers. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for psychological distress such as employment type, sleep hours, smoking and drinking habits.Results: Single fathers had a higher proportion (8.5%) of psychological distress compared to partnered fathers (5.0%). A large percentage of single fathers had a lower educational level and were non-regular workers, self-employed or unemployed, compared to partnered fathers. Among single fathers, the crude and adjusted odds ratio for employment type and sleep hours were significantly associated with psychological distress.Conclusion: As single parents who are self-employed or directors are likely to have significantly reduced psychological distress than those with regular jobs, measures are needed to improve the work-family balance for non-self-employed fathers. There is a need to provide assistance to improve the quality and amount of sleep of single fathers to ensure their and their children’s good health.

著者

Emiko ANDO Yuko KACHI Norito KAWAKAMI Yoshiharu FUKUDA Tomoyuki KAWADA

出版者

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

雑誌

Industrial Health (ISSN:00198366)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2017-0079, (Released:2018-04-13)

被引用文献数

5

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This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional association of non-standard employment with cardiovascular disease risk factors. Five years of data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions and National Health and Nutritional Survey were combined. We used logistic regression to examine the association of employment contract (non-standard [part-time, dispatched, or contract] vs. standard [full-time and permanent]) with eight cardiovascular disease risk factors among 1,636 men and 2,067 women aged 40–60 years. There were significant associations between non-standard employment and cardiovascular disease risk factors such as current smoking among men (odds ratio [OR] 1.39; 95% confidential interval [CI], 1.13–1.86) and diabetes among women (OR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.10–3.09). Non-standard employment was associated with a few cardiovascular disease risk factors in this middle-aged cohort in Japan.