Daisuke Takagi

Children's independent mobility (CIM), a parental permission for children to travel and play at a destination without adult supervision, is considered essential for supporting both the physical and psychological well-being of children. Of the various places CIM can be granted, the present study focused on local parks as a destination. The study aimed to understand children’s travel to local parks without adult supervision (CIM to park), children’s travel returning from local parks without adult supervision (CIM from park) and playing at/within local parks without adult supervision (CIM within park), and factors influencing the parental grant of that CIM. An online survey was completed by 3000 mothers in Japan about their primary school-aged child. Among the children who visited parks (88.7%), approximately half of the children were granted each type of park CIM in total. The results from the logistic regression indicated that girls were less likely than boys to be granted CIM from parks. For all CIMs, if mothers thought that the child was capable of protecting themselves from crime and accidents, the odds of being granted CIM were higher. Additionally, mothers who believed that local residents could protect their children from crime were more likely to permit CIM of all types. This suggests that the presence of local residents may facilitate CIM associated with parks, especially for children whose mothers do not consider them yet capable of self-protection.

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and optimal movement behaviors including sufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA), regular leisure-time PA, and less sedentary behavior. Methods: We used data from the Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood conducted in 2012. Activity patterns and SES were measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Version and other self-administered questionnaires. Activity pattern outcomes assessed were sufficient total volume of moderate-to-vigorous PA (≥150 min/wk), regular leisure-time PA (≥1 d/wk), less sedentary time (≤4 h/d), and optimal movement behaviors (meeting all criteria). SES variables were equivalized annual income, educational attainment, and occupation. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders. Results: We included 731 men and 852 women. Lower income levels were associated with less leisure-time PA among men and women (men, odds ratio [OR]: 0.60 and 0.65 for Q2 and Q1 [lowest], respectively; women, OR: 0.53 and 0.56 for Q2 and Q1 [lowest]). Lower SES groups associated with less sedentary time (men, OR: 1.82 for blue-collar; women, OR: 1.44 for Q1 income level, 1.61 and 1.53 for junior college, technical school, and high school/junior high school, respectively; 1.89 for unemployed). SES was not significantly associated with optimal movement behavior in both sexes (in men, OR for those with high school or junior high school education vs those with university or graduate school education = 0.81 [0.43–1.53]). Conclusion: Activity patterns varied by SES, with lower income associated with less leisure-time PA and white-collar workers associated with more prevalent sedentary behavior among both sexes.

Previous studies suggested that accessibility to others with useful health information depends on one’s educational background. While Information and Communication Technology is thought to affect health information disparities, it remains unclear whether it widens or narrows them. We aimed to examine how four types of communication media—face-to-face/telephone, E-mail, LINE, social network service (SNS)—modify the association between educational background and accessibility to useful health information in the personal network of Japanese adults. We used data from the third-wave Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE) survey conducted in 2017, which targeted middle-aged adults living in four municipalities within Japanese metropolitan areas. The results demonstrated that SNS use moderated the gap between educational backgrounds, suggesting that SNS can be an interventional leverage to close a health-related information gap between socioeconomic positions.

Few studies have examined whether objective or subjective economic status (ES) has a greater association with the happiness of older adults, despite concerns regarding the growing economic cost of morbidity and their functional dependence in developing countries with aging populations. Thus, this study examined whether objective/subjective ES was associated with happiness in older adults in two Myanmar regions. A multistage random sampling procedure and face-to-face interviews were conducted in the urban and rural areas of Myanmar. The happiness of 1200 participants aged >60 years was evaluated using a single happiness score ranging from 0 (very unhappy) to 10 (very happy). The wealth index, used as an objective ES, was calculated from 17 household asset items, such as radio, washing machines, and television. Subjective ES was assessed by asking “Which of the following best describes your current financial situation in light of general economic conditions?” Responses ranged from “very difficult” to “very comfortable”. Both low objective and subjective ES were negatively associated with happiness, after adjusting for confounding variables and stratification by region (urban and rural areas). Although objective and subjective ES had similar associations with happiness in urban areas, subjective ES had a stronger association in rural areas.