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Background This study aimed to clarify the associations between the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption and problematic Internet use, such as Internet addiction and excessive Internet use. Methods A self-administered questionnaire survey was administered to students enrolled in randomly selected junior and senior high schools throughout Japan, and responses from 100,050 students (51,587 males and 48,463 females) were obtained. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed in order to examine the associations between alcohol use and problematic Internet, use such as Internet addiction (Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction ≥5) and excessive Internet use (≥5 h/day). Results The results of multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the adjusted odds ratios for Internet addiction (YDQ ≥5) and excessive Internet use (≥5 h/day) became higher as the number of days in which alcohol had been consumed during the previous 30 days increased. In addition, the adjusted odds ratio for excessive Internet use (≥5 h/day) indicated a dose-dependent association with the amount of alcohol consumed per session. Conclusions This study revealed that adolescents showing problematic Internet use consumed alcohol more frequently and consumed a greater amount of alcohol than those without problematic Internet use. These findings suggest a close association between drinking and problematic Internet use among Japanese adolescents., Highlights • Association between alcohol and Internet addiction or excessive use was examined. • Survey subjects: 100,050 randomly selected high school students throughout Japan. • Significant association of drinking with problematic Internet use was recognized.

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with smokingamong Japanese medical students, to help promote effective antismoking measures in this population.Methods: From the 80 university medical schools in Japan, 20 were randomly selected and invited to participate inour survey. The survey focused on medical students and employed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.Information on each university’s antismoking measures was obtained using a separate questionnaire administered toteaching staff. The survey was conducted from December 2006 through March 2007. Factors associated withsmoking were identified by using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: A total of 1619 valid surveys were returned. The overall prevalence of smoking was 13.7% (18.1% amongmen and 5.1% among women). Factors associated with smoking among medical students were male sex, enrollmentat a private medical university, smoking by siblings, alcohol consumption, coffee consumption, insomnia, and lessthan 6 hours of sleep per night.Conclusions: Antismoking education must be further promoted to Japanese medical students, with considerationgiven to the factors associated with smoking behavior found in the present study.Key words: smoking behavior; Japanese medical students; Japan

Background: In order to clarify the alcohol consumption status of pregnant women in Japan and the characteristics of pregnant women who abstained from alcohol after their pregnancy had been confirmed, a nationwide questionnaire-based study of alcohol consumption behavior was performed. We also examined the factors associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and abstention after the confirmation of pregnancy. Methods: After random sampling, 260 institutions participated in the survey; these were selected from a list of survey points fixed by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The study was conducted on pregnant women with confirmed pregnancies by using self-administered anonymous questionnaires during the period from February 1 through 14, 2002. Results: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy was reported in 11.1% of the study participants, and abstention after the confirmation of pregnancy, in 76.9%. Significant associations were recognized between higher education and both alcohol consumption during pregnancy and abstention after pregnancy confirmation. Furthermore, alcohol consumption was significantly associated with parity, smoking, and shorter sleep duration, whereas abstention was significantly associated with less frequent alcohol consumption and knowledge regarding the risk of alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The results clarified the factors associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and abstention after the confirmation of pregnancy in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Benefits of breast-feeding are not only limited to nutrition and sanitation in developing countries but also extend to cost-saving health care and alleviation of anxiety related to childrearing in developed countries. This study aims to elucidate factors associated with exclusive breast-feeding in Japan and use this information to achieve child-rearing support worldwide by promoting breast-feeding.METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from a survey conducted by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of the Japanese government, the First Longitudinal Survey of Babies in 21st Century. All subjects were infants (n = 53,575) born in Japan in 2001 between January 10 and 17 and between July 10 and 17. According to the data, the exclusive breast-feeding rate in Japan during the first 6 months of life was 21.0%. We examined the factors associated with exclusive breast-feeding using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.RESULTS: Among the factors examined, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for exclusive breast-feeding was low for late childbearing, low birth weight infants, multiple births, smoking parents, living with grandparents, and feeling burdened by childrearing. The adjusted OR was high for factors that included sufficient childcare leave and consultation about childrearing with the spouse, a birth attendant and/or nurse, and a peer in a child-rearing circle.CONCLUSIONS: Exclusive breast-feeding is associated not only with medical factors but also with social factors. This study clarifies the necessity of social support to reduce the child rearing burden and a political system to promote paternal participation in childrearing and to improve the childcare leave system.J Epidemiol 2006; 16: 57-63.

BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the principal symptoms of sleep disturbances,and is often associated with serious consequences including traffic and industrial accidents, decreased productivity, and interpersonal problems. However, there are few epidemiologic studies on excessive daytime sleepiness in a large scale sample targeting Japanese general population.METHODS: The survey was performed using a self-administered questionnaire in June 2000, targeting a population randomly selected from among 300 communities throughout Japan. This questionnaire included information about sleep habits and sleep problems. Excessive daytime sleepiness measured according to a question "Do you fall asleep when you must not sleep (for example when you are driving a car)?"RESULTS: A total of 28,714 subjects completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness was 2.5% (male=2.8% and female=2.2%). Backward elimination analysis showed that the following were associated with excessive daytime sleepiness: male sex, young age, short sleep duration, subjective insufficient sleep, loss of deep sleep, disagreeable sensations in the legs, interruption of sleep by snoring or dyspnea, and feeling psychological stress. Interruption of sleep by snoring or dyspnea was the strongest associated factor (adjusted odds ratio=2.46, 95% confidence interval=1.76-3.43) of excessive daytime sleepiness.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness in Japanese is associated with several sleep problems. These findings may be useful in attempts to prevent excessive daytime sleepiness in the general population of Japan.J Epidemiol 2005;15:1-8.