Journal of epidemiology
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Journal of epidemiology · Apr 2021
Rural-urban disparities in the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Taiwan: A door-to-door nationwide study.
Screening or diagnosis for the elderly with dementia in rural regions might be delayed and underestimated due to limited utilization of healthcare resources. This study aimed to evaluate the disparities of prevalence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia between urban and rural residence. ⋯ Significantly higher prevalence of MCI and dementia were found in rural areas than in urban ones, especially for women. The odds of risk factors for MCI and dementia varied between urbanization statuses. Focus on the rural-urban inequality and the modification of associated factors specifically for different urbanization levels are needed.
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Journal of epidemiology · Feb 2021
Excess Mortality From Suicide During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Japan: A Time-Series Modeling Before the Pandemic.
Suicide amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is an important issue. In Japan, the number of suicides in April 2020 decreased by nearly 20% from that in 2019. To assess the impact of an infectious disease pandemic, excess mortality is often discussed. Our main purpose was evaluating excess mortality from suicide in Japan during the early pandemic period. ⋯ Our results suggest that various changes, such as communication, and social conditions amid the early COVID-19 pandemic induced a decrease in suicides in Japan. However, continuous monitoring is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of the pandemic on suicides.
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Journal of epidemiology · Dec 2020
Association Between Second-hand Smoke Exposure and Depressive Symptoms Among Japanese Adults: A Cross-sectional Study.
Second-hand smoke exposure has been associated with poor mental health. However, among Japanese adults, little is known about the association between second-hand smoking and depressive symptoms. We examined this association in a cross-sectional study among a Japanese general adult population sample. ⋯ Second-hand smoking and depressive symptoms were associated among non-smokers. Our findings indicate the importance of tobacco smoke control for mental health.
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Journal of epidemiology · Aug 2020
Observational StudyEarly SNS-Based Monitoring System for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Japan: A Population-Level Observational Study.
The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) to be a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Large-scale monitoring for capturing the current epidemiological situation of COVID-19 in Japan would improve preparation for and prevention of a massive outbreak. ⋯ COOPERA is the first real-time system being used to monitor trends in COVID-19 in Japan and provides useful insights to assist political decisions to tackle the epidemic.