Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido College of Nursing (日本赤十字北海道看護大学, Nihon Sekijuuji Hokkaidō Kango daigaku) or JRCH is a private university in Kitami, Hokkaidō, Japan, established in 1999..
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are potentially life-threatening conditions for both the pregnant woman and fetus with long-term effects on maternal health, and while folic acid supplementation has been suggested to reduce the risk of HDP, current epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive. This study evaluated the impact of the frequency of folic acid supplementation on the risk of HDP and postpartum hypertension in a large-scale prospective cohort study within the Japanese population. Data were obtained from the national birth cohort of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), collected between 2011 and 2014. Maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy was categorized into three groups (none, low frequency, and high frequency) based on self-reported intake frequency. Crude and adjusted binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and HDP as well as postpartum hypertension. HDP was further classified according to onset timing as early-onset (Eo) or late-onset (Lo), and multinomial logistic regression was applied to examine these subtypes. A total of 91,069 pregnant women were included in the analysis. High frequency folic acid supplementation was associated with a lower risk of HDP compared with no supplementation (adjusted OR 0.86, 95
OBJECTIVES:Reports on the association between maternal work environment and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) during pregnancy are limited. We hypothesized that the work environment in the first trimester would affect HR-QOL in the second/third trimester. Therefore, we examined the association between maternal work environment and HR-QOL among pregnant women. Prospective birth cohort data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study were used. Information on maternal occupational groups, type of employment, working hours, and shift work was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire in the first trimester. Information on HR-QOL was obtained using a self-administered Short-Form Health Survey-8 (SF-8) questionnaires in the second/third trimester. Associations between the maternal work environment and HR-QOL were examined using generalized linear models adjusted for confounding factors. RESULTS:In total, 43,625 pregnant women worked during their first trimester. In the physical component summary (PCS) score, average weekly working hours of ≥ 51 h/week decreased by 0.306 (95% confidence interval: 0.094-0.519). Monthly shift work of ≥ 5 days/month decreased by 0.897 (0.689-1.105). The combination of average weekly working hours of ≥ 51 h/week and monthly shift work of ≥ 5 days/month resulted in a decrease of 1.622 (1.121-2.124). Associations between employment type and PCS scores were also observed. However, the maternal occupational group was not associated with HR-QOL. We found an association between the maternal work environment and HR-QOL. CONCLUSIONS:The change in HR-QOL was meaningful from a public health perspective; however, it was small.
The full text of this preprint has been withdrawn by the authors in order to comply with an institutional policy on preprints. Therefore, the authors do not wish this work to be cited as a reference.
This study aimed to examine the relationships between latitude, temperature, sunshine hours, and sunshine rate and the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Hokkaido, Japan. We analysed data from the Childhood IDDM Hokkaido Registry, including 458 paediatric T1D cases diagnosed before age 15 between 1959 and 1996. Regional incidence rates were calculated using census data, and meteorological variables were obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Linear regression models examined correlations between T1D incidence and latitude, mean temperature, sunshine hours, and sunshine rate. T1D incidence exhibited regional variation, with the highest rate in Ishikari (1.32 per 100,000 person-years) and the lowest in Hiyama/Oshima (0.53 per 100,000 person-years). A positive association was observed between latitude and T1D incidence. Additionally, mean temperature correlated positively with incidence, suggesting a complex interplay between climatic factors. Lower annual sunshine hours and reduced sunshine rates were associated with increased T1D incidence, supporting the hypothesis that diminished sun exposure contributes to disease risk. Higher latitude and reduced sunshine exposure were associated with increased T1D incidence, highlighting the potential influence of sunlight availability and vitamin D status. Promoting adequate vitamin D levels and safe sun exposure may help mitigate T1D risk in high-latitude populations.
