ニュータウンに居住する専業主婦の外出頻度および主観的健康感との関係

専業主婦については、活動量や運動量の制限などが報告されている一方、若年期からの地域とのつながりにより外出頻度は維持されやすいと考えられる. そこで高齢者で報告されている外出頻度と主観的健康感との関連が専業主婦でもみられるのか、年齢による影響を明らかにすることを目的とした. 研究は大阪府堺市南区の一地区内の全世帯(3,069世帯)に無記名自記式の質問紙調査を行い、回答数1,820(回収率58.0%)の中から専業主婦701名を分析対象とした. 質問項目は最近1週間の外出頻度、主観的健康感について尋ねた. その結果、外出頻度は60代、70代後半、80代以上と段階的に減少した. 主観的健康感は加齢とともに不安あり群が増加した. 外出頻度と主観的健康感の関連は50代以上で外出頻度が減少するとともに主観的健康感が低下する傾向を認めた. 以上より、健康維持、増進のためには50代から年代ごとの取り組みが必要であることが示唆された.Physical activity levels and the amount of exercise in housewives are reportedly low; however, a high frequency of outings is likely to be maintained due to connection with local residents. This study aimed to identify the relationship between the frequency of outings and self-rated health in housewives, and investigate age-related effects. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 3,069 households in one district of Minami-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka, and, of the 1,820 responses (response rate: 58.0%), 701 housewives were analyzed. Questionnaire items included the frequency of outings and self-rated health over the past one week. As the results of the questionnaire, the frequency of outings gradually decreased as the age advanced from their 60s to 80s or over. Regarding self-rated health, the number of subjects with anxiety increased with age. Among the subjects aged 50 or over, there was a decreasing trend in the frequency of outings and self-rated health. The findings suggest the need to take appropriate measures to maintain and promote the health of housewives aged 50 and over according to their age group

Associations of body-related teasing with weight status, body image, and dieting behavior among Japanese adolescents

Background: Body-related teasing is known to be linked to body dissatisfaction and dieting behavior in adolescents. However, little is known about it in non-Western countries. This study aims to examine the prevalence of body-related teasing among Japanese adolescents and its connection to weight status, body image, and dieting behavior to consider implications for public health. Methods: The design of this study is a cross-sectional study. An anonymous self-administrated survey was conducted with 1172 junior high school students in Higashi-Osaka City in Osaka Prefecture in Japan. The sampling method was non-random design. The survey items included self-reported height and weight, history and source of teasing, body image perception, and dieting behavior. A chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to examine the associations. Results: A history of teasing was reported by 16.4% of boys and 32.5% of girls (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.19). The most common answer for source of teasing was friends (84.7% of boys’ teasing, 67.1% of girls’ teasing, P = 0.003, effect size = 0.19). Students who were overweight, of an upper-normal weight status, and perceived themselves as "fat" were at a greater risk of being teased. Additionally, students with a history of teasing were significantly likelier to display dieting behavior (odds ratios with confidence intervals: boys 4.06 [2.08–7.93], girls 2.40 [1.53– 3.75]). Conclusion: Body-related teasing has a significant association with body image and dieting behavior in Japanese adolescents. A school-based education should be provided to reduce body-related teasing

Detailed course of depressive symptoms and risk for developing depression in late adolescents with subthreshold depression: a cohort study

Purpose: Despite its clinical importance, adolescent subthreshold depression remains a largely neglected topic. The aims of this study were to accurately identify the natural course of depressive symptoms and the risk for developing major depressive episode (MDE) in late adolescents with subthreshold depression over 1 year. Patients and methods: One hundred and seventy-two participants <20 years of age (mean age: 18.32 years, standard deviation: 0.50), who did not meet the full criteria for an MDE, were selected from 2, 494 screened freshmen based on the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II). We conducted a cohort study of three groups (low-, middle-, and high-symptom groups) divided based on BDI-II scores, over a 1 year period with the use of bimonthly assessments. Temporal changes of depressive symptoms were analyzed using linear mixed modeling and growth mixture modeling. Results: First, we found that late adolescents with subthreshold depression (high depressive symptoms) were split between the increasing and decreasing depressive symptoms groups, whereas the majority of the less-symptoms group remained stable during 1 year. Second, in comparison with late adolescents with less depressive symptoms, those with subthreshold depression had an elevated risk of later depression. Conclusion: Some late adolescents with subthreshold depression had increased depressive symptoms and developed an MDE during 1 year. Therefore, it is necessary for us to rigorously assess the changes in subthreshold depressive symptoms over time in late adolescents

Enduring effects of a 5-week behavioral activation program for subthreshold depression among late adolescents: an exploratory randomized controlled trial

Background: No significant effect of psychological treatment has been reported from meta-analysis of subthreshold depression patients and control subjects at 1-year follow-up. However, behavioral activation is a simpler and more cost-effective treatment than cognitive behavioral therapy. The primary purpose of this study was to assess by comparison to an assessment-only control group whether the effects of behavioral activation program for depressive symptoms can persist up to 1-year follow-up without the use of antidepressants or other psychotherapy. Patients and methods: Late adolescent students were the population targeted in this study. Participants were allocated randomly to an intervention group (n=62) or a control group (n=56). Treatment consisted of five-weekly 60-minute sessions. Participants underwent a structured interview and completed self-report scales at 1 year post-assessment. Results: Late adolescent students receiving treatment had significantly lower mean Beck Depression Inventory, second edition scores at 1-year follow-up than control group students. The effect size (Hedges’ g) for between-group differences at 1-year follow-up was -0.41. Conclusion: Our behavioral activation program is simple and short. Nevertheless, the results obtained at 1-year follow-up of the control group and late adolescent students receiving treatment indicated a significant difference in their Beck Depression Inventory, second edition scores. Our 5-week behavioral activation program based on behavioral characteristics for subthreshold depression might be promising for subthreshold depression. The sample examined for this study imposed some study limitations