Mika Ninohei

Background/Objectives: There is increased advocacy for the potential for digital applications (apps) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve women’s health. We conducted a systematic review to assess and synthesise the role of Apps and the IoT in improving the health of non-pregnant women. Methods: Six databases were searched from inception to 13 February 2023. We included randomised controlled trials that assessed the effects of various Apps and the IoT with regard to improving the health of non-pregnant women in high-income countries. Our primary outcomes were health status and well-being or quality of life, and we assessed behaviour change as the secondary outcome. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed in duplicate. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Narrative methods were used to synthesise study outcomes. Results: The search retrieved 18,433 publications and seven publications from six studies met the inclusion criteria. Participants included overweight or obese women, postmenopausal women, or women with stage I–III breast cancer. Intervention types varied across included studies but broadly included wearable or sensor-based personal health tracking digital technologies. The most commonly assessed intervention effect was on behaviour change outcomes related to promoting physical activity. Interventions administered yielded positive effects on health outcomes and well-being or quality of life in one study each, while three of the four studies that assessed behaviour change reported significant positive effects. Most included studies had methodological concerns, while study designs and methodologies lacked comparability. Conclusions: Based on our findings, the use of apps and the IoT may be promising for facilitating behaviour change to promote physical activity. However, more evidence is needed to assess the effectiveness of the IoT for improving health status, well-being and quality of life among non-pregnant women.

Background/Objectives: There is increased advocacy for the potential for digital applications (Apps) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve women’s health. We conducted a systematic review to assess and synthesize the role of Apps and the IoT in improving the health of non-pregnant women. Methods: Six databases were searched from inception to February 13, 2023. We included randomised controlled trials that assessed the effects of various Apps and the IoT with regard to improving the health of non-pregnant women in high-income countries. Our primary outcomes were health status and well-being or quality of life, and we assessed behaviour change as the secondary outcome. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed in duplicate. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Narrative methods were used to synthesise study outcomes. Results: The search retrieved 18,433 publications and seven publications from six studies met the inclusion criteria. Participants included overweight or obese women, postmenopausal women, or women with stage I-III breast cancer. Intervention types varied across included studies but broadly included wearable or sensor-based personal health tracking digital technologies. The most commonly assessed intervention effect was on behaviour change outcomes related to promoting physical activity. Interventions administered yielded positive effects on health outcomes and well-being or quality of life in one study each, while three of the four studies that assessed behaviour change reported significant positive effects. Most included studies had methodological concerns, while study designs and methodologies lacked comparability. Conclusions: Based on our findings, the use of Apps and the IoT may be promising for facilitating behaviour change to promote physical activity. More evidence is needed to assess the effectiveness of the IoT for improving health status, well-being and quality of life among non-pregnant women.

Background/Objectives: The Internet of Things (IoT), integrated with application software, has increasingly been used to support health management through monitoring indicators like physical activity, sleep, and heart rate, in pregnant and postpartum women. However, limited evidence exists regarding its effectiveness in improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate and synthesize the role of IoT in enhancing the health outcomes of pregnant and postpartum women. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on 13 February 2023, across CENTRAL, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and WHO ICTRP to identify all randomized controlled trials. Studies were included if they involved pregnant or postpartum women in high-income countries and used sensor-based data collection via smartphones or wearable devices. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias assessment tool 2.0. We performed a pairwise meta-analysis using a random effects model. The findings were reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: Seven studies with 1638 pregnant and postpartum women were included in this review. Of the seven included studies, half targeted women with gestational diabetes and the other half targeted obese women. A meta-analysis revealed that IoT interventions may reduce gestational weight gain in women with obesity with a mean difference of −3.35 kg (95% confidence interval (CI): −5.23 to−1.46; I² = 36%; two studies; 242 women; moderate certainty of evidence). Conclusions: This review suggested that IoT interventions may limit gestational weight gain in pregnant women with obesity. Future studies should evaluate the long-term effects of IoT-based interventions on maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

Health literacy is a modifiable determinant of health with the potential to enhance public health. An association between health literacy and health-related quality of life has been reported. Although each country has developed their own original health literacy scales, the assessment of adolescent health literacy using the Health Literacy Scale for School-Aged Children has not yet been studied in Japan. In this study, we aimed to clarify the factors associated with adolescents’ health literacy and examine the relationship between health literacy, health-related behaviors, and health-related quality of life in Japan. Participants were recruited by a research company using registered monitors (1st- to 3rd-year junior high school students and their mothers living in Japan in August 2023). Multivariate regression analysis was performed using the total EuroQoL Five Dimensions, Youth Version scores. SAS software was used for data analysis. Overall, 1,854 adolescents and their mothers participated in the online survey. Factors associated with Health Literacy Scale for School-Aged Children included physical activity, sleep conditions in health-related behaviors, parental communication, parental health literacy, and health-related quality of life. Furthermore, parental health literacy was associated to children’s quality of life. Our study showed the influence of family variables, highlighting the need for tailored approaches that consider parents’ health literacy levels.

Menstruation relates to women’s well-being, and menstrual health and hygiene are important. However, the effects of menstrual health and hygiene interventions remain unclear. This systematic review assessed the effects of menstrual health and hygiene interventions on adolescent girls and young women. Structured systematic searches were conducted using five databases from 5 August to 30 September 2022 with no restriction. We included individual-, cluster- and quasi-randomized controlled trials that assessedthe effects of menstrual health and hygiene interventions on the quality of life and social outcomes. Two researchers independently completed the screening process and assessed the risk of bias using the second version of the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials.Ten studies were described in 12 reports, and three ongoing studies were included. Five studies evaluated education interventions, one evaluated the distribution of menstrual products, and four assessed both. No study reported the quality of life. A small but non-significant positive impact on school attendance was found from the meta-analysis of four studies evaluating the distribution of sanitary products compared with no intervention (SMD = 0.23, 95%CI [-0.03, 0.48]). Although this study’s result should be used cautiously, menstrual health and hygiene interventions offer positive outcomes. Quality of life should be assessed as well. Morecomprehensive and innovative interventions and a rigorous research design are required, and nurses have an important role in education, practice and further research on this topic.

This study aimed to determine the characteristics of people who refrained from having regular checkups due to the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection and the factors associated with this behavior. We conducted a nationwide internet survey of 4593 males and females aged 20–69 in Japan regarding their health checkups from April 2020 to March 2021, when COVID-19 was widespread. Individuals who received checkups during this time were “the receiving group”; those who did not were “the refraining group”. Personal attributes, responses to a health questionnaire and other items were used to compare the groups. The analysis showed that males over 53 refrained from having health checkups compared to those younger. On the other hand, males with higher personal incomes who never skipped breakfast received health checkups. Females with children under 18 years were less likely than those without to receive health checkups. For males, the characteristic factors were economic and health awareness and literacy. Females were less aware of medical checkups. Moreover, they demonstrated an inability to maintain an everyday rhythm. No factors were common to males and females, indicating the need to consider separate strategies for encouraging males and females to obtain annual health checkups.