Japanese National Survey Research Articles

Effects of socioeconomic factors and cancer survivors' worries on their quality of life (QOL) in Japan

Effects of socioeconomic factors and cancer survivors' worries on their quality of life (QOL) were investigated. In 2002, Japanese national survey was performed to assess distress among cancer patients using a semi-structured questionnaire (http://www.scchr.jp/yorozu/pdf/taiken_koe_eng.pdf). We investigated relationships between patients' distress and their QOL measured by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy--12-item Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp), using a covariance structure analysis and multivariate regression analysis. A total of 130 outpatients (male: 42%; average age: 59 years; performance status rating 0-2:89%; breast/lung/gastrointestinal cancer: 38/22/21%) answered the questionnaires. A covariance structure analysis extracted latent variables, which were named socioeconomic distress and cancer worries, using a model that sufficiently represented the observed data (Goodness of fit index = 0.833). Regression analysis demonstrated that higher family income significantly correlated with better Global health status/QOL (p = 0.003) but that losing a job negatively correlated with all of the scales on functioning in the QLQ-C30 (p < 0.05) and spiritual well-being (p < 0.05). Patients' QOL was also affected by physical worries and spiritual issues in terms of emotional, cognitive, and social functioning. In conclusion, cancer survivors' QOL was doubly affected by socioeconomic distress and cancer worries. In the former, lower family income and losing employment by experiencing cancer had a negative impact on patients' QOL. As to the latter, physical worries and spiritual issues also affected patients' QOL.

Perceived Freedom and its Sociological Effects: An Inquiry into the Relationship Between Liberalism and Inequality

Abstract: Individual freedom has been regarded as one of the most important criteria for a desirable society and life. Recently, the theories of liberalism and distributive justice have received increasing attention as a theoretical basis for tackling problems pertaining to socioeconomic inequality and poverty. However, few quantitative analyses focus on the meaning of freedom in the context of socioeconomic inequality and political order in an existing liberal‐democratic society. In this paper, I construct a self‐rated measure of freedom—the overall perceived freedom scale—and examine (1) whether socioeconomic inequality is related to inequality of freedom, (2) whether freedom is related to subjective well‐being, and (3) whether freedom affects people's political attitude toward inequalities. Analyses using data from a 2005 Japanese national survey (N = 1320) reveal the following results: (1) people with higher personal income (not household income), higher education, and better health tend to perceive greater freedom, (2) people with higher perceived freedom are more likely to be satisfied with their life, and (3) individuals with higher perceived freedom are more likely to oppose the government's egalitarian policy, and their opposition is based on the liberal principle of freedom and self‐responsibility. On the basis of these findings, the double‐edged possibility of individual freedom and liberalism as an “enhancer” and “moderator” of socioeconomic inequalities and political conflicts is suggested.

Decreasing caries prevalence in Japanese preschool children is accompanied with a reduction in mutans streptococci infection

To evaluate the association between decreasing caries prevalence in Japanese preschool children and mutans streptococci (MS) infection. The prevalence of caries and salivary MS was examined in 1- to 3-year-old preschool children in 1995 (n = 135) and 2000 (n = 118). The caries prevalence for 3-year-old subjects significantly declined from 65.1% to 37.5% (p < 0.01), reflecting the data seen in Japanese national oral health surveys in 1993 and 1999. Salivary MS detection for 3-year-old subjects significantly declined from 68.3% to 37.5% (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the decrease in the prevalence of caries and salivary MS was not significant in 1- and 2-year-olds. The correlation between caries experience (dft) and the salivary MS score for 3-year-old subjects with low caries prevalence in the later examination (r(s) = 0.479, p < 0.001) was comparable with that in 1995 (r(s) = 0.462, p = 0.001). The recent decrease in decay in Japan is accompanied with a reduction in MS infection in the deciduous dentition. MS levels are closely related to caries prevalence in preschool children regardless of the extent of caries.

Stress perception and social indicators for low back, shoulder and joint pains in Japan: national surveys in 1995 and 2001.

This study aims to clarify the effects of stress perception and related social indicators on three major musculoskeletal symptoms: low back, shoulder, and joint pains in a Japanese population. Twenty health-related variables (stress perception and 19 social indicators) and the three symptoms were obtained from the following Japanese national surveys: the Comprehensive Survey of Living Condition of the People on Health and Welfare, the System of Social and Demographic Statistics of Japan, and the Statistical Report on Health Administration Services. The results were compared among 46 Japanese prefectures in 1995 and 2001. By factor analysis, the 19 indicators were classified into three factors of urbanization, aging and life-regularity, and individualization. The prevalence of stress perception was significantly correlated to the 8 indicators of urbanization factor. Although simple correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship of stress perception only to shoulder pain (in both years) and low back pain (in 2001), the results of multiple regression analysis showed that stress perception and some urbanization factors were significantly associated with all the three symptoms in both years exclusive of joint pain in 1995. Taking the effects of urbanization into consideration, stress perception seems to be closely related to the complaints of musculoskeletal symptoms in Japan.

Methodology of Comparative Studies of National Character: West Coast Survey

This paper describes the methodology employed to survey Japanese Americans in the Seattle, Washington and San Jose, California areas. Japanese name dictionaries were used to generate a sampling frame of Japanese Americans who were registered voters in the counties that contained the two cities. Random samples were drawn and 344 survey respondents were interviewed. Items from the “Japanese National Survey” and from studies of Japanese American interpersonal style and community persistence were administered.

「信の崩壊」

This paper is dedicated to the late Professor Kinji Mizuno in memory of his great contribution to Behaviormetrics and the Behaviormetric Society of Japan. In reviewing several recent issues on survey research in which Professor Mizuno was also very much involved, I consider possible future developments in this area. The issues cover the fields of public opinion survey, election forecast, Japanese national character survey and cross-national comparative survey by the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, as well as their methodologies. Finally, the idea of “the Advanced Institute of Human and Social Sciences”, an idea conceived by Professor Mizuno and his associates, is also briefly mentioned. I hope that this will remind our readers of the original concept of Behaviormetrics as it appeared in the 1970s and will lead us to the further development of our research.

Dental treatment in the north area of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa

Dental treatment and oral health care were performed on inhabitants in the north area of Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. There are no dentists in the area at present. One hundred sixty-six patients received treatment taking 528 man-days, during the period from November 9 to December 8, 2000. The area has 2 primary schools and 1 junior high school. The average DMFT of the children in the primary schools was 1.31, and in the junior high school it was 4.98. Compared with Japanese national survey data, the children in the area had a higher DMFT. Among the treatment procedures, the rate of conservative treatment was 62%, most of which was composite resin filling. Preventive measures for dental disease were offered to the inhabitants by means of topical fluoride application or oral health education. The period of this promotion was too short to perform complete dental treatment and to prevent caries and periodontal disease. It seems that primary prevention and higher dental hygiene education are needed for inhabitants in no-dentist areas, because the inhabitants do not have access to dental service easily.

Japanese National Survey of Adolescent Drinking Behavior in 1996

Despite legal prohibition of drinking by minors, there has been no systematic attempt to monitor drinking by young Japanese. This research, the first Japanese national survey of Japanese adolescent drinking behaviors, was conducted in 1996. In this survey, information on drinking frequency was obtained from questionnaires completed by 42,183 junior high school and 72,396 senior high school students in randomly selected schools representing all areas of Japan. Sixty percent of junior high school students and 70% of senior high school students reported having drinking experiences; 5% of junior high school students and 10% of senior high school students drank one or more times per week. Many of the junior high school students usually drank with their families and consumed small amounts, but many of senior high school students drank on various occasions and consumed larger amounts. These Japanese high school students reported being offered alcohol frequently by their parents, found it easy to buy alcoholic beverages, and believed that they had the right to determine whether to drink. Japanese adolescents' drinking has increased over the past 20 years, whereas drinking by U.S. adolescents has decreased. Japanese policies aimed at decreasing adolescent drinking are inadequate. A system for monitoring and potentially modifying adolescent drinking behavior is needed.

Japanese National Survey of Adolescent Drinking Behavior in 1996

Japanese National Survey of Adolescent Drinking Behavior in 1996

A scenario study of oral contraceptive use in Japan: Toward fewer unintended pregnancies

A scenario study was conducted to assess the extent to which the unintended pregnancy rate in Japan, where oral contraceptives (OC) have not been legalized for family planning purposes and couples rely mainly on condoms, might change if more women were to use OC. Because current rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion in Japan are not known, data provided by the 1994 Japanese National Survey on Family Planning were used to construct scenarios for national contraceptive use. Annual failure rates of contraceptive methods and nonuse were applied to the contraceptive use scenarios, to obtain estimates of the annual number of contraceptive failure-related pregnancies. Subsequently, contraceptive practice situations assuming higher OC use rates were defined, and the associated change in the number of contraceptive failure-related pregnancies was estimated for each situation. It emerged that OC use rates of 15% decreased the expected number of unintended pregnancies by 13%–17%, whereas use rates of 25% resulted in decreases of 22%–29% and use rates of 50% in decreases of 45%–58%. The findings were reasonably robust to variation in the assumptions that were made. In conclusion, each theoretical percentage increase in the OC use rate in Japan was found to lead to a roughly equivalent percentage decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies.

PL12 Fourteen-year follow-up study of Japanese national cardiovascular survey: Nippon Data

PL12 Fourteen-year follow-up study of Japanese national cardiovascular survey: Nippon Data

Changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors in three Japanese national surveys 1971-1990.

Trends of cardiovascular disease risk factors were evaluated through comparison of three national surveys in Japan, 1971-1990. Data from three Japanese national surveys on circulatory disorders, conducted in 1971, 1980, and 1990, were analyzed. Variables common to the three national surveys were selected for analysis. Serum total cholesterol was also but was examined only in 1980 and 1990. Age- and sex-specific mean values, standard deviations, median values, and proportions in extreme categories were determined for all continuous variables and proportions in categories interest for all discrete variables. Trends from 1971-1990 and 1980-1990 were estimated by linear regression analysis for continuous variables, and logistic regression analysis for binary variables. Systolic blood pressure was decreasing constantly during three surveys in both men and women (beta = -0.22 in men and -0.34 in women, p < 0.01 in both). Total cholesterol was increasing rapidly in both men and women between 1980 and 1990 (beta = 1.27 in men and 1.41 in women, p < 0.01 in both). For other risk factors, the results were less consistent among age- or sex-specific groups. Continued monitoring of risk factor trends in Japan will be important for predicting and explaining future trends in the occurrence of coronary heart disease and stroke in this population.

The Japanese Voter and Political Action

ANY OBSERVERS have noted the high voting rates in postwar Japanese elections. The average turnout in the ten Diet contests held since the war has been over 70 per cent, with even higher turnout in prefectural and local elections. Does this indicate the rising political consciousness of a newly democratized nation? The purpose of this article is to analyze the actual differences, by rural-urban area and social characteristics, in voting and other types of Japanese political participation, and to attempt some explanatiori of the sharp rural-urban contrasts. One of the principal aims of the democratization phase of the Allied occupation of Japan was to develop a larger and more active electorate as a buttress to the new constitution and other reforms. Women were enfranchised; the voting age was lowered to twenty; and the elective principle was applied to most previously appointive offices. Moreover, the Japanese were encouraged to express their political views through many new organizations and Citizen Complaint Offices. How have Japanese voters reacted, in action and attitude, to the new dispensation? Japanese election statistics, while usually more complete than our own, provide only gross data on geographic and sex differences in voting turnout; information on the relation of other facts to voting, and on any other questions of fact or motivation, must be sought from voter surveys. Fortunately, Japanese survey researchers have adopted the best American techniques in this field.' Such survey data and official statistics will supplement the writer's own survey data in the discussion which follows. Since no Japanese national survey has covered the complete range of political participation, this article is based primarily on an interview survey conducted in 1953 in the metropolitan city of Osaka and the rural community of Izumo.2 These two sample points were chosen because they

The Japanese National Survey and its Results

DURING the past five years a work of great national and scientific importance has been proceeding in Japan; little has been heard of it in Europe, and none of its results have been visible amongst us in England until ss ithin the last few months. The Japanese National Survey, under the superintendence of Dr. Naumann, formerly Professor of Geology in the University of Tokio, has during the period above mentioned been steadily progressing; it has revealed hitherto unknown features of the country, and has thrown a flood of light on its geography, geology, and resources, actual and possible. A period has now been arrived at in the history of the Survey: its Director, after five years labour at this particular work, and as many more in the Chair of Geology in the University of Tokio, returns to Europe, leaving the task to be carried out by the Japanese whom he has trained. Some tangible results of the work have, as already mentioned, been for the first time placed before the European public. In the rooms of the Royal Geographical Society might a short time ago be seen by any one who desired to do so a series of maps, printed and manuscript, with numerous plans, illustrations, and sketches, exhibited by Dr. Naumann, and representing to some extent the work of five years. Samples of these were also to he seen at the Exhibition of Geographical Appliances in Great Marlborough Street, amongst others an orographic map of Japin, and several illustrations—one of the mountain summits in the neighbourhood of the active volcaso Asainayama being especially striking. The present, then, seems a suitable time for describing the Survey, the work it has set before it, that which it has succeeded in doing so far, and the effect of its work on our knowledge of the country.