近藤 克則

目的:高齢者の移動支援として試行導入したグリーンスローモビリティ(以下,グリスロ)利用による外出,社会的行動,ポジティブ感情を感じる機会の主観的変化を明らかにした.方法:2市3地域で8週間グリスロを導入し,導入前後の自記式質問紙調査に回答した65歳以上の高齢者599人を分析対象とした.対象者をグリスロ利用群と非利用群の2群に分け,導入後の外出(行動範囲など),社会的行動(地域活動に参加など),ポジティブ感情(気持ちが明るくなるなど)の変化を評価した.ポアソン回帰分析を実施し,累積発生比と95%信頼区間,P値をそれぞれ求めた.P値はボンフェローニ法により補正した(有意水準:P=0.0042).結果:グリスロ利用群は非利用群と比較して外出,社会的行動,ポジティブ感情の機会が2～5割,累積発生比で1.74～5.21倍と有意に高かった.結論:グリスロには移動支援にとどまらず,"動く"通いの場のような心理社会的な変化もあり,健康に資する可能性が示唆された.(著者抄録)

We examined whether pre-disaster Sense of Coherence (SOC) mitigated the impact of housing damage on health and well-being of older survivors after the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. A panel survey was conducted in a city located 80 km west of the epicenter seven months before and three years after the disaster (3594 respondents). Among respondents with lighter property damage, higher SOC was inversely associated with mental distress (coefficient - 0.29, 95% CI (confidence interval) - 0.39, - 0.19, p < .01), unhappiness (coefficient - 0.33, 95% CI - 0.43, - 0.23, p < .01), low expectation of mutual help (coefficient - 0.17, 95% CI - 0.27, - 0.07, p < .01), and weak community attachment (coefficient - 0.20, 95% CI - 0.30, - 0.11, p < .01). Conversely, among those who experienced housing loss, higher SOC was no longer protectively associated with health and well-being. Loss of generalized resistance resources due to serious damage led to difficulties in stress coping.

BACKGROUND: Participating in groups with diverse members is associated with improved health among older adults. The study examined the relationship between diversity of group members and needed support or long-term care. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal study for the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study with 61,281 participants aged ≥ 65 years who were surveyed in 2013 and followed-up for six years. We assessed three dimensions of the diversity of the participating members (sex, age, and region of residence). We then graded the diversity level into four categories: level 0 (not in any group), level 1 (in a group without diversity or in a group with diversity in one of the three factors), level 2 (in a group with diversity in two of the three factors), or level 3 (in a group with diversity across all factors). We adjusted for 12 covariates using Cox hazard survival analysis models with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated for the association between group members' diversity levels and needed support or long-term care. The same study was conducted when stratified by employment status at baseline. RESULTS: Participants in social participation groups with more diverse group members had a lower incidence of needed support or long-term care as compared to their counterparts. Compared to those with no participation group, HR decreased by 14% to 24% with increasing levels of diversity. The HR for the level of care needed for participants in the social participation group with high residential diversity was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.94). For participants who were currently unemployed, HR reductions ranged from 16%-28% with increasing levels of diversity compared to the non-participating group. No association was found for employed participants. CONCLUSIONS: The reason the HRs of Japanese elderly people certified as needing support or care are lower when the diversity of participating groups is higher could be owing to the presence of a variety of people and the diversification of social networks, which facilitates the building of bridging social relational capital. Public health policies that encourage participation in diverse organizations will be important in the future.

Abstract Growing aging populations pose a threat to global health because of the social and psychological challenges they experience. To mitigate this, many countries promote hobby engagement to support and improve mental health. Yet, it remains unclear whether there is consistency in benefits across different national settings. We harmonized measures of hobby engagement and multiple aspects of mental wellbeing across 16 nations represented in five longitudinal studies (N = 93,263). Prevalence of hobby engagement varied substantially across countries, from 51.0% of Spanish respondents to 96.0% of Danish respondents. Fixed effects models and multinational meta-analyses were applied to compare the longitudinal associations between hobbies and mental wellbeing. Independent of confounders, having a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (pooled coefficient = −0.10; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = −0.13, −0.07), and higher levels of self-reported health (pooled coefficient = 0.06; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.08), happiness (pooled coefficient = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.06, 0.13) and life satisfaction (pooled coefficient = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.12). Further analyses suggested a temporal relationship. The strength of these associations, and prevalence of hobby engagement, were correlated with macrolevel factors such as life expectancy and national happiness levels but overall, little variance in findings was explained by country-level factors (&lt;9%). Given the relative universality of findings, ensuring equality in hobby engagement within and between countries should be a priority for promoting healthy aging.

目的 健康日本21(第二次)の目標に「健康寿命の延伸と健康格差の縮小」が掲げられている。効果的・効率的な地域の健康づくりや保健活動を目指すPDCAサイクルの推進を図る国民健康保険保険者努力支援制度の事業評価が導入されたが,どのような活動が健康寿命と関連するかは明らかとなっていない。そこで,本研究は,同事業評価の各項目スコアと健康寿命との関連を明らかにすることを目的とした。方法 本研究は,健康寿命の算定の誤差が大きくなる人口1万2千人未満(2020年)の市区町村を除く1,154自治体を分析対象とした。国民健康保険保険者努力支援制度の事業評価に基づき,厚生労働省が公表した2020年度の事業評価スコア集計データを用いた。また,健康日本21の「日常生活に制限のない期間」の考え方に基づき,要介護2以上を不健康な期間とする「日常生活動作が自立している期間」を用いて,男女別に,65歳時の健康な期間の平均を算出し,これを健康寿命として用いた。市区町村の事業評価スコアを説明変数,健康寿命を目的変数,人口密度の対数・財政力指数を調整変数とし,重回帰分析を実施した。結果 男女ともに,特定健診受診率・特定保健指導実施率・メタボリックシンドローム該当者および予備群の減少率(男性:β=0.179,p<0.001,女性:β=0.155,p<0.001),重複・多剤投与者に対する取り組み(男性:β=0.076,p=0.009,女性:β=0.082,p=0.005),保険料収納率の向上(男性:β=0.211,p<0.001,女性:β=0.188,p<0.001),地域包括ケアの推進(男性:β=0.067,p=0.023,女性:β=0.093,p=0.002)の事業評価スコアが高いほど,健康寿命が有意に長い傾向がみられた。また,重症化予防の取り組み(男性:β=0.045,p=0.117,女性:β=0.099,p<0.001),第三者求償の取り組み(男性:β=0.008,p=0.782,女性:β=0.065,p=0.029)の事業評価スコアが高いほど,健康寿命が長い傾向がみられ,女性のみ有意であった。結論 特定健診受診率・特定保健指導実施率・メタボリックシンドローム該当者および予備群の減少率,重症化予防の取り組み,重複・多剤投与者に対する取り組み,保険料収納率の向上,地域包括ケアの推進,第三者求償の取り組みの事業評価スコアは,健康寿命と正の関連がみられた。今後,縦断データや個人データでの因果効果の検証が待たれる。(著者抄録)

目的 健康寿命延伸プランの主要3分野の1つに,高齢者のフレイル対策が掲げられ,その1つとして社会参加の活用が期待されている。しかし,これまでの先行研究では,社会参加の種類や数とフレイル発症との関連を縦断的に検証した報告はない。本研究では,大規模縦断データを用い,社会参加の種類や数とフレイル発生との関連について検証することを目的とした。方法 日本老年学的評価研究(Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study:JAGES)の2016年度と2019年度のパネル調査データを用いた縦断研究である。2016年度(ベースライン時点)と2019年度(追跡時)のJAGES調査に回答した高齢者から,ベースライン時点の日常生活動作の非自立者と無回答者,フレイル(基本チェックリスト8点以上/25点)とフレイル判定不能者などを除いた,28市町59,545人を分析対象とした。目的変数は追跡時のフレイル発症とし,説明変数はベースライン時点の9種類の社会参加の種類と数を用いた。調整変数には,ベースライン時点の性,年齢,等価所得,教育歴,婚姻,家族構成,就労,プレフレイル(基本チェックリスト4～7点/25点)の有無,喫煙,飲酒,都市度の11変数を用いた。多重代入法により欠損値を補完し,ポアソン回帰分析を用いて社会参加とフレイル発症との関連を検証した。結果 追跡時のフレイル発症は6,431人(10.8%)であった。多重代入法後(最小64,212人,最大64,287人)の分析の結果,老人クラブを除く8種類の社会参加先である介護予防(Risk Ratio:0.91),収入のある仕事(0.90),ボランティア(0.87),自治会(0.87),学習・教養(0.87),特技・経験の伝達(0.85),趣味(0.81),スポーツ(0.80)で,フレイル発症リスクが有意に低かった。さらに,社会参加数が多い人ほどフレイル発症リスクが有意に低かった(P for trend<0.001)。結論 社会参加とフレイル発症リスクとの関連を検証した結果,ベースライン時点で8種類の社会参加をしている人,社会参加数が多い人ほど3年後のフレイル発症リスクが低かった。健康寿命延伸に向けたフレイル対策の一環とし,社会参加の促進が有用であることが示唆された。(著者抄録)

Poor oral health has been linked to an increased risk of mortality. People with good cooking skills may be able to cope with problems caused by oral dysfunction, such as restricted food choice. This study investigated whether cooking skills modified the association between oral health status and mortality. A 3-year follow-up was conducted among participants of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a population-based cohort study of Japanese adults aged 65-101 years. Oral health assessment comprised number of teeth and three oral functions (awareness of swallowing difficulty, decline in masticatory function, and dry mouth). Cooking skills were assessed using a valid scale adapted for Japanese participants. Mortality from 2016 to 2019 was analysed for 10,121 respondents. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios for mortality risk adjusting for potential confounders, including sociodemographic factors and health status. During the follow-up, there were 488 deaths (4.8% of all participants). Both fewer teeth and poor oral function were associated with a greater mortality risk. Cooking skills modified the association only for oral function. Stratification by cooking skill score showed that the hazard ratios for ≥2 oral difficulties (vs. none) was 2.06 (95% confidence interval: 1.43-2.96) among those with low cooking skills and 1.25 (95% confidence interval: 0.92-1.71) among those with high cooking skills after adjusting for potential confounders. Improving cooking skills may be key to mitigating health risks owing to poor oral functions.

OBJECTIVES: The sense of coherence refers to effectively using available resources to manage stress and promote overall health. Previous studies have linked it to various health outcomes; however, evidence regarding its association with the risk of incident dementia is limited. Hence, this study aimed to fill this research gap using data from a large-scale population survey. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included 31,556 participants aged 65 years and older who were free from dementia and disabilities. The participants were enrolled in the 2010 baseline survey of the XXXX, and were followed up until the end of 2019. METHODS: The sense of coherence was assessed using a 6-item short-version questionnaire. Incident dementia cases were ascertained through the public long-term care insurance database in Japan. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 8.3 years, 4326 incident dementia cases were identified. After adjusting for conventional risk factors, the hazard ratios (95% CIs) for each quintile compared to the lowest quintile of the sense of coherence were 0.82 (0.75-0.90), 0.75 (0.68-0.83), 0.76 (0.68-0.84), and 0.78 (0.70-0.87), respectively. The multivariable hazard ratio (95% CI) per 1-SD increment was 0.91 (0.88-0.95). These inverse associations did not exhibit any gender differences (P for gender interaction = .11) and were further confirmed after excluding early incident cases. Similar associations were found for its components; the corresponding multivariable hazard ratios (95% CIs) per 1-SD increment were 0.94 (0.91-0.97) for comprehensibility, 0.92 (0.89-0.95) for manageability, and 0.93 (0.90-0.97) for meaningfulness. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Moderate and above sense of coherence was associated with the lower risk of dementia among the older population, suggesting a beneficial role of stress management in maintaining the cognitive health of older adults.

Abstract Background and Objectives Evidence remains inadequate regarding the benefits of participation in community gathering places, which is Japan’s primary strategy for preventing functional disability in older adults, in other domains of health and well-being. This longitudinal study examined the associations of participation in community gathering places with an array of subsequent health and well-being outcomes among older adults. Research Design and Methods We used three-wave data (2013, 2016, and 2019) from Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (n = 5,879 or 4,232 depending on the outcome). Our exposure was participation in community gathering places in 2016. We assessed 34 health/well-being outcomes in 2019 across six domains. We adjusted for pre-baseline covariates including prior outcome values in 2013. Results Compared with nonparticipation, participation in community gathering places was associated with some outcomes in the following three domains: physical/cognitive health (better higher-level functional capacity), social well-being (more frequent participation in hobby groups, senior citizens clubs, learning or cultural groups, and seeing more friends within a month), and pro-social/altruistic behaviors (more frequent participation in volunteering) (After Bonferroni correction as p &amp;lt; 0.0015, 0.05/34). Discussion and Implications Evidence was mixed and more modest for the outcomes in three other domains, mental health, psychological well-being, and health behaviors. Promoting participation in community gathering places may not only fulfill its original goal (i.e., preventing functional disability) but also enhance other domains of human well-being, potentially by increasing social interactions.

BACKGROUND: Marital status is a well-known social determinant of health. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect attachment, critical to establishing and maintaining intimate relationships, such as marital status. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between ACEs and marital status among older Japanese adults. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This research used data from a nationwide population-based study among functionally independent people aged 65 and above in Japan. METHODS: ACEs were assessed by self-reported questionnaires on the following experiences before 18 years old: parental death, parental divorce, parental mental disease, exposure to intimate partner violence, physical abuse, psychological neglect, psychological abuse, and poverty. Marital status was asked as currently having a spouse (including common-law marriage), widowed, divorced, or unmarried. Associations between the total number of ACEs and marital status were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Three or more ACEs showed higher risks of being widowed, divorced, or unmarried. Psychological neglect led to higher divorce risks among males (RRR, 95%CI = 1.41, 1.13-1.76) and females (RRR, 95%CI = 1.56, 1.28-1.89). Childhood poverty showed higher risks of unmarried among males (RRR, 95%CI = 1.25, 1.02-1.53) and females (RRR, 95%CI = 1.41, 1.18-1.69). Association between ACEs and divorce risks showed gender differences (RRR, 95%CI of having three or more ACEs in males: 2.19, 1.66-2.90; in females: 3.45, 2.71-4.38; p for interaction = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: ACEs showed higher risks of being widowed, divorced, and unmarried among older Japanese people. Policy to tackle ACEs and research investigating how ACEs, attachment, and relationship quality influence marital status are required to promote well-being in later life.

BACKGROUND: Identifying subpopulations that are particularly vulnerable to long-term adverse health consequences of disaster-related trauma is needed. We examined whether child adversities (ACEs) potentiate the association between disaster-related trauma and subsequent cognitive disability among older adult disaster survivors. METHODS: Data were from a prospective cohort study of older adults who survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The baseline survey predated the disaster by 7 months. We included participants who completed follow-up surveys (2013 and 2016) and did not have a cognitive disability before the disaster (n=602). Disaster-related traumas (i.e., home loss, loss of friends, or pets) and ACEs were retrospectively assessed in 2013. Cognitive disability levels in 2016 were objectively assessed. RESULTS: After adjusting for pre-disaster characteristics using a machine learning-based estimation approach, home loss (0.19, 95%CI=0.09, 0.28) was, on average, associated with greater cognitive disability. Among individuals with ACEs, home loss was associated with even higher cognitive disability levels (0.64, 95%CI=0.24, 1.03). Loss of friends (0.18, 95%CI=0.05, -.32) and pets (0.13, 95%CI=0.02, 0.25) were associated with higher cognitive disability levels only among those with ACEs. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that individuals with a history of ACEs may be particularly vulnerable to adverse health consequences of specific disaster related.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a leading cause of death worldwide. It is a particularly serious burden in older people, as they tend to have a weakened immune response. Identifying the role of oral self-care and pneumococcal vaccination in healthy, independent older people can aid pneumonia prevention among them. This study investigated the associations between oral self-care, pneumococcal vaccination, and pneumonia experience among independent older people. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). We used machine learning to examine the association between oral self-care and the experience of pneumonia over the previous year, stratified by pneumococcal vaccination. The covariates were sex, age, years of education, equivalent annual income, medical history of stroke, oral health status (choking, dryness, number of teeth), and smoking status. The analysis included 17,217 independent older people aged 65 and over. RESULTS: The prevalence of pneumonia experienced among those who brushed their teeth once or less per day was 4.5% and 5.3% for those with and those without pneumococcal vaccinations, respectively. In the unvaccinated group, the odds ratio of pneumonia experience for those who brushed their teeth once or less a day was 1.57 (95% CI 1.15-2.14) compared to those who brushed their teeth three or more times a day. By contrast, there was no significant association between the frequency of toothbrushing and the experience of pneumonia among people who received pneumococcal vaccination. CONCLUSION: Oral care influenced the experience of pneumonia among independent older people who did not receive pneumococcal vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Tooth loss is associated with reduced protein intake, which leads to sarcopenia and frailty in older adults. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of dental prostheses on decreased protein intake in older adults with tooth loss. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was based on a self-reported questionnaire targeting older adults. Data were obtained from the Iwanuma Survey of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. We used % energy intake (%E) of total protein as the outcome and the use of dental prostheses and number of remaining teeth as explanatory variables. We estimated the controlled direct effects of tooth loss by fixing the use/non-use of dental prostheses based on a causal mediation analysis, including possible confounders. RESULTS: Among 2095 participants, the mean age was 81.1 years (1SD = 5.1), and 43.9% were men. The average protein intake was 17.4%E (1SD = 3.4) of the total energy intake. Among participants with ≥20, 10-19 and 0-9 remaining teeth, the average protein intake was 17.7%E, 17.2%E/17.4%E and 17.0%E/15.4%E (with/without a dental prosthesis), respectively. Compared to participants with ≥20 remaining teeth, those with 10-19 remaining teeth without a dental prosthesis did not have a significantly different total protein intake (p > .05). Among those with 0-9 remaining teeth without a dental prosthesis, total protein intake was significantly low (-2.31%, p < .001); however, the use of dental prostheses mitigated the association by 79.4% (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that prosthodontic treatment could contribute to maintaining protein intake in older adults with severe tooth loss.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the life course association between exposure to two household dysfunctions (father violence against mother and parental divorce) at childhood (≤18 years) with later number of remaining teeth (≥65 years) in functionally independent older Japanese population. This was the first study to investigate this research question in the Asian context. METHODS: The Japan Gerontological Evaluation study (JAGES) self-reported retrospective data gathered in 2013 was used (n = 21,604). Each household dysfunction was binary variable (Yes/No), while the five categories of the number of remaining teeth were ≥20, 10-19, 5-9, 1-4, and no teeth. Sex-stratified ordered logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratios (OR) of having fewer teeth. The models were adjusted for age, economic adversity in childhood, educational attainment, comorbidities, and smoking status. RESULTS: Overall, 46.4% were men and a total of 1149 participants (5.3%) experienced household dysfunction at childhood [men = 642 (6.4%), women = 507 (4.4%)]. The regression models showed higher OR of having fewer teeth among men who experienced a household dysfunction [OR = 1.16; 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 1.00-1.36] than men who did not. This association was not observed among women [OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.79-1.13]. Similar magnitude and direction of the association was observed among men but not among women when the two components of household dysfunction were used separately and aggregately as exposure variables. CONCLUSION: An exposure to a household dysfunction at childhood was associated with having fewer teeth in later life among men but not among women.

Objective Mutsuzawa town, Chiba Prefecture, relocated a "health-supportive" roadside station in 2019. The underlying hypothesis is that older people who use the roadside station will have better self-rated health than those who do not use it. We aimed to verify whether roadside station use was associated with a decrease in poor self-rated health.Method This was a longitudinal study that compared and evaluated the roadside station use and non-use groups using three-wave panel data before and after relocation of the roadside station in September 2019. To obtain three-wave panel data, self-administered questionnaires were mailed three times: in July 2018 (FY 2018) before the station was relocated and in November 2020 (FY 2020) and January 2022 (FY 2021) after the relocation in 2019. The dependent variable was poor self-rated health in FY 2021, and the independent variable was use of the roadside station as of FY 2020. Covariates included basic characteristics from FY 2018, as well as going out, social participation, and interacting on social networks in FY 2018 and FY 2020. A multivariate analysis was conducted using multiple imputation to complete missing values for the Crude model, which included the basic attributes of FY 2018 (Model 1); going out, social participation, and interacting on social networks in FY 2018 (Model 2); and going out, social participation, and interacting on social networks in FY 2020 (Model 3). The cumulative incidence rate ratio (CIRR), 95% confidence intervals, and P-values were calculated using a modified Poisson regression analysis for each model.Results Of the 576 participants, 344 (59.8%) were roadside station users. The multivariate analysis adjusted for basic attributes revealed that the number of people with poor self-rated health in the user group was significantly lower than that in the non-user group, with a CIRR of 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.45-0.99, P=0.043). However, the adjusted model showed a CIRR of 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.48-1.06, P=0.096) for going out, social participation, and interacting on social networks in FY2020 after the roadside station opened.Conclusion Findings of this study revealed that, after adjusting for confounding factors prior to relocation of the roadside station, the number of people with poor self-rated health decreased in the user group. Thus, such commercial facilities as roadside stations, which give users an opportunity to go out and meet people, can provide a "naturally healthy" environment.

Objective In Japan, measures to prevent frailty among older adults have been implemented. Promotion of social participation is a key measure, but few longitudinal studies have examined the relationship between the types and number of social participation and frailty onset. In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between the types and number of social participation and frailty onset using longitudinal data from a large sample of older adults in municipalities in Japan.Methods We used the 2016 and 2019 panel survey data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). The analysis included 59,545 individuals from 28 municipalities who responded to the JAGES survey in both 2016 (at baseline) and 2019 (at follow-up). We excluded individuals who were dependent on activities of daily living at baseline and non-responders, and those who were frail or with no information about frailty. The dependent variable was frailty onset (≥8 out of 25 points on the basic checklist) at follow-up, and the independent variables were the types and number of types of social participation at baseline. We included 11 variables as potential confounders. We used multiple imputations to complete the missing values and used modified Poisson regression to examine the association between social participation and risk of frailty onset.Results Of the 59,545 participants, 6,431 (10.8%) were frail onset at follow-up. After multiple imputations (minimum 64,212, maximum 64,287), the risk of frailty onset at follow-up was lower for eight types of social participation, excluding senior citizens' clubs, (nursing care [risk ratio; 0.91], paid work [0.90], volunteer groups [0.87], neighborhood associations [0.87], learning or cultural groups [0.87], activities intended to teach skills or pass experiences to others [0.85], hobby groups [0.81], and sports groups or clubs [0.80]; P<0.05), than no social participation. Additionally, individuals who participated in more types of social participation were at a lower risk of frailty than those with no social participation (P for trend <0.001).Conclusions The risk of frailty onset was lower among individuals who participated in eight types of social participation at baseline and among those who participated in more types of social participation than those with no social participation. The results suggest that social participation is a useful measure to prevent frailty for extending healthy life expectancy.

Social integration, network, and support are beneficial to health. However, there is little evidence of the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social integration in later life. This study investigates the association between ACE history and social integration in older people. We used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) 2013, which conducted a self-reported survey of functionally independent people aged ≥ 65 years from 30 municipalities across Japan and yielded information on ACE history. We conducted a Poisson regression analysis with robust error variances to assess the association between ACE history and social integration, adjusting for sex, age, childhood economic hardship, adult socioeconomic status, health status, living status, and trust in others. The number of respondents with at least one incident of ACE was approximately 36.8%. The prevalence ratios for those who reported a history of ACEs were as follows: housebound 1.495 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-1.88), small network size 1.146 (95% CI: 1.10-1.19), low network contact 1.059 (95% CI: 1.00-1.059), non-membership sports group 1.038 (95% CI: 1.00-1.07), and non-membership hobby group 1.06 (95% CI: 1.03-1.09). Among older people in Japan, a history of ACEs is inversely associated with social integration. These findings support the life course approach and suggest that adverse events in early life may have an impact on social life in old age. In order to promote healthy aging, it is important to recognize the significant impact of early-life adversities that can extend into later life.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that experience of natural disasters may heighten present bias. Research also suggests that impaired self-control (in particular, heightened present bias) could be linked to delayed-onset post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among survivors of natural disasters. We examined a hypothesis that the association between disaster experiences and delayed-onset PTSS is mediated through present bias among older survivors of the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. METHODS: The baseline survey was conducted for older adults who lived in a city located 80 km west of the epicentre 7 months before the disaster. Approximately 2.5 and 8.5 years after the disaster, we surveyed older survivors to assess the trajectory of PTSS (2230 participants). We implemented analyses by three analytical groups: (1) resilient versus delayed-onset, (2) resilient versus improved and (3) resilient versus persistent. RESULTS: Logistic regression models showed that major housing damage was linked to raised present bias in all analytical groups (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.04 to 5.87; OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.20 to 6.29; OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.10, respectively). The present bias, however, was significantly associated with only delayed-onset PTSS (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.69). In the group of resilient versus delayed onset, housing destruction was also associated with delayed-onset PTSS (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.37), and the association was attenuated by present bias (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.07 to 5.18). CONCLUSIONS: Present bias could mediate the association between housing damage and delayed-onset PTSS among older survivors of a natural disaster.

背景・目的 医療経済学への社会的要請は高まっているが、担う人材は十分とは言えず、養成上の課題は多い。そこで医療経済学の人材養成の課題を把握し、解決策の方向を示すことを目的とした。方法 2つの調査を行った。量的調査では、主要2学会の抄録集を対象に近年10年間における医療経済学分野の研究発表数、人材数を調査した。質的調査では、国内の医療経済学分野における中堅研究者8人を対象に半構造化面接を行い、質的に分析した。結果 日本経済学会では一般演題に占める医療経済学関連の演題の割合が2000年代には2%～6%台だったが、2012年を境に8%～10%台へと増加していた。医療経済学会では、経済学系の発表者の割合が2000年代には4～7割の幅で上下していたが、2013年以降は、上昇に転じ、2015年～2016年は7割を超えていた。インタビュー調査からは、大学教育における医療経済学の課題、研究職ポストの不足、データ利用の促進の必要性、経済学系と医学系との協働の可能性の4つのカテゴリを抽出した。考察 量的・質的調査の結果、社会的ニーズの増大にもかかわらず、人材育成には課題があることが明らかになった。問題解決の方向性として1)重点的で継続的な人材養成、2)雇用ポストの創出、3)医療データの利用環境の改善促進、4)医学分野と経済学分野との協働の場の創設の4つが重要と考えられた。(著者抄録)

Access to dental clinics is a feature of the neighborhood service environment that may influence oral health care utilization. However, residential selection poses a challenge to causal inference. By studying the involuntary relocation of survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJE), we examined the association between changes in geographic distance to dental clinics and dental visits. Longitudinal data from a cohort of older residents in Iwanuma City directly impacted by the GEJE were analyzed in this study. The baseline survey was conducted in 2010, 7 mo before the occurrence of GEJE, and a follow-up was conducted in 2016. Using Poisson regression models, we estimated the incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the uptake of denture use (as a proxy for dental visits) according to changes in distance from the nearest dental clinic to their house. Age at baseline, housing damage by the disaster, deteriorating economic conditions, and worsened physical activity were used as confounders. Among the 1,098 participants who had not worn dentures before the GEJE, 495 were men (45.1%), with a mean ± SD age at baseline of 74.0 ± 6.9 y. During the 6-year follow-up, 372 (33.9%) participants initiated denture use. Compared to those who experienced a large increase in distance to dental clinics (&gt;370.0–6,299.1 m), a large decrease in distance to dental clinics (&gt;429.0–5,382.6 m) was associated with a marginally significantly higher initiation of denture use among disaster survivors (IRR = 1.28; 95% CI, 0.99–1.66). The experience of major housing damage was independently associated with higher initiation of denture use (IRR = 1.77; 95% CI, 1.47−2.14). Improved geographic access to dental clinics may increase dental visits of disaster survivors. Further studies in non-disaster-affected areas are needed to generalize these findings.

In recent years, positive psychological factors, such as subjective happiness and laughter, have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease. In this study, we examined the relationship of hypertension with subjective happiness and frequency of laughter using the data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). Of the 138,294 respondents, 26,368 responded to a version of the self-administered questionnaire that included a question about the frequency of laughter in the JAGES 2013. In total, 22,503 (10,571 men and 11,932 women) were included in the analysis after excluding those with missing responses regarding a history of hypertension, frequency of laughter, and subjective happiness. The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 10,364 (46.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, female sex, obesity, infrequent chewing, former and current drinker, seeing three to five friends, and the absence of hobbies were positively associated with hypertension. However, infrequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, frequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, being underweight, and current smoker were negatively associated with hypertension. As per the findings of this study, it was determined that subjective happiness was negatively associated with hypertension. Therefore, this study suggests that having more opportunities to feel happiness may be important in preventing hypertension.

BACKGROUND: It is important to identify older adults at high risk of functional disability and to take preventive measures for them at an early stage. To our knowledge, there are no studies that predict functional disability among community-dwelling older adults using machine learning algorithms. OBJECTIVE: To construct a model that can predict functional disability over 5 years using basic machine learning algorithms. DESIGN: A cohort study with a mean follow-up of 5.4 years. PARTICIPANTS: We used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, which involved 73,262 people aged  ≥ 65 years who were not certified as requiring long-term care. The baseline survey was conducted in 2013 in 19 municipalities. MAIN MEASURES: We defined the onset of functional disability as the new certification of needing long-term care that was ascertained by linking participants to public registries of long-term care insurance. All 183 candidate predictors were measured by self-report questionnaires. KEY RESULTS: During the study period, 16,361 (22.3%) participants experienced the onset of functional disability. Among machine learning-based models, ridge regression (C statistic = 0.818) and gradient boosting (0.817) effectively predicted functional disability. In both models, we identified age, self-rated health, variables related to falls and posture stabilization, and diagnoses of Parkinson's disease and dementia as important features. Additionally, the ridge regression model identified the household characteristics such as the number of members, income, and receiving public assistance as important predictors, while the gradient boosting model selected moderate physical activity and driving. Based on the ridge regression model, we developed a simplified risk score for functional disability, and it also indicated good performance at the cut-off of 6/7 points. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning-based models showed effective performance prediction over 5 years. Our findings suggest that measuring and adding the variables identified as important features can improve the prediction of functional disability.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown that whether frailty is a risk factor of influenza and the hospitalization among older adults, although it has been shown that frailty was associated with poor recovery from the hospitalization among those. We examined the association of frailty with influenza and the hospitalization and the effect by sex among independent older adults. METHODS: We used the longitudinal data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), performed in 2016 and 2019 and conducted in 28 municipalities in Japan. The target population comprised 77,103 persons aged ≥ 65 years who did not need assistance from the public long-term care insurance. Primary outcome measures were influenza and hospitalization due to influenza. Frailty was evaluated with the Kihon check list. We estimated the risk of influenza, the hospitalization, those risks by sex, and the interaction for frailty and sex using Poisson regression adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: Frailty was associated with both influenza and the hospitalization among the older adults compared with nonfrail individuals after adjusting for covariates (influenza, frail: risk ratio {RR}: 1.36, 95% confidence interval {95% CI}: 1.20 - 1.53, and prefrail: RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.23; the hospitalization, frail: RR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.84 - 5.57, and prefrail: RR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.44 - 3.16). Male was associated with the hospitalization, but not associated with influenza compared to female (the hospitalization: RR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.15 - 2.52 and influenza: RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.95 - 1.08). The interaction for frailty and sex was significant neither in influenza nor in the hospitalization. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that frailty is a risk of influenza and the hospitalization, that risks of the hospitalization are different by sex, but that the sex difference does not cause the effect heterogeneity of frailty on the susceptibility and severity among independent older adults.

AIM: To examine the mediators between lower socio-economic status (SES) in adolescence and oral health at an older age to uncover the underlying mechanisms of the association. METHODS: Participants (n = 21 536) aged ≥65 years from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were evaluated. The dependent variables were self-rated chewing difficulty and having ≤19 remaining teeth. The main independent variable was self-perceived SES in adolescence. The Karlson-Holm-Breen method was used for mediation analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 74.8 years (standard deviation = 6.4), and 51.5% were female. Overall, 5598 (26.0%) participants reported chewing difficulty and 9404 (43.7%) had ≤19 remaining teeth. Lower SES in adolescence was associated with a higher prevalence of chewing difficulty (odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95%confidence interval [CI] = 1.29-1.48; total effect). After controlling for mediators, OR for lower SES in adolescence was 1.22 (95%CI = 1.13-1.30; direct effect) and 1.13 (95%CI = 1.11-1.16; indirect effect). Mediators, prominently the number of teeth and income, explained 39.3% of the associations. Lower SES in adolescence increased the odds of ≤19 remaining teeth by OR = 1.23 (95% CI = 1.16-1.31; total effect). After controlling for mediators, the OR for lower SES in adolescence was 1.03 (95%CI = 0.97-1.10; direct effect) and 1.19 (95%CI = 1.16-1.23; indirect effect). Mediators, prominently educational attainment, explained 85.0% of the associations. CONCLUSIONS: Lower SES in adolescence was associated with poor oral health at an older age through mediators. Approaches that consider social determinants from the beginning of the life course are required.

Social participation is effective for preventing functional decline in older people. However, researchers have not fully explored how different frequencies of social participation by type. We aimed to clarify the relationship between the frequency of social participation by type and functional decline. We used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, which consists of individuals aged 65 years and older who were not eligible to receive public long-term-care insurance benefits. From 13 municipalities, 51,968 respondents who met the criteria were included in the analysis. We used a sex-stratified Cox proportional hazards model. The outcome was the new incidence of functional decline during a six-year follow-up, and the exposure was the frequency of social participation of one of the following six types: sports, hobbies, volunteering, neighborhood, senior clubs, and industry groups. The frequency was categorized as "never," "a few times a year," "once or twice a month," and "once a week or more." We set non-participation in each activity as the reference, and we adjusted for 12 potential confounders (i.e., sociodemographic and health-related factors). After we adjusted for confounders, participation in sports and hobbies once or twice a month, once a week or more was protectively associated with functional decline. We found a similar association for participation in neighborhood a few times a year. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of different types and frequencies of activities when promoting social participation among older people as part of public health policies.

INTRODUCTION: The population-attributable risk of oral status for incident functional disability remains unknown. We investigated the impact of a range of oral statuses (number of remaining teeth, chewing difficulty, dry mouth, and choking) on incident functional disability. METHODS: Participants (n = 44,083) aged ≥ 65 years from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study were evaluated. The outcome variable was incident functional disability, and the explanatory variables were four select oral statuses. The possible confounders were included as covariates. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and their population-attributable fractions (PAFs). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 73.7 (standard deviation=6.0) years at baseline, and 53.2% were women. A total of 8,091 participants (18.4%) developed functional disabilities during the follow-up period. Among the four oral statuses, the incidence rate of functional disability was the highest in those with chewing difficulty (3.27/100 person-years), followed by those with dry mouth (3.20/100 person-years), choking (3.10/100 person-years), and ≤19 remaining teeth (2.89/100 person-years). After adjusting for all covariates, chewing difficulty showed the highest risk of functional disability (HR=1.22, 95%CI=1.16-1.28), followed by ≤19 remaining teeth (HR=1.18, 95%CI=1.12-1.25), dry mouth (HR=1.18, 95%CI=1.12-1.24), and choking (HR=1.10, 95%CI=1.04-1.17). Regarding PAF, ≤19 remaining teeth (12.0%) were the largest, followed by chewing difficulty (7.2%), dry mouth (4.6%), and choking (1.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining a good oral status may reduce the risk of functional disability later in life. Given its population contribution, tooth loss had the largest impact among the four oral conditions.

BackgroundThe association between the frequency of going outdoors and the risk of poor oral health has been reported in several studies; however, the findings have been inconclusive.MethodsWe conducted a three-year longitudinal study of 19,972 Japanese adults aged ≥65 years who reported no poor oral condition at baseline in 2013. The respondents rated their frequency of going outdoors in three categories (≤1, 2-3, or ≥4 times/week), and the oral conditions reported in 2016 included tooth loss, chewing difficulty, swallowing difficulty, dry mouth, and composite outcomes. The associations between the frequency of going outdoors and the risk of poor oral health were examined as relative risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using multivariable Poisson regression, while mediation analysis was performed to investigate indirect effects.ResultsDuring the follow-up, 32.5% of participants developed poor oral health. In the mediation analysis, indirect effects were observed through low instrumental activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, little social network diversity, and underweight.Compared to going outdoors ≥4 times/week, the multivariable RR(95%CI) of composite poor oral health conditions was 1.12 (1.05-1.20) for 2-3 times/week and 1.22 (1.07-1.39) for ≤1 time/week (P-trend<0.001). Similar associations were observed for tooth loss, chewing difficulty, and swallowing difficulty; the corresponding RRs(95%CIs) were 1.07(0.97-1.19) and 1.36(1.13-1.64) (P-trend=0.002), 1.18(1.06-1.32) and 1.30(1.05-1.60) (P-trend<0.001), and 1.15(1.01-1.31) and 1.38(1.08-1.77) (P-trend=0.002), respectively.ConclusionThe frequency of going outdoors was inversely associated with the risk of poor oral health through several modifiable risk factors in the older population.

Childhood adversity is a risk factor for poor health in late life and includes economic hardship and family violence, whose prevalence is high among offspring of military conscripted father. We assessed the association between paternal military conscription (PMC) and paternal war death (PWD) during Second World War and self-rated health (SRH) among older adults in Japan. Data were obtained from a population-based cohort of functionally independent people aged 65 years or older from 39 municipalities across Japan in 2016. Information on PMC and SRH was obtained through a self-report questionnaire. A total of 20,286 participants were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression to investigate the association between PMC, PWD, and poor health. Causal mediation analysis was performed to see whether childhood economic hardship and family violence mediated the association. Among participants, 19.7% reported PMC (including 3.3% PWD). In the age- and sex-adjusted model, older people with PMC showed higher risk of poor health (odds ratio [OR]: 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.06, 1.28]), while those with PWD were not associated (OR: 0.96, 95% CI [0.77, 1.20]). Causal mediation showed a mediation effect of childhood family violence exposure on the association between PMC and poor health (proportion mediated: 6.9%). Economic hardship did not mediate the association. PMC, but not PWD, increased the risk of poor health in older age, which was partially explained by the exposure to family violence in childhood. There appears to be a transgenerational health impact of war which continues to affect the health of offspring as they age.