Cumulative Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in a Working Population: The Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study

The association between living alone and depressive symptoms and the role of pet ownership among Japanese workers

BACKGROUND

Living alone has been positively associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms. We examined how a combination of living alone and pet ownership relates to depressive symptoms.

METHODS

As part of the Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study, we conducted a survey on health-related lifestyles, including living arrangements and pet ownership, among 12,763 employees of five companies in 2018-2021. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 11-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (cutoff score ≥ 9). A Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator was used to calculate prevalence ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) while adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS

Among the participants, 30.9% were depressed, 17.7% had pets, and 29.1% lived alone. Compared to individuals living with others but not with a pet, those living alone and not with a pet had a 1.17 times higher prevalence ratio of depressive symptoms (95% CI: 1.08-1.26). The corresponding figures were 1.03 (95% CI: 0.95-1.11) for those living with others and pet(s) and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.18-1.69) for those living alone but with pet(s).

CONCLUSION

Living alone was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. The association was rather stronger among individuals with vs. without pets. Pet ownership may not be associated with decreased depressive symptoms.

Trends in lifetime risk and years of potential life lost from diabetes in the United States, 1997-2018

BACKGROUND

Both incidence and mortality of diagnosed diabetes have decreased over the past decade. However, the impact of these changes on key metrics of diabetes burden-lifetime risk (LR), years of potential life lost (YPLL), and years spent with diabetes-is unknown.

METHODS

We used data from 653,811 adults aged ≥18 years from the National Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional sample of the civilian non-institutionalized population in the United States. LR, YPLL, and years spent with diabetes were estimated from age 18 to 84 by survey period (1997-1999, 2000-2004, 2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015-2018). The age-specific incidence of diagnosed diabetes and mortality were estimated using Poisson regression. A multistate difference equation accounting for competing risks was used to model each metric.

RESULTS

LR and years spent with diabetes initially increased then decreased over the most recent time periods. LR for adults at age 20 increased from 31.7% (95% CI: 31.2-32.1%) in 1997-1999 to 40.7% (40.2-41.1%) in 2005-2009, then decreased to 32.8% (32.4-33.2%) in 2015-2018. Both LR and years spent with diabetes were markedly higher among adults of non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and other races compared to non-Hispanic Whites. YPLL significantly decreased over the study period, with the estimated YPLL due to diabetes for an adult aged 20 decreasing from 8.9 (8.7-9.1) in 1997-1999 to 6.2 (6.1-6.4) in 2015-2018 (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

In the United States, diabetes burden is declining, but disparities by race/ethnicity remain. LR remains high with approximately one-third of adults estimated to develop diabetes during their lifetime.

Effect of Periodontitis and Toothbrushing Frequency on Obesity Onset: A Cohort Study

Background

The interplay between obesity and periodontitis has been widely examined. While obesity was reported as a risk factor for periodontitis, the inverse relationship is still little explored. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether periodontitis and toothbrushing frequency affect the onset of obesity.

Material/Methods

This cohort study included 1619 employees of a business enterprise headquartered in Tokyo, who in 2002 and 2006 underwent in prescribed annual health checks, both general and dental-specific, and who were not obese in 2002 (body mass index <25). The response variable was obesity (or absence) at 4 years, while the explanatory variables were presence/absence of periodontal pockets and toothbrushing frequency in 2002; their relationships were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

Subjects with periodontal pockets ≥4 mm showed a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for onset of obesity at 4 years than those without periodontal pockets [OR: 1.59, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.08–2.35, p<0.05]. Similarly, subjects who brushed their teeth ≥3 times/day had a significantly lower obesity OR than those who brushed ≤1 time/day (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28–0.85, p<0.01).

Conclusions

The presence of periodontal pockets and toothbrushing frequency are significantly associated with the onset of obesity. Periodontal pockets ≥4 mm are associated with increased risk of obesity, while frequent toothbrushing (≥3 times/day) appears to reduce the risk of obesity.