Review article
Sedentary Behavior and Health Consequences: A Systematic Scoping Review of Prospective and Longitudinal Studies in Japan

• This systematic review examined evidence on prospective relations of sedentary behavior with health outcomes among Japanese adults.
• Twenty-eight studies were included, most of which assessed sedentary behavior using self-reported television viewing time.
• Most studies reported at least partial evidence of harmful associations between sedentary behavior and health outcomes.
• The associations mostly remained significant when controlling various indicators of physical activity.
• Due to the limited number and moderate quality of studies, definitive conclusions on health outcomes and dose-response relationships cannot be drawn.

Performance of a Salt Check Sheet for Screening Salt Intake Estimated From 24-hour Urinary Sodium Excretion in Middle-aged Japanese Adults Following a Salt Reduction Intervention

• The performance of the simplified 13-item salt check sheet salt check sheet (13 items) as a quantitative diagnostic tool was evaluated.
• The salt check sheet score was compared with salt intake, determined by 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, among 154 middle-aged Japanese participants.
• In males, the area under the receiver operating characteristicsROC curve (AUC) was 0.702, confirming its value as a diagnostic tool for salt intake of ≥10 g/day.
• In females, when using only three specific items, the salt check sheet achieved a moderate AUC of 0.700.

Heterogeneous Associations Between Community Social Capital and Loneliness: A Cross-sectional Study in 2019 

• This study examines the interaction between community social capital and socioeconomic factors on loneliness among older adults.
• Social cohesion and reciprocity are negatively associated with loneliness.
• The interaction between educational attainment and community civic participation affects loneliness, with higher educational attainment leading to lower loneliness at higher levels of civic participation.
• Studies suggest that interventions should consider individual-level social factors such as education to address loneliness.

Association Between Adherence to the Japanese Meal-based Dietary Guideline and All-cause and Cause-specific Mortalities: A Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study

• This observational study aimed to examine the association between adherence to the Japanese meal-based dietary guideline (Healthy Meal) and all-cause and cause-specific mortalities.
• Data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study with a 19.0-year follow-up were analyzed, including 40,222 men and 47,350 women aged 45–75 years, with adherence to Healthy Meal assessed through dietary intake from a validated food frequency questionnaire.
• Higher adherence to Healthy Meal was associated with a lower risk of all-cause in both sexes; hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.86 [(95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82–0.91]) for men and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87–0.98) for women.
• Significant associations between higher adherence to Healthy Meal and a lower risk of cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease mortalities were observed in both sexes, whereas significant associations were observed with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease mortalities were observed only inin only men.

Association of Adipose Tissue Insulin Resistance With Risk of Diabetes Incidence in Middle-aged Japanese Workers According to BMI States: 17 Years of Follow-up of the Aichi Worker’s Cohort Study

• This study aimed to explore the association between baseline adipocyte insulin resistance (Adipo-IR) indexAdipo-IR and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)T2DM, stratified by body mass indexBMI category in middle-aged Japanese men and women.
• We analyzed 3,257 (men 2,501, women 756) Japanese workers, aged 35–-66 years who were followed up for 17 years.
• Compared with the lowest tertile of Adipo-IR, T2DM risk was significantly increased among the highest tertile category in overweight/obese men (hazard ratio [HR]HR: 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]CI, 1.76–- 4.90) and women (HR: 4.24, 95% CI, 1.08-16.61).
• Magnitude of association was stronger among overweight/obese women.