This study reveals a strong positive association between work-related psychosocial factors and an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome onset. The effects of job strain and shift work on metabolic syndrome appear to be significant.

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Objectives: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to improve subjective well-being (SWB), including evaluative, hedonic, and eudemonic well-being, and the mental component of quality of life (QOL) of working population.Methods: A literature search was conducted, using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES. Eligible studies included those that were RCTs of any intervention, conducted among healthy workers, measured SWB as a primary outcome, and original articles in English. Study characteristics, intervention, outcomes, and results on SWB outcomes were extracted by the investigators independently. After a brief narrative summarizing and classifying the contents of the interventions, the included outcomes were categorized into each aspect of SWB (evaluative, hedonic, and eudemonic well-being, and the mental component of QOL). Finally, the characteristics of the effective interventions for increasing each aspect were summarized, and the pooled effect of interventions on SWB was investigated by a meta-analysis. Publication bias was investigated by drawing a funnel plot and conducting Egger's test.Results: From the 5,450 articles found, 39 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The interventions included in this review were classified into six categories (physical activity, ergonomics, psychological, environmental, multicomponent intervention, and others). The meta-analysis from 31 studies showed that the pooled effect of included interventions on SWB was significantly positive (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.51; standard error (SE) = 0.10). A funnel plot showed there were extremely large or small SMDs, and Egger's test was significant. Thus, we conducted sensitivity analysis, excluding these extreme SMDs, and confirmed that the estimated pooled effect was also significantly positive. Subgroup analyses for separate types of interventions showed the effects of psychological interventions (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive behavioral based approach, and other psychological interventions) were also significantly positive.Conclusion: The current study revealed the effectiveness of interventions for increasing SWB. Specifically, psychological interventions (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive behavioral based approach, and other psychological interventions) may be useful for improving SWB.

Workplace social capital might exert a positive contextual effect on work engagement of employees in health care settings.

IntroductionChronic inflammation may be a mediator for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders. Meta-analytic associations between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers have shown that work-related psychosocial factors could affect the flexibility and balance of the immune system. However, few systematic reviews or meta-analyses have investigated the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers. Based on prospective studies, the present investigation will conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers.Methods and analysisThe systematic review and meta-analysis will include published studies identified from electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science and Japan Medical Abstracts Society) according to recommendations of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. Inclusion criteria are studies that: examined associations between work-related psychosocial factors and increased inflammatory markers; used longitudinal or prospective cohort designs; were conducted among workers; provided sufficient data for calculating ORs or relative risk with 95% CIs; were published as original articles in English or Japanese; and were published up to the end of 2017. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment and statistical syntheses will be conducted by 14 investigators. Any inconsistencies or disagreements will be resolved through discussion. The quality of studies will be evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies.Ethics and disseminationThe investigation study will be based on published studies, so ethics approval is not required. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. The findings may be useful for assessing risk factors for increased inflammatory markers in the workplace and determining future approaches for preventing CVD, metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018081553.

Socioeconomic status disparities in adolescent psychological distress were evident and consistent during the 6-year period. There is a unique U-shaped relationship between household income and psychological distress among adolescents in Japan, unlike those from other countries. However, the underlying mechanisms may differ by income status. Future prevention efforts should consider socioeconomic status as a determinant of adolescent mental health problems.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the multilevel association between workplace social capital and intention to leave among employees in health care settings in Japan. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of the cross-sectional data. A sample of 658 Japanese employees in health care settings with 17 facilities were recruited using a self-administered questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression analysis of intention to leave on unit-level workplace social capital (average score for each unit) was conducted. Results: Among 317 respondents from 49 units, after adjusting for demographic and work-related variables, both unit-level and individual-level workplace social capital were significantly negatively associated with intention to leave (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The current study found that there was a significant negative association between unit-level workplace social capital and intention to leave in the health care field.

Current guidelines provide a universal recommendation on vitamin D intake to prevent insufficiency. However, the relative influence of food, UVB and other factors on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) insufficiency has been poorly investigated in preschool children. We assessed serum 25(OH)D quantities and their association with vitamin D intake using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire for children aged 3-6 years (BDHQ3y), outdoor playing time and background UVB radiation level among 574 36-month-old Japanese children living at latitude 35°N. The average serum 25(OH)D concentration was 23·5 (sd 6·1) ng/ml, and 170 (29·6 %) children had vitamin D insufficiency (<20 ng/ml) despite high consumption of fish. Multiple logistic regression adjusting for social factors showed that when background UVB radiation level was <15 kJ/m2 (monthly average), there was a 1·89 (95 % CI 1·31, 2·74) times higher risk of vitamin D insufficiency, to which vitamin D intake nor time spent outdoors were significantly associated. ANOVA showed that the contribution of the variability in vitamin D intake on the variability of serum 25(OH)D level was 1·8 % of that of UVB exposure. The correlation between vitamin D intake and serum 25(OH)D level was not stronger when limited to measurements in winter. We found that nearly 30 % of 3-year-old Japanese children had vitamin D insufficiency despite high consumption of fish and living at relatively low latitude. We failed to observe an association between vitamin D intake and the risk of vitamin D insufficiency. This may be due to the extremely limited access to vitamin D-fortified food and supplements for children in Japan.