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Few studies have examined the relationship between teleworking practices and presenteeism. This study determined the association between teleworking practices and presenteeism among teleworkers in Japan. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 2687 teleworkers from five companies in Japan, collecting data on demographic variables, teleworking practices, frequency and duration of teleworking, presenteeism, and various lifestyle- and health-related factors. A logistic regression analysis was performed. Teleworkers with full-time employment and less teleworking experience exhibited higher presenteeism rates. Key practices negatively associated with presenteeism included creating a dedicated workspace, chatting with colleagues, and setting daily work goals. Gender differences were significant: for men, additional practices, such as determining their work hours, were beneficial; while for women, chatting with colleagues was particularly important. A sensitivity analysis indicated that specific teleworking practices can mitigate presenteeism. Certain teleworking practices, such as creating a workspace, chatting with colleagues, and setting work goals, were associated with lower presenteeism among teleworkers. These findings highlight the need for organizations to support telework ergonomics, promote social interaction, and encourage goal setting to enhance teleworker productivity and health. Training for employees and supervisors to raise awareness of their own and their subordinates' health while teleworking is advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Mental health issues in adolescence contribute to various disease burdens later in life and are associated with violence, crime, and suicide. Activities such as sleep, diet, exercise, and time spent using electronic devices are related to declining mental health. However, few studies have examined the association between commuting times to school and mental health. This study tested the hypothesis that high school students' long commuting times are associated with poor mental health. Method: A cross‐sectional study was conducted between October and December 2022 among 2067 students at two private high schools. Survey items included participant information (sex, grade, school), commuting time, mental health status (Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ‐9]: depressive symptoms, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 [GAD‐7]: anxiety symptoms), lifestyle factors, and sleep‐related factors. Results: Data from 1899 high school students were analyzed. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 17.3% and 19.0%, respectively. A commuting time of ≥1 h was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.60 [95% confidence interval]: 1.14–2.24) and anxiety symptoms (adjusted odds ratio: 1.51 [95% confidence interval]: 1.09–2.10). Sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and chronotype were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, while sex, grade, use of ≥8 h/day of electronic devices, and insomnia were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: It is suggested that long commuting times are associated with poor mental health in high school students. Parents and schools should consider commuting time when advising students on school selection to maintain their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep can be characterized along multiple dimensions. We investigated whether an aggregate measure of sleep health was associated with prevalent and incident clinically significant depression symptoms in a cohort of older women. Participants were older women (mean age 80.1 years) who completed baseline (n = 6485) and follow-up (n = 3806) visits, approximately 6 years apart, in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). Self-reported sleep over the past 12 months was categorized as "good" or "poor" across 5 dimensions: satisfaction with sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, mid-sleep time, sleep onset latency, and sleep duration. An aggregate measure of sleep health was calculated by summing the number of "poor" dimensions. Clinically significant depression symptoms were defined as a score ≥6 on the Geriatric Depression Scale. Relationships between sleep health and depression symptoms were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for health measures and medications. Individual sleep health dimensions of sleep satisfaction, daytime sleepiness, mid-sleep time, and sleep onset latency were significantly associated with prevalent depression symptoms (odds ratios [OR] = 1.26-2.69). Sleep satisfaction, daytime sleepiness, and sleep onset latency were significantly associated with incident depression symptoms (OR = 1.32-1.79). The number of "poor" sleep health dimensions was associated in a gradient fashion with greater odds of prevalent (OR = 1.62-5.41) and incident (OR = 1.47-3.15) depression symptoms. An aggregate, multidimensional measure of sleep health was associated with both prevalent and incident clinically-significant depression symptoms in a gradient fashion. Future studies are warranted to extend these findings in different populations and with different health outcomes.

Introduction Many environmental factors are related to the development of asthma. However, the key factors of childhood asthma onset have not been sufficiently elucidated. Further, low-weight births have increased in Japan. The aim of this study was to examine the risk factors for the incidence of childhood asthma and to evaluate whether these risk factors differ according to birth weight in Japan. Methods We used the National Longitudinal Survey from 2001 to 2010. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the effects of gender, birth weight, single vs. multiple births, birth order, nutrition, keeping pets in the home, place of residence, annual household income, and parent ages, smoking behaviors, and educational backgrounds on asthma-related hospital visits. Results Overall, 45,060 children were analyzed. The rate of cumulative hospital visits until age 10 was 18.9%. Birth weight < 2500 g (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.26), being a boy (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.21-1.33), having older siblings (AOR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.14), parental smoking behavior, mother`s age, and low household income (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.24) were associated with asthma-related hospital visits. Discussion Parental smoking behavior is a key risk factor for the development of asthma. Among low birth weight infants, being a boy, having older siblings, and father`s smoking behavior were predictive factors for the development of asthma. However, low birth weight was not associated with the development of asthma after 6 years of age., Author(s): Masakazu Furuhata [sup.1] , Yuichiro Otsuka [sup.1] , Yoshitaka Kaneita [sup.1] , Sachi Nakagome [sup.1] , Maki Jike [sup.1] , Osamu Itani [sup.1] , Takashi Ohida [sup.1] Author Affiliations: [...]

Background: The tobacco industry has actively advocated for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) as harm-reduction alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Around 40% of smoking physicians have adopted HTPs. This study aimed to uncover the motivations behind Japanese physicians' e-cigarette and HTP use while analyzing the associations between product use, physician demographics, lifestyles, and smoking preferences. Methods: A mail-based survey was conducted in 2020, targeting 6000 male and 1500 female physicians. From the 5492 survey participants, 346 physicians aged 28 to 98 who were current smokers were selected. The survey assessed their usage of e-cigarettes and HTPs and explored the reasons for initial adoption. A multivariate logistic regression analysis examined the relationships between product use, physician characteristics, and behaviors. Results: Approximately 33.8% of smoking physicians had experimented with e-cigarettes and HTPs. E-cigarette and HTP use correlated with youthfulness, nicotine addiction, and a history of medical treatment. The primary drivers for adopting e-cigarettes and HTPs were reduced odor (74.4%), perceived harm reduction (48.7%), and decreased exposure to secondhand smoke (29.1%). Conclusions: Physicians, when transitioning from conventional cigarettes to HTPs or e-cigarettes, are primarily motivated by a desire to reduce the odor of conventional cigarettes rather than health-related concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the serious influence of problematic Internet use on mental health among Japanese adolescents, no randomized clinical trials have investigated universal school-based interventions for this potential health challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of a school-based educational program. This two-armed, parallel, cluster-based randomized clinical trial included 5312 students from 13 high schools situated in a mid-sized Japanese city. The students in the intervention arm received 10 weekly standardized sessions, including a combination of information provision and interactive sessions by schoolteachers. The students in the control group followed a standard school curriculum. A generalized estimating equation model was applied to assess the primary (Korean Scale for Internet Addiction [K-scale] score) and secondary (behavioral change status according to changes in the transtheoretical model smartphone addiction score and Internet usage time) outcomes two months after intervention completion. The intention-to-treat analysis included 2597 (97.2%) and 2504 (94.9%) students in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Nevertheless, a significant discrepancy emerged regarding the behavioral change status. Therefore, this school-based program did not improve the Internet or smartphone addiction scores among Japanese adolescents. Further studies are needed to develop appropriate interventions for adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]