Comprehensive Survey Of Living Conditions Research Articles

Impact of Long Working Hours on Mental Health Status in Japan: Evidence from a National Representative Survey.

Using the 2010-2019 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) conducted in Japan, we examined the impact of long working hours on mental health in Japan while addressing the endogeneity issue arising from non-random selection bias. We assessed the variations in the effects of long working hours on mental health across different groups. The results show that first, individuals working longer hours (55 h or more per week) exhibited a higher likelihood of developing mental illness than those working regular hours or fewer hours. Second, the negative effect of long working hours on mental health is more pronounced among non-regular workers than among regular workers. Third, the effect of long working hours on mental health varies among different demographic groups, with a greater impact observed among women, managers, non-regular workers, employees in small- or large-sized firms, and those in smaller cities compared to their counterparts. Thus, to enhance worker productivity, the Japanese government should address the issue of long working hours to improve employees' mental well-being. Initiatives aimed at promoting work-life balance, family-friendly policies, and measures to ameliorate working conditions are expected to help mitigate the challenges associated with long working hours and mental health issues, especially among non-regular workers.

Recent dental visits and family caregiving among individuals with dental symptoms: A nationwide cross-sectional study in Japan.

With the increasing number of family caregivers due to the ageing population, physical and mental health problems among caregivers are of concern. However, few studies have evaluated their oral health. This study aimed to evaluate the association between being a family caregiver and recent dental visits for dental symptoms in Japan, with consideration of gender. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) in Japan. Participants with dental symptoms were included in this study. The primary outcome was recent dental visits. The exposure variable of interest was being a primary caregiver for a family member requiring long-term care. A logistic regression analysis was conducted adjusting for contributing factors such as age, gender, marital status, working hours per week, education, household expenditure per month, self-rated health and the interaction between gender and caregiving. A stratified analysis by gender was also performed. Of the 5100 eligible participants, 233 (4.6%) were family caregivers. Of all participants, 2746 (53.8%) reported dental visits. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of family caregivers having recent dental visits was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.09). In a gender stratified analysis, family caregivers were less likely to visit dental clinics than were non-family caregivers in the male subsample (aOR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34-0.92) but not in the female subsample (aOR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.72-1.38). The findings indicate that family caregivers, especially male caregivers, had fewer dental visits than non-family caregivers. These findings suggest the need to improve the accessibility of dental clinics to family caregivers with dental symptoms.

Development of a Prediction Model for Healthy Life Years Without Activity Limitation: National Cross-sectional Study.

In some countries, including Japan-the leading country in terms of longevity, life expectancy has been increasing; meanwhile, healthy life years have not kept pace, necessitating an effective health policy to narrow the gap. The aim of this study is to develop a prediction model for healthy life years without activity limitations and deploy the model in a health policy to prolong healthy life years. The Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions, a cross-sectional national survey of Japan, was conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2013, 2016, and 2019. The data from 1,537,773 responders were used for modelling using machine learning. All participants were randomly split into training (n=1,383,995, 90%,) and test (n=153,778, 10%) subsets. Extreme gradient boosting classifier was implemented. Activity limitations were set as the target. Age, sex, and 40 types of diseases or injuries were included as features. Healthy life years without activity limitations were calculated by incorporating the predicted prevalence rate of activity limitations in a life table. For the wide utility of the model in individuals, we developed an application tool for the model. In the groups without (n=1,329,901) and with (n=207,872) activity limitations, the median age was 47 (IQR 30-64) and 69 (IQR 54-80) years, respectively (P<.001); female sex comprised 51.3% (n=681,794) in the group without activity limitations and 56.9% (n=118,339) in the group with activity limitations (P<.001). A total of 42 features were included in the feature set. Age had the highest impact on model accuracy, followed by depression or other mental diseases; back pain; bone fracture; other neurological disorders, pain, or paralysis; stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, or infarction; arthritis; Parkinson disease; dementia; and other injuries or burns. The model exhibited high performance with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.846 (95% CI 0.842-0.849) with exact calibration for the average probability and fraction of positives. The prediction results were consistent with the observed values of healthy life years for both sexes in each year (range of difference between predictive and observed values: -0.89 to 0.16 in male and 0.61 to 1.23 in female respondents). We applied the prediction model to a regional health policy to prolong healthy life years by adjusting the representative predictors to a target prevalence rate. Additionally, we presented the health condition without activity limitations index, followed by the application development for individual health promotion. The prediction model will enable national or regional governments to establish an effective health promotion policy for risk prevention at the population and individual levels to prolong healthy life years. Further investigation is needed to validate the model's adaptability to various ethnicities and, in particular, to countries where the population exhibits a short life span.

Analysis of patient factors associated with hospital visits for allergic rhinitis in Japanese adult patients: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveAllergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common diseases in Japan. However, several AR patients do not seek optimal treatments at clinics/hospitals. This may affect the patient's quality of life and labor productivity. In this study, we assessed the characteristics of the outpatients’ AR and factors associated with their hospital visit, using the dataset obtained from a nation-wide survey in Japan. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we used data from the nation-wide 2013 and 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) in Japan. We analyzed the data of AR outpatients through logistic regression, using the outcome as the dependent variable, and age groups, sex, household size, educational status, smoking history, alcohol use, household expenditure, psychological distress, quality of sleep, asthma and atopic dermatitis outpatients as explanatory variables. ResultsAmong the data of 317,984 outpatients aged between 20 and 79 years in 2016 CSLC survey, the proportion of AR outpatients was significantly less among current smokers (odds ratio (OR); 0.47, 95% confidence interval (CI); 0.43–0.51, P < 0.001) and those with large household sizes (OR; 0.80, 95% CI; 0.72–0.89, P < 0.001). Conversely, the proportion of AR outpatients was significantly more among subjects with a past smoking habit (OR; 1.19, 95% CI; 1.08–1.31, P < 0.001), insufficient sleep (OR; 2.93, 95% CI; 2.52–3.42, P < 0.001), psychological distress (OR; 1.71, 95% CI; 1.62–1.80, P < 0.001), high household expenditures (OR; 1.68, 95% CI; 1.56–1.80, P < 0.001), and asthma and atopic dermatitis outpatients (OR; 8.97, 95% CI; 8.13–9.89 P < 0.001 for asthma and OR; 7.61, 95% CI; 6.76–8.58 P < 0.001 for atopic dermatitis). We observed the same trend using the dataset of 2013 CLSC survey. ConclusionThis study revealed that smoking habit, psychological distress, insufficient sleep, high household expenditures and outpatients with other allergic diseases are the factors associated with AR outpatient visit.

Socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health in two East Asian countries: Comparative study between Japan and Korea.

Although Japan and South Korea share a number of commonalities, social security systems are very different. We opt to compare socioeconomic disparities in self-rated health between these two countries. The analytic sample included those aged 20 years and older from the nationally representative surveys in Japan (Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions) and South Korea (Korean Community Health Survey). As socioeconomic status, we used income (quintiles of equivalized annual household income) and education (five categories). We measured socioeconomic inequalities using two indices; the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII), in each age group for each country. In Japan, we found relatively little evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health over the life course, on either the absolute or relative scale. In Korea, the absolute inequality assessed by SII of self-rated poor health was higher in middle and old age groups compared to other age groups, while relative inequality measured by RII was significantly higher in younger ages. In Japan with more generous welfare system to the older generations, health inequality was relatively lower compared to Korea. The gaps in health status for Korean people suggest where social policy might direct their efforts in the future - (a) reducing inequalities in working-age people by addressing the gap between standard workers & non-standard workers; and (b) improving the financial conditions of older people by shoring up the social security system.

DO THE PRESENCE OF ADULT CHILDREN AND THEIR MARITAL STATUS MATTER FOR ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE SYSTEM?

Knowing how the presence of family affects access to the public long-term care system is important for evaluating the adequacy of the system. This study examined the relationship between the presence of adult children and their marital status, and access to a public system by examining the gap between self-reported care needs and the official certification as needing care under the Japanese public long-term care insurance system. Data from Japan’s 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions were used. A total of 23,466 older adult claimants, aged 65 years and older were analyzed. Outcomes were whether or not claimants were officially certified as needing care under the system, and the relationship of the presence of both live-in and live-out children and their marital status were examined controlling for claimants’ age, gender, education, financial status, and physical and cognitive conditions. Females comprised 64.8% of the sample, and the average age was 83 years (SD=7.8). The percentage of claimants living with a single or married child were 25.2% and 26.9%, respectively, and 60.1% were parents of children who lived independently. The percentage who were officially certified as needing care was 68.5%. Logistic regression analysis revealed that claimants with a live-in child were less likely to be officially certified as needing care, and claimants with live-in a single child were less likely to be officially certified compared with those with a married child. Live-in single children may provide long-term care by themselves, and the excess burden on them needs to be further investigated.

Partial Smoking Ban and Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Japan.

Implementing smoking bans is a worldwide common practice for tobacco control. However, if the policy prohibits smoking partially rather than comprehensively, it may increase nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in nonprohibited places. This paper investigates how a partial smoking ban affected nonsmokers’ SHS exposure (measured by frequency of having exposure to SHS in days per month) in households, workplaces, and restaurants by examining the case of a partial smoking ban introduced in a large Japanese prefecture in 2013. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) in 2010, 2013, and 2016 (n = 30,244) and the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) from 2001 to 2016 (n = 2,366,896), this paper employs a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. We found that the partial smoking ban significantly increased their SHS exposure in households and workplaces by 2.64 days and 4.70 days per month, respectively, while it did not change nonsmokers’ SHS exposure in restaurants. The results imply that the smoking ban displaced smokers from public places to private places. We also found that neither smokers’ smoking status nor smoking intensity changed significantly after implementing the partial smoking ban. Comprehensive smoking bans are needed to better protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure.

A nationwide survey regarding the life situations of patients with thalidomide embryopathy in Japan, 2018: First report.

BackgroundClinical studies on the effects of thalidomide‐induced damage on thalidomide victims as they age have only recently started to be conducted, but no studies have examined socioeconomic differences in terms of healthcare and social status between thalidomiders and the age‐matched general population in Japan. Therefore, we carried out a nationwide survey focusing on the life situations of thalidomiders.MethodQuestionnaires were sent to 274 thalidomiders in Japan. The questionnaire items basically matched those of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) in the general population conducted by the Japanese Government. The results were compared with those of the CSLC for individuals aged 55–59 years, which was the cohort most similar in age to the average thalidomider living in Japan.ResultsMore thalidomiders rated their health condition as relatively bad or bad compared with the general population (20.2% vs. 13.3%, respectively). A much higher percentage of thalidomiders reported having some health or physical problem caused by a disease or injury (68.8% vs. 32.6%, respectively), and thalidomiders reported visiting medical and healthcare‐related facilities more frequently. A higher proportion of thalidomiders (9.2%) were unemployed, and thalidomiders tended to feel higher levels of worry and stress, especially in terms of the future.ConclusionsThe results of this nationwide survey of the life situations of thalidomiders in Japan clarified their health conditions and the related associations with socioeconomic status. These findings could be expected to help improve the provision of medical and healthcare, welfare measures, and financial support for thalidomiders in the near future.

Key variable combinations for identifying non-participants in the Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey through record linkage with the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions

Objectives The identification of non-participants in the Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS) requires record linkage with its master sample from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC). In principle, we can merge individual records between the two surveys by using key identifiers including household ID, but false matches and nonmatches can occur. We examined combinations of key variables for improving record linkage to identify nonparticipants in the NHNS.Methods We used individual-level data from the NHNS and the CSLC from 1988 to 2015 (except 2012). We extracted from CSLC data individuals in participating unit blocks in the NHNS to merge records between the two surveys. We used four combinations of key variables: prefecture ID, census enumeration district ID, unit block ID, household ID, and household member ID (A); household member ID in A was replaced with sex and birth year and month or age (B); sex and birth year and month or age were added to A (C); two-stage linkage of B and C (D). We classified a sample of individuals into matched participants, unmatched NHNS participants, and unmatched CSLC participants (a proxy for nonparticipants). We compared the percentages of matched NHNS participants and unmatched CSLC participants across the four combinations of key variables.Results We obtained a sample of 455,854 participants from the CSLC and 335,010 from the NHNS. The percentage of matched NHNS participants was highest in A (the upper 90%), followed by D (the lower 90%), B (the lower 90%), and C (the 80%). Compared to C, the percentage of matched NHNS participants was higher by 8-14 percentage points in A and 5-10 percentage points in B. Compared to B, it was higher by 0.1-0.4 percentage points in D. The percentage of unmatched CSLC participants was highest in C, followed by B, D, and A. The percentage of unmatched CSLC participants increased in D from the 20% level in the late 1980s to around 30% in the 1990s and stayed between the 30% level and the lower 40% level in the 2000s.Conclusion The highest percentage of accurate matches of NHNS participants was obtained by considering changes in household member ID and incorrect entries on sex and birth year/month and age, and same-sex multiple births. However, there are limitations in handling unmatched participants due to changes in household ID or other reasons. It is therefore necessary to consider the possibility of false nonmatches included in unmatched CSLC participants in regarding them as non-participants in the NHNS.

An analysis of factors related to disability-free life expectancy at 65years of age across Japanese prefectures in 2010.

Compared to the large volume of research focused on mortality differentials within Japan, relatively little is known about regional variations in health expectancy, particularly among older people. This article has two interrelated objectives. The first objective is to estimate prefecture-specific disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) at 65years of age in 2010. DFLE at 65 by gender and prefecture was computed using the Sullivan method, which was applied to prefecture-specific life tables and prevalence of disability from Kokumin Seikatsu Kiso Chosa (Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions) of 2010. The second objective is to investigate macro-level factors associated with DFLE at 65 across 47 Japanese prefectures. Our results indicate regional disparities in DFLE at older ages. Importantly, we note close relationships between a prefecture's wealth, labor, and welfare characteristics and DFLE at 65. Income per capita, the proportion of workers older than 65, and welfare expenditures are positively related to DFLE, whereas unemployment and long-term care insurance expenditures per-capita are inversely associated with DFLE for both genders. The proportion of older adults relying on public assistance is negatively related only to women's DFLE. These results suggest that narrowing socioeconomic disparities may contribute to the health of Japanese elders. Reducing regional health disparities therefore requires policy makers to take into account the broader socioeconomic conditions of each prefecture.

The relationship between raising a child with a disability and the mental health of mothers compared to raising a child without disability in japan

ObjectivePrevious studies conducted in Japan targeted only mothers who cared for children with disabilities, and lacked reference subjects, such as mothers of children without disabilities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between raising one or two children with a disability and maternal psychological distress compared to mothers of children without a disability, and to assess differences among partnered mothers living with grandparent(s), partnered mothers without grandparent(s), and single mothers. MethodsThis study utilized data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) in 2010. We merged the data of the children (aged six and over), mothers, and fathers. This study obtained 33,739 study subjects as a triad of a child (33,110 children without disabilities and 629 children with disabilities), mother, and father. The Japanese version of Kessler 6 (K6) was used to assess the psychological distress of mothers. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the independent association of a child with a disability on maternal psychological distress after controlling for the basic characteristics of the children, mothers, and households. ResultsThis study reported that raising one or two children with disabilities was significantly related to maternal psychological distress (odds ratio: 1.72 for one child, 2.85 for two children) compared to mothers of children without disability. After stratifying the analyses by family structure, significant associations remained among mothers in two-parent families but not for mothers in three-generation families and single mothers due to a small number of children with disabilities in these families. ConclusionsThis study reported the significant association between raising a child with a disability and maternal psychological distress in comparison to mothers of children without disabilities. Attention should be paid to not only single mothers, but also partnered mothers in two-parent families who have a child with a disability. It is important for health professionals to focus on the mental health of every mother of a child with a disability and to assess their needs for psychological support.

Socioeconomic status and self-rated health of Japanese people, based on age, cohort, and period.

BackgroundDifferences in health resulting from differences in socioeconomic status (SES) have been identified around the world. Age, period, and cohort (A-P-C) differences in health are vital factors which are associated with disparities in SES. However, few studies have examined these differences simultaneously. Moreover, although self-rated health (SRH) has been frequently used as an indicator of health, biases in reporting SRH that depend on the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents have been scarcely adjusted in the previous studies. To overcome these limitations, we investigated the associations between disparities in SES and adjusted SRH based on A-P-C, by using a repeated, cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of Japanese people. In addition, we further investigated how exogenous (macroeconomic) conditions unique to a period or cohort would explain trends across successive periods and cohorts.MethodsData were obtained from a sample of 653,132 Japanese people that responded to the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC), which is a cross-sectional survey that had been conducted every three years from 1986 to 2013, on over 10 occasions. In the CSLC, SES has been assessed by household income. We simultaneously controlled for each A-P-C dimension by using the model for cross-classification of random effects, and adjusting SRH data for reporting biases caused by differences in income and A-P-C.ResultsDifferences in adjusted SRH associated with income differences decreased with age and reversed after 76 years of age. Period differences indicated that income differences peaked in 1992 and 2007. Moreover, differences in adjusted SRH associated with income differences decreased in periods with high unemployment across all periods. Furthermore, there were no cohort differences in adjusted SRH that were associated with income differences.ConclusionIn Japan, there are age and period variations associated with adjusted differences in SRH as assessed by income. Moreover, exogenous conditions in each period could help explain periodic trends across successive periods.

Dietary fat intake of Japanese male children and its associated factors: Results of the 1995 National Nutrition Survey in Japan

Aim: To clarify the factors associated with reported dietary fat intake by Japanese male children. Methods: This study is based on the data of a nationally representative cross-sectional study in Japan. Three hundred and seventy-seven male children (age, 6 - 11 years) whose households were sampled in the 1995 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions of the People on Health and Welfare, and the 1995 National Nutrition Survey and whose parents were identified through record linkage between the 2 survey data sets were enrolled. Results: The final dataset in this study consisted of 377 boys with 329 of their parents. Fifty-two boys were found to be overweight (13.8%). The reported dietary fat intake was higher among the overweight boys than among the non-overweight boys. Maternal obesity was significantly associated with obesity in male children. Boys who frequently consumed foods from the “fats and lipids” group and the “meat” groups, and children from nuclear families rather than 3- generation families reported high dietary fat intake. In addition, parental fat intake was also significantly associated with fat intake of male children. Conclusions: Child and parental dietary habits along with the household status should be considered when implementing nutritional education programmes to control dietary fat intake and reduce the obesity risks of male children.