Household dietary salt consumption and mortality from cardiovascular diseases: an ecological panel analysis in Japan

Trends in mortality from major causes and lifestyle factors by per capita prefectural income: Ecological panel data analysis from 1995 to 2016 in Japan

In Japan, trends in mortality and lifestyle have not been fully investigated according to subnational socioeconomic factors. Forty-seven prefectures (subnational units) were divided into quartiles by annual per capita prefectural income. Age-standardized mortality from all causes, cancer, heart disease, and stroke was averaged by quartile in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey were obtained for periods 1 (1995-1997), 2 (1999-2001), 3 (2003-2005), 4 (2007-2009), 5 (2012), and 6 (2016). Body mass index (BMI), the intake of vegetables and salt, the number of steps, and the prevalence of current smoking and drinking for the 40-69-year age range were standardized by 10-year age groups in the 2010 Japanese population and were averaged by quartile. Differences in mortality and lifestyle by year and period, and quartile were tested using a two-way analysis of variance. Mortality decreased in both sexes and mortality in men from all causes, cancer, and stroke differed by quartile, with mortality highest in the first (lowest) quartile. BMI in men and smoking prevalence in women increased, whereas remaining lifestyle factors except for the prevalence of drinking decreased in women. BMI and the number of steps in both sexes and current smoking prevalence in women differed by quartile, with lower quartiles showing a higher BMI and fewer step counts. In conclusion, favorable trends and significant differences in mortality from all causes, cancer, and stroke in men and BMI in women were observed by per capita prefectural income level.

The time trend of information seeking behavior about salt reduction using Google Trends: infodemiological study in Japan

Numerous initiatives have been implemented to reduce salt intake to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, salt consumption remains high. No study worldwide has evaluated the public's awareness of salt reduction by analyzing Internet research activity. This research aims to assess trends in the public's attention to salt reduction using Google Trends. We evaluated the relative search volume (RSV) of "salt reduction" in Google Trends from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2021. Regression coefficients indicated that RSVs increased 0.0091 (95% CI, 0.0085-0.0097, p < 0.001) per year for salt reduction. Among related search terms, search for "salt component," "soy sauce," and "pickled plum" contributed to 9.9 ± 3.2%, 5.8 ± 2.0%, and 3.9 ± 5.5% of total RSVs for salt reduction. Google Trends revealed that the Japanese public's awareness of salt reduction has increased. Related searches might provide insights when people search for salt reduction, which could be helpful for future effective interventions for understanding salt reduction. The trends of Relative search volumes (RSVs) for "salt reduction" and "salt reduction filtered" have significantly increased RSV in 2021 compared to 2004. Google Trends is an effective tool for salt reduction awareness research that provides large amounts of real-time search data.

40-65 Yaş Erkeklerin Gerçek ve Algıladıkları Kardiyovasküler Hastalık Risklerinin Karşılaştırılması: Bir Kesitsel Çalışma

Objective: To determine the actual cardiovascular diseases risk and to compare it with the perceived risk in 40-65 years old men. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a population determined to be 21.039 men and sample consisted of 400 men. The actual cardiovascular diseases risks of these respondents were calculated using HeartScore, classified as low, moderate, high, or very high. The respondents’ perception of their cardiovascular disease’s risks was categorized as wrong optimists/pessimists and realists. We used multivariate logistic regression models to determine the relationships between perceived cardiovascular diseases risk and independent variables (age, diabetes, hypertension, etc.). Required ethics committee and institutional permissions were obtained for the duly conduct of the study. Results: It was determined in our study that while 8.3% (n=33) of the men had a high-risk level for cardiovascular disease, 52.5% (n=210) had a very high level. Forty-eight percent of the participants perceive their CVD risks to be lower than they are and 23.8% to perceive it higher than they are. Correct estimation rate of CVD risk was 28.2%. The variables affecting the actual cardiovascular diseases risk were diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, and level of physical activity. 13.3% (n=53) of respondents perceived their cardiovascular diseases risks as high and 8% (n=32) as very high. The variables affecting an incorrect perceived cardiovascular diseases risk are being 61-65 years of age (odds ratio=0.34, 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.73) and a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (odds ratio=0.45, 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.99). Conclusion: We observed that more than half of the residents were at a very high level of risk for cardiovascular disease, and approximately one out of every two respondents perceived their risk of cardiovascular disease to be lower than the actual risk. It is recommended risk reducing behaviors be developed and awareness of risk be raised.