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[Background] Although many conventional healthcare services to prevent postpartum depression are provided face-to-face, physical and psychosocial barriers remain. These barriers may be overcome by using mobile health services (mHealth). To examine the effectiveness of mHealth professional consultation services in preventing postpartum depressive symptoms in real-world settings, we conducted this randomized controlled trial in Japan, where universal free face-to-face perinatal care is available. [Methods] This study included 734 pregnant women living in Yokohama city who could communicate in Japanese, recruited at public offices and childcare support facilities. The participants were randomized to the mHealth group (intervention, n = 365), where they could use a free app-based mHealth consultation service with gynecologists/obstetricians, pediatricians, and midwives whenever and as many times as they wanted between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays throughout their pregnancy and postpartum periods (funded by the City of Yokohama government) or the usual care group (control, n = 369). The primary outcome was the risk of elevated postpartum depressive symptoms, defined as Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score ≥ 9. Secondary outcomes were self-efficacy, loneliness, perceived barriers to healthcare access, number of clinic visits, and ambulance usage. All outcomes were collected three months post-delivery. We also conducted subgroup analyses assessing the differences in the treatment effect by sociodemographic status. [Results] Most women completed all questionnaires (n = 639 of 734, response rate: 87%). The mean baseline age was 32.9 ± 4.2 years, and 62% were primipara. Three months post-delivery, women in the mHealth group had a lower risk of elevated postpartum depressive symptoms (47/310 [15.2%]) compared to the usual care group (75/329 [22.8%], risk ratio: 0.67 [95% confidence interval: 0.48–0.93]). Compared with the usual care group, women in the mHealth group ha

Public assistance recipients in Japan are financially empowered by social welfare but are also exposed to social stigma. Therefore, when their status of receiving public assistance changes, the conditions of their social life likely change. We examined whether the social relationships of older adults receiving public welfare are influenced by either starting or terminating their use of public assistance. This study used the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study panel data from 2013 to 2016. To measure social relationships, we used four indicators: the frequency of meeting with friends, the number of friends whom the participants had met with in the past month, their frequency of participating in sports clubs, and their frequency of participating in hobby clubs. In the analyses, changes in social relationships between 2013 and 2016 were used as the study outcomes. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine if their social relationships changed before and after starting or terminating public assistance while adjusting for confounders. We found that people who stopped receiving public assistance experienced an increase in their frequency of meeting with friends (coefficient: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.06, 1.07), the number of friends (coefficient: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.20, 0.99), participation in sports clubs (coefficient: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.46, 1.39), and participation in hobby clubs (coefficient: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.26, 1.13) compared to those who continued to receive public assistance. Contrarily, the measured social relationships did not change after the participants started receiving public assistance. Our main findings were that terminating one's reception of public assistance increases informal socializing and social participation while starting public assistance does not interrupt pre-existing relationships. These findings contribute to the literature by adding that social relationships are not negatively influenced by either terminating or starting public assistance. Target

[Background] The high suicide rate among older adults is an important public health issue. Financial insecurity has been linked to suicidal behaviour. Despite this, as yet, there has been little research on suicide-related behaviours among older recipients of public welfare. This study will examine if suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are more prevalent in older recipients of public welfare assistance in Japan. [Methods] This cross-sectional study analysed data from 16 135 adults aged ≥65 years who participated in the 2019 wave of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. Information was obtained on receiving public welfare assistance, lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts, and a variety of covariates. Poisson regression analysis with robust variance estimates was used to examine associations. [Results] Suicidal ideation was reported by 4.8% of the participants, while the corresponding figure for attempted suicide was 2.2%. In fully adjusted analyses public welfare recipients had an almost 1.5 times higher prevalence of lifetime suicidal ideation (prevalence ratio, PR 1.47, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.13), and an almost two times higher prevalence of attempted suicide (PR 1.91, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.04) when compared with their counterparts not receiving public welfare assistance. [Conclusion] Older recipients of public welfare have a higher prevalence of suicidal behaviour in Japan. An urgent focus is now warranted on this vulnerable population to determine the specific factors underlying this association.

BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions among older recipients of public assistance should be considered because it has been reported that public assistance recipients tend to have higher risks of morbidity than non-recipients, and mental health is strongly related to frailty. We aimed to examine whether older recipients of public assistance were more likely to have depressive symptoms compared to non-recipients. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a 2016 community-based study of older adults. Poisson regression analyses with a robust error variance using fixed effects were conducted to examine the relationship between receiving public assistance and depressive symptoms controlling for sociodemographic factors. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale 15. RESULTS: We found that the older recipients of public assistance were 1.57 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47, 1.67) more likely to have depressive symptoms compared to non-recipients. We also found that, when additionally adjusting for indicators of social participation, this relationship was slightly attenuated; however, the recipients still had worse mental health issues (Prevalence ratio: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Even after controlling for sociodemographic factors, older recipients of public assistance tended to be more depressed than non-recipients. However, our findings also indicated that social participation could slightly attenuate the negative relationship between receiving public assistance and depressive symptoms. Therefore, the public assistance program needs to consider the inclusion of mental healthcare support in addition to financial support.

[Objectives] Although several individual risk factors of frequent outpatient attendance (FOA) have previously been reported, identifying a specific risk profile is needed to provide effective intervention for impoverished citizens with complex biopsychosocial needs. We aimed to identify potential risk profiles of FOA among public assistance recipients in Japan by using classification and regression trees (CART) and discussed the possibilities of applying the CART to policypractice as compared with the results of conventional regression analyses. [Design] We conducted a retrospective cohort study. [Setting] We used secondary data from the public assistance databases of six municipalities in Japan. [Participants] The study population included all adults on public assistance in April 2016, observed until March 2017. We obtained the data of 15 739 people on public assistance. During the observational period, 435 recipients (2.7%) experienced FOA. [Outcome measure] We dichotomised a cumulative incidence of FOA during the study period into a binary variable of exhibiting FOA or not. We adopted the definition of FOA by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare: visiting the same medical institution more than 15 days a month. [Results] The results of the CART showed that an employed subpopulation with mental disabilities exhibited the highest risk of FOA (incidence proportion: 16.7%). Meanwhile, multiple Poisson regression showed that the adjusted incidence ratio of being unemployed (vs employed) was 1.71 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.59). [Conclusions] Using the CART model, we could identify specific risk profiles that could have been overlooked when considering only the risk factors obtained from regression analysis. Public health activities can be provided effectively by focusing on risk factors and the risk profiles.

[Backgrounds] Income reduction in poor households affects healthcare demands for impoverished population. However, the impact of reduced benefits for public assistance recipients, who can use medical services for free, on healthcare costs has not been examined. We hypothesised that marginal cuts in benefits increase recipients’ medical expenditure by extra demand for medical care. We tested this hypothesis using public assistance databases of Japan. [Methods] The study population comprised households in five municipalities receiving public assistance between April 2016 and September 2018. The households have a child aged 12–60 months and receive a monthly child-support income of US$150, which reduces by US$50 when the child turns 36 months of age. Our analysis comprised an age-based sharp regression-discontinuity study. [Results] We observed 4893 household-months (11 032 person-months). When a firstborn child reached 36 months, their frequency of outpatient visits and healthcare costs by recipients, except for the firstborn child, increased (0.45, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.61; US$111.2, 95% CI: 20.7 to 201.7), while those of the firstborn child did not increase significantly. The monthly medical expenditure per household increased by US$248.6 (95% CI: 25.4 to 471.7). Inpatient medical costs increased significantly (US$64.3, 95% CI: 8.4 to 120.2). [Conclusions] Government savings through income reduction were offset by increased medical expenditure. This may be due to recipients’ behavioural change and their worsening health conditions. To prevent excessive medical expenditure, policymakers should consider how income reduction affects the behaviour and health of the impoverished population.

[Background] Public assistance programs guarantee a minimum living standard, promoting independence for impoverished citizens. Although public assistance eligibility is mainly based on economic factors like poverty, psychosocial factors may be important in initiating and terminating participation. We explored factors governing commencement and termination of public assistance by the older Japanese population between 2013 and 2016. [Methods] We used panel data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), conducted in 2013 and 2016. Fixed-effects regression was used to examine variables in 2013 that were related to receiving public assistance in 2016. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology -competence index (TMIG-CI) was used to assess higher-level activities of daily living (ADL, i.e., instrumental ADL, intellectual activity, and social role). The role of individual perceptions of community social cohesion (community trust, mutual help, and attachment), and sociodemographic factors were considered. [Results] While 215 people (0.5%) started receiving public assistance between 2013 and 2016, almost 50% stopped participating. People with higher perceived mutual community help were 1.21 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.46) more likely to commence public assistance three years later. Public assistance recipients who felt community attachment to their resident community, and had social roles were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.06–1.28) and 1.15 (95% CI: 1.01–1.30) times more likely to give up public assistance three years later, respectively, independent of socioeconomic statuses. [Conclusion] Psychosocial factors, including maintaining good relationships with community residents, could be important in accessing and terminating public assistance services.

Aims/Introduction: Poverty is an important social determinant of diabetes. Poverty is a multidimensional concept including non-financial difficulties, such as social isolation and exclusion from communities. Many countries provide financial social assistance programs for those in need. This study aimed to explore non-financial social determinants of diabetes among public assistance recipients in Japan, by using linkage data of two municipal public assistance databases and medical assistance claim data. Materials and Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study. Public assistance is provided to households below the poverty line to ensure their income security. We extracted recipients’ sociodemographic factors of January 2016 (household number and employment status as non-financial social determinants of diabetes) and identified the incidence of diabetes diagnosis until December 2016 as the outcome. Results: We included the data of 2, 698 younger individuals (aged <65 years) and 3, 019 older individuals (aged >65 years). A multivariable Poisson regression, with a robust standard error estimator, showed that among 2, 144 younger recipients at risk, unemployment and living alone were slightly associated with 1-year cumulative incidence of diabetes diagnosis (adjusted incidence ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 0.93–1.54 and adjusted incidence ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.89–1.48, respectively). Among 2, 181 older recipients at risk, there was no strong association between their sociodemographic factors and incidence of diabetes diagnosis. Conclusions: Unemployment and living alone might be additional risk factors for diabetes among younger public assistance recipients. Multidimensional supports assuring financial and non-financial securities are required to prevent diabetes among people living in poverty.