Working Population In Japan Research Articles

Burnout and its associated factors among healthcare workers and the general working population in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide cross-sectional internet-based study

ObjectivesTo examine the prevalence and the associated factors of burnout among both healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general working population, which has not yet been unknown, using large-scale, nationwide data.DesignCross-sectional...

Risk factors for workplace bullying, severe psychological distress and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic among the general working population in Japan: a large-scale cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo investigate the risk factors for workplace bullying and mental health outcomes among workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingA nationwide online survey was conducted from August to September 2020...

Diabetes and anxiety were associated with insomnia among Japanese male truck drivers

Objective/BackgroundInsomnia among truck drivers may contribute to traffic accidents. We previously reported that truck drivers had adverse lifestyle habits, including smoking and drinking alcohol, in addition to enforced sedentarism making them more vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between insomnia and diabetes, as well as the effect of anxiety related to driving tasks on this association. Patients/MethodsA total of 755 male truck drivers under 65 years of age who belonged to Akita prefecture Truck Association in Japan were investigated. Insomnia and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire in 2020. Insomnia was defined in accordance with International classification of sleep disorders-third edition. Diabetes was defined as a fasting blood glucose level of ≥126 mg/dL and/or use of anti-diabetic drugs using data obtained from health checkups in 2018. ResultsThe proportions of truck drivers with insomnia and diabetes were 13.9% and 9.7%, respectively, which were higher than those in the general working population in Japan. After adjusting for age, smoking, drinking, daily hours of driving and sleep, and hypertension, the STAI score (odds ratio [OR] for the highest quartile vs. the lowest: 3.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84–8.18) and diabetes (OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.11–5.60) were found to be associated with insomnia. A statistical interaction with STAI scores was not observed between diabetes and insomnia. ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated that diabetes and anxiety are independently and significantly associated with insomnia in male Japanese truck drivers.

Associations between work-related stressors and QALY in a general working population in Japan: a cross-sectional study.

To investigate an association between quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and work-related stressors (job strain, effort/reward imbalance, and poor support from supervisor and coworkers), and estimate loss in QALY caused by these stressors. A cross-sectional study investigated data from a third-wave survey (in December 2017) of a 2-year prospective cohort study of Japanese workers. At baseline (first-wave survey), 5000 participants were recruited from workers who registered with an internet survey company. A total of 2530 participants responded to the second-wave survey 1 year later. Participants were then further recruited to the third-wave survey. An online questionnaire collected information regarding health-related quality of life (measured by EQ-5D-5L), job strain, supervisor and coworker support (Brief Job Stress Questionnaire), effort/reward imbalance (Effort/reward Imbalance Questionnaire), and demographic variables (age, sex, education, occupation, work contract, smoking, and alcohol drinking). Multiple linear regression analysis of the QALY score calculated from responses to EQ-5D-5L was employed on standardized scores of the work-related stressors and adjusted for demographic variables (SPSS version 26). Data of 1986 participants were analyzed. Job strain (unstandardized coefficient, b = - 0.013, p < 0.01) and effort/reward imbalance (b = - 0.011, p < 0.01) and coworker support (b = 0017, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with QALY score in the fully adjusted model. Job strain, effort/reward imbalance, and poor coworker support may be associated with a reduced QALY score among workers. A substantial impairment in QALY associated with the work-related stressors indicates that workplace interventions targeting work-related stressors may be cost-effective.

Co-occurrence of insomnia with migraine: a population-based study in a large working population in Japan

Co-occurrence of insomnia with migraine: a population-based study in a large working population in Japan

Comparison of self-reported scales and structured interviews for the assessment of depression in an urban male working population in Japan: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe present study aimed to analyze the association among depression, sleep quality, and quality of life using the Japanese version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders Non-Patient Edition (SCID-I/NP), and to compare these findings with those obtained using self-reported scales, in an urban male working population in Japan.MethodsThe present study included 324 middle-aged participants (43.8 ± 8.37 years) (participation rate: 69.5%). The Japanese version of the SCID-I/NP was administered by a single physician. Self-reported scales, including the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Assessment (PSQI), and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used to assess depression, sleepiness, sleep quality, and quality of life, respectively. Participants were then divided into a major depressive disorder (MDD) and control group based on the results of structured interviews, following which self-reported scale scores were compared between the two groups.ResultsA total of 24 participants met criteria for MDD based on responses during structured interviews (current: 4; past: 20). Patients with MDD did not report feeling sleepier than those without psychiatric disorders (controls) (ESS: P = 0.184), although they experienced slightly poorer sleep quality (PSQI: P = 0.052). In addition, participants of the MDD group exhibited lower SF-36 subscale scores for general health (P = 0.002), vitality (P < 0.001), social functioning (P < 0.001), role emotional (P = 0.004), and mental health (P < 0.001) domains, and higher SDS scores (P = 0.038) compared to controls. The area under the receiver (AUC) operating characteristic curve for the detection of MDD was 0.631 and 0.706 for the SDS and mental health subscales, respectively.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that patients with MDD exhibit slightly poorer sleep quality and significantly poorer quality of life compared to controls, and that the SF-36 may be used as an alternative to the SDS to screen for depression in an urban male working population in Japan.

The effects of continuing and discontinuing smoking on the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the healthy middle-aged working population in Japan.

The strength of the association between smoking and the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the healthy middle-aged working age population has not been established. This was a retrospective 6-year observational study involving 4,121 male and 2,877 female workers who were free of primary kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, severe hypertension, and the signs and symptoms of CKD. Proteinuria was detected by a dipstick method, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by the equation of the Japan Society of Nephrology. Sixty men (1.5 %) and 21 women (0.7 %) developed proteinuria over the 6 years of the study. Irrespective of sex, in comparison with non-smokers, those who continued smoking showed an odds ratio (OR) of 2.52 with a 95 % confidence interval (CI) of 1.50-4.25 for developing proteinuria while those who quit smoking showed an OR of 1.29 (95 % CI 0.48-3.42), following adjustment for confounders. Among the study population, 443 men (10.7 %) and 356 women (12.4 %) developed a GFR of <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), corresponding to stage III CKD. Continuing smokers had a low OR (0.74, 95 % CI 0.60-0.90) for developing a low GFR, as well as a higher mean GFR than non-smokers. The reduction in GFR during the 6-year study period was not different between smokers and non-smokers, but it was larger in those who developed proteinuria than in those who did not, irrespective of smoking. Continuing smokers showed a twofold or more higher risk of developing proteinuria. Discontinuation of smoking substantially reduced the risk. A longer observational period may be required to detect the smoking-induced risk of developing stage III CKD in the middle-aged working population.

Associations between obstructive sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome, and sleep duration, as measured with an actigraph, in an urban male working population in Japan.

Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), metabolic syndrome (Mets) and short sleep duration are all risk factors for cardiovascular events. There has been no report which has investigated this relationship in an age- and BMI-matched population-based study. The prevalence of OSA in Mets subjects has not been established, although the converse (i.e., the prevalence of Mets in OSA subjects) has been investigated several times. This home cardiorespiratory (type 3) sleep study, using an actigraph, was conducted in 275 males working for an urban company. Retrospective measurements of fasting blood parameters were obtained from the company's periodical inspection data. The mean duration between the sleep study and the measurement of blood parameters was 213 days. Although there was a significant relationship between OSA severity and the prevalence of Mets (P < 0.001), the association between severity and Mets was not significant after adjustments were made for age and BMI. Severe OSA was 7.8 times as likely to be present in subjects with Mets (16.2% of all 68 Mets subjects) as those without (2.4% of 207 non-Mets) (P < 0.001). Subject with severe OSA had a significantly short sleep duration (P < 0.05). Sleep duration in Mets subjects was also significantly shorter than in those without (P < 0.05). Although increased BMI and age both had a significant effect on the prevalence of OSA in patients with Mets, one of 6 subjects with Mets, but only one of 40 without Mets had severe OSA in an urban male population in Japan. Physicians should take into account this high prevalence of severe OSA in patients with Mets. Sleep duration should be taken into consideration as an important factor in studies investigating the prevalence of severe OSA and Mets.