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Biomedical subjects

M Minowa

Publications and source records attributed to M Minowa.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Japanese national survey of adolescent drinking behavior in 1996.

BACKGROUND: Despite legal prohibition of drinking by minors, there has been no systematic attempt to monitor drinking by young Japanese. This research, the first Japanese national survey of Japanese adolescent drinking behaviors, was conducted in 1996. METHODS: In this survey, information on drinking frequency was obtained from questionnaires completed by 42,183 junior high school and 72,396 senior high school students in randomly selected schools representing all areas of Japan. RESULTS: Sixty percent of junior high school students and 70% of senior high school students reported having drinking experiences; 5% of junior high school students and 10% of senior high school students drank one or more times per week. Many of the junior high school students usually drank with their families and consumed small amounts, but many of senior high school students drank on various occasions and consumed larger amounts. These Japanese high school students reported being offered alcohol frequently by their parents, found it easy to buy alcoholic beverages, and believed that they had the right to determine whether to drink. Japanese adolescents' drinking has increased over the past 20 years, whereas drinking by U.S. adolescents has decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Japanese policies aimed at decreasing adolescent drinking are inadequate. A system for monitoring and potentially modifying adolescent drinking behavior is needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Factors related to smoking behavior of nursing students revealed by a cohort study].

PURPOSE: Through a cohort study, changes in smoking behavior of nursing students and the factors related to their smoking behavior were examined. METHOD: Research through anonymous questionnaires concerning smoking behavior was conducted on nursing students in the first to third grades (as of 1997) at two vocational schools of nursing located in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. The same research was conducted in the same manner on the same subjects the following year. RESULTS: The smoking prevalence among nursing students of the first and second grades as of 1997 had increased by 10% in one year, and that of nursing students of the third grade (to graduate in 1998) had increased by 5%. The average degree of nicotine dependence of the subjects, who replied that they smoked every day in both surveys, increased from 4.25 to 5.00. As to factors related to smoking behavior, the smoking behavior of friends largely influenced that of the nursing students. CONCLUSIONS: Education to prevent nursing students from smoking should be started as soon as possible at vocational schools of nursing, because the research showed that more than 70% of the smokers had actually thought of quitting and that their views toward smoking influenced later smoking behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Development of a scale for subjective QOL common to patients with intractable diseases].

OBJECTIVE: We have developed a scale for evaluating subjective quality of life (QOL) common to patients with intractable diseases. SUBJECTS: Two-hundred and forty-seven outpatients of housebound patients from 7 collaborating hospitals or institutions participated in preliminary surveys. The patients were diagnosed with one of 14 diseases targeted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Specific Disease Treatment Research Project. Two-hundred and fifty-seven outpatients or housebound patients of 8 collaborating hospitals or institutions participated in a second survey that targeted 15 diseases. METHODS: The concept of subjective QOL was examined, and a favorable subjective QOL score was defied as "a state in which patients accept their current condition and possess a high level of morale with no signs of anxiety, despite the presence of their disease". Sixty-six items were then identified and included in a preliminary survey. Three preliminary surveys and a second survey were then conducted. A final scale for the items was then decided, and the items were assessed for their reliability and validity. RESULTS: Nine items reflecting two factors, "acceptance" and "morale", were selected and assessed for their reliability and validity as follows: 1) The response of subjects who accepted their illness yet possessed a high level of morale showed a good fit with the proposed scale (Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index = 0.925). 2) The confidence coefficient of the re-test method for subjective QOL scale scores was r = 0.78 (95% con idence interval: 0.72-0.83; n = 226) nd the alpha coefficient was 0.822, indicating a high level of reliability. 3) A strong negative correlation (r = -0.76, 95% confidence interval: -0.82 to -0.69; n = 178) was found between the subjective QOL scale scores and self-rating depression scale (SDS) scores, and a moderately positive correlation (r = 0.35, 95% confidence interval: 0.23-0.46; n = 238) was found between the subjective QOL scale scores and activities of daily living (ADL) scores. 4) No statistically significant differences were observed in the distribution of subjective QOL scale scores when analyzed according to sex, age group, disease, or duration of illness. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a scale consisting of 9 items for determining the subjective QOL of patients with intractable diseases. The scale was confirmed to properly reflect our concept of subjective QOL, which consists of two factors: "acceptance" and "morale" The scale was also confirmed to be stable and highly reliable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Lifestyles and sleep disorders among the Japanese adult population.

To clarify the effects of daily stress, habitual exercise, drinking and smoking on the prevalence of sleep disorders, we selected 4000 residents (> or =20 years) in Japan by stratified random sampling and carried out structured interviews (response rate 75.8%). Frequencies of sleep disorders (difficulty initiating sleep: DIS; difficulty maintaining sleep: DMS; early morning awakening and hypnotic medication use) were treated as dependent variables. Significant effects of stress were prevalent in all sleep disorders. Habitual exercise had significant negative association with DIS and DMS. Drinking and smoking did not affect sleep disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Smoking prevalence of female nurses in the national hospitals of Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of smoking and the attitudes towards the restriction of smoking at work among female nurses in the national hospitals in Japan. DESIGN: Questionnaires mailed to 14 randomly selected national hospitals and sanitariums in Japan in 1993. SUBJECTS: 2207 female nurses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking status and history, and attitudes towards the restriction of smoking at work. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among female nurses was 18.6%, which was higher than the age-adjusted prevalence of the general female population using this study's subjects as a standardised population. Banning smoking in the hospital in which they worked was supported by 15.0%, whereas 81.6% supported the restriction of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that smoking is more common among female nurses than among the general female adult population. The survey suggested that nurses favour restriction, but not banning, of smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Smoking behavior of nurses in Mie Prefecture, Japan].

Nurses who work in hospitals and clinics belonging to a regional medical association in Mie prefecture were surveyed regarding their smoking behavior and several related factors. The results are summarized as follows: 1) Smoking prevalence in male and female nurses was 75.5% and 14.6% respectively. In the present study the rate of female nurses was almost equal to results reported in a national survey. 2) Smoking prevalence was higher among licensed practical nurses than registered nurses, and it was highest among psychiatric nurses. 3) Smoking prevalence among hospital and clinical nurses was 15.7% and 9.1% respectively. Smoking prevalence was lower among clinical nurses, even though, they have a higher number of licensed practical nurses. Also smoking prevalence was higher in hospitals with a smaller nursing staff than in hospitals with a larger nursing staff. 4) Among smokers, 44.5% seriously had attempted to quit smoking, and 34.1% had considered quitting but never tried. Therefore, the results suggest the importance of providing smoking cessation programs for nurses.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[A comparison of smoking habits between nursing school and nursing college students].

This study was conducted through anonymous questionnaires in order to compare the smoking habits of nursing school students with those of nursing college students, and to identify factors that might possibly indicate causes of smoking habits, among students of two major courses (a 3-year nursing school course and a 4-year nursing college course) for becoming nurses. The subjects were students in two nursing schools and two nursing colleges in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. The results showed that the smoking prevalence among nursing school students in the first to the third grades was 26%, and that among nursing college students of the same grades was 12%. As to factors related to smoking habits of the students the smoking patterns of mothers and friends were shown to largely influence those of the nursing students. Among nursing college students, 21% agreed to a smoking ban in their schools, compared with 14% of the nursing school students.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Getting a high response rate of sexual behavior survey among the general population in Japan: three different methods of survey on sexual behavior.

The purpose of this study was to specify the most accurate, reliable and valid technique for a general sexual behavioral survey in Japan. This pilot study was conducted to assure a high response rate and to keep respondents' privacy confidential by using an anonymous questionnaire survey technique. The sample (360 potential respondents) was selected randomly from basic resident registers in two geographically different areas. From the registries, 90 residents, aged 20 to 49 years old, were randomly selected to represent each sex from each area. The subjects were randomly assigned to three groups each having a different procedure of requesting the completion of the survey and providing the questionnaires: (1) Postal Group, (2) Telephone Group, and (3) Face-to-face Group. The survey was carried out from October 1995 to February 1996. Effective response rates for the above mentioned three groups were 69.2%, 69.2% and 55.8%, respectively. It is difficult to determine the best method when only considering the effective response rates. However, judging from our effort and expense, the mail survey is the best possible procedure and would be a reasonable method for a national sexual behavior survey.

Confidentiality↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of correlates of cigarette smoking behavior between Jiangxi province, China and Japanese high school students.

We conducted surveys on cigarette smoking among junior and senior high school students in Jiangxi province, China and throughout Japan using the same anonymous, self-administered questionnaire in order to compare correlates of adolescent smoking between the two areas. Cross-sectional surveys were used to measure smoking behavior and correlates in two samples of 57,566 Japanese students and 11,836 Jiangxi students. The correlate on smoking with the highest relative risk was friend's smoking in both sexes in each area. The magnitude of the relative risk was bigger for Japanese students. The relative risk of the variable that a student doesn't think cigarette smoking harms his/her health was higher among Jiangxi students than among Japanese students. Mother's smoking and sister's smoking were significantly related to smoking experiment of Japanese students. In Japan, important measures are to support students getting coping techniques against peer pressure and to elevate concern toward adolescent smoking among family members and society. In Jiangxi, the anti-smoking education to teach students to correctly recognize the harm of smoking to their health is more important.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Estimating adolescent cigarette consumption in Japan.

We estimated the cigarette consumption among Japanese adolescents based on the data which was obtained from a 1990 nationwide school-based questionnaire survey of smoking prevalence among high school students. Cigarette consumption for adolescents was estimated using the data on current smokers' rate and cigarette consumption per day. Participants were 57,189 high school students (aged 13-18 years) including 4666 current smokers. The estimated adolescents' consumption was calculated at 3.5 to 4.3 billion units in 1990. The proportion of adolescents' consumption to the total sales was 1.1% to 1.3%. The corresponding tax amounted to between 21 and 25 billion yen in 1990. The difference between the total sales and the crude cigarette consumption for adults has increased gradually over 20 years. Logically, some part of this increase should be attributed to cigarettes consumed by adolescents. The increase in this difference seemed to keep pace with the increasing number of cigarette vending machines. These results indicate that a considerable amount of cigarettes were consumed by adolescents in 1990.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Factors associated with earthquake deaths in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, 1995].

BACKGROUND: In order to find factors associated with earthquake deaths due to the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, we conducted a descriptive epidemiological and a case-control study. METHODS: The study area was Nishinomiya city. Earthquake mortality was calculated by age group, sex and the degree of damage to dwelling. Cases in the case-control study included all 1,104 earthquake-caused deaths. Randomly selected survivors living in the same neighborhood and matching sex, age, and the degree of damage to dwelling were used as controls. Seven kinds of information about subject's health and welfare on January 16, one dey before the earthquake, were used for analysis. RESULTS: The likelihood of earthquake-caused mortality steadily increased after 50 years of age. Mortality among people who lived in completely destroyed dwellings was much higher than that among people who lived in intact or partially-destroyed dwellings. In the case-control study, a significant risk factor for earthquake death was physical disability (odds ratio (OR) = 1.9; 95% confidence interval (95% C.I.), 1.0 to 3.34). When the analysis was limited to those who lived in intact or partially-destroyed dwellings, the odds ratio of physical disability increased to 5.6 (95% C.I., 1.6 to 19.8). CONCLUSIONS: The most important risk factors were age and degree of damage to dwelling. Physical disability was suggested as a risk factor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Excess mortality from influenza epidemics in Japan, 1980-1994].

In 1973, WHO proposed that "excess mortality" be used for comparative assessment of the severity of influenza epidemics between countries. In this study, analysis of the data for deaths in Japan between 1980-1994 revealed excess mortality, which could be a useful indicator in Japan. There were six influenza epidemics, and statistically significant excess mortality rates were calculated in both deaths from acute respiratory diseases and all causes. The total number of excess deaths from acute respiratory diseases during influenza seasons for the 15 years was 13,931. Statistically significant excess mortality rates were also shown for other diseases, including ischemic heart disease, cerebro-vascular disease, diabetes, nephritis, chronic liver disease, malignant neoplasm, and chronic respiratory disease. Therefore, "excess mortality" is clearly present in recent years in Japan. In analyses of age-specific excess mortality rates, the epidemic was found to be most fatal to the aged. Further, the value of % excess (= excess rate divided by expected rate x 100) suggested that the number of deaths from all causes would be a more useful indicator than that from acute respiratory diseases. It was confirmed that excess mortality was applicable to regional surveillance of epidemic influenza.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

[A follow-up study on effects of ADL deterioration on QOL in patients with neurological intractable diseases].

OBJECTIVE: This follow-up study examined correlating factors, including change of activity of daily living (ADL), which are associated with subjective quality of life (QOL) in patients with neurological intractable diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinocerebellar degeneration and Parkinson disease. METHODS: Baseline information of 159 patients with above mentioned three intractable diseases registered by two public health centers in Niigata and Fukuoka Prefectures was obtained in 1993-1994, and they were followed to 1995. At the end of follow-up, 124 subjects were interviewed by public health nurses using the 27 item-subjective QOL scale for patients with neurological intractable diseases, previously confirmed for reliability and validity. RESULTS: Low level of ADL at the time of registry and deterioration of ADL after the registry were independently related to low level of subjective QOL. CONCLUSIONS: It may be necessary to minimize the ADL deterioration, in order to maintain a high subjective QOL of patients with neurological intractable diseases.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

[Lifestyle and health status of homeless people around Shibuya Station, Tokyo].

The number of homeless people in Tokyo is estimated to be 3,200-3,300. While studies on the health status of homeless people, including illness, injury and deaths have been previously reported, most of these reports concern the homeless who resided in housing facilities for the homeless or who admitted to hospitals. We undertook a comparison of lifestyle and health status between homeless people and people who live in houses (as a control group). Health status was also analyzed for differences among homeless people. Subjects were asked by questionnaire regarding their age, the length of being homeless, former and present employment, sleeping condition, food, whether they have friends or not, the amount of smoking per day, and Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF36). As objective findings, measurement of blood pressure and blood testing were also performed. Fifty-three homeless people, 49 male, 4 female, average age 52, from the areas around Shibuya station and Yoyogi park, were enrolled. While 98% of the homeless people had previous employment, 73% were not working when the study was performed. Compared with control group, the homeless had fewer meals per day, fewer friends, excessive smoking, greater history of gastro-duodenal ulcer and injury, greater limitation due to physical problems, and higher general mental health as measured by SF36. The diastolic blood pressure of the homeless was higher than that of the control. The blood testing showed higher white blood cell counts and platelet counts. It was suggested that changes in the social structures were largely influential in causing life, and that access to health care was limited because of financial and social barriers. Further studies with more samples, survey of social volunteers involved in care of homeless and qualitative data would be necessary to find and develop better support system for the homeless.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Nationwide survey on alcohol use among junior and senior high school students in Japan].

We conducted the first nationwide survey on alcohol use by Japanese junior and senior high school students using a representative sampling procedure. Sample schools were selected by stratified cluster sampling. Response rates for self-administered anonymous questionnaires sent to sample schools for all students to fill out were 65.6% for junior high schools and 67.0% for senior high schools. A total of 117,325 students responded and 115,814 questionnaires were subjected to analysis. The proportion of current alcohol use (drank alcohol on > = 1 of the 30 days preceding the survey) among seventh graders was 26.0% for boys and 22.2% for girls, and it increased with age to reach 54.9% for boys and 43.4% for girls in the twelfth grade. The experience rate of alcohol drinking on ceremonial occasions was much higher than for any other modes of drinking. However, the experience rates of drinking with peers at parties, in bars, and drinking alone increased with age. The proportion of heavy drinkers also increased with age. The cumulative experience rate of drinking with peers was dramatically increased in senior high school students. The most popular alcohol drink among boys was beer, whereas it was liquor with sweet taste among girls. Most important routes of purchase of alcohol were convenience stores, bars, liquor shops, and vending machines.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Properties of high-molecular-mass placental alkaline phosphatases in normal pregnancy sera.

We examined the appearance of high-molecular-mass placental alkaline phosphatases (HPLAPs) in the serum of normal pregnant women by means of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the presence of Triton X-100. The HPLAPs were undetectable or only slightly detectable by PAGE in the absence of Triton X-100. The HPLAPs were detected in all sera sampled during the last trimester of pregnancy. The catalytic activities of total placental alkaline phosphatase (TPLAP) and HPLAPs were correlated (r = 0.96) and the ratio of HPLAPs/TPLAP catalytic activity was 0.20 (0.06) (mean and SD) in 40 serum samples from pregnant women. The HPLAPs appear to be formed from a common dimeric placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) (common-PLAP), as judged by the fact that they were formed again after removal of HPLAPs from serum by gel filtration. The formation of HPLAPs was more prominently observed with the faster fractions of gel filtration. The apparent molecular mass of the HPLAPs in pregnancy serum was 720 KDa by gel filtration. HPLAPs were not converted to common-PLAP by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase (PIPL) C and PIPL-D treatments. The HPLAPs were selectively incorporated into liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol, and most of the PIPL-D-treated PLAP could from HPLAPs, while a small amount of PLAP could not form HPLAPs. On the other hand, HPLAPs in pregnant women's sera and HPLAPs prepared from partially purified PLAP in vitro could be converted to common-PLAP by brief treatment with subtilisin. However, the highly purified PLAP could not form HPLAPs in the presence of Triton X-100. These results suggest that PIPL-D-resistant and PLAP-associated serum protein may regulate the conversion of PLAP to HPLAP in the presence of Triton X-100.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗