The Cabinet Office Japan recently published the results of a survey they performed into cancer issues.
Demographics
Between the 13th and 23th of September 2007 3,000 adults selected at random from the whole Japanese population were visited for the purpose of face-to-face interviews. 1,767 people, or 58.9% were available and consented to be interviewed. 53.6% were female, 9.4% were in their twenties, 16.6% in their thirties, 15.1% in their forties, 19.9% in their fifties, 21.6% in their sixties, and 17.3% aged seventy or older. Furthermore, 74.3% had either themselves had cancer or had had family, relations or close colleagues who had experienced cancer.
Most Westerns will be surprised by Q13 where less than a third say that the government should put effort into cancer prevention, even though tobacco was specifically mentioned and in Q2 most quitting smoking was chosen as the measure most people had taken to reduce their risks. The reasons for this include that Japanese see smoking as a personal choice, not something that the government should be getting involved in, although given that the government owns a majority stake in Japan Tobacco, it’s already in the cancer business. Read the rest of this entry »
Perhaps just because I come from more northern stock where skin is paler and more susceptible to not just burning but melanoma and skin cancer, but I feel that over-exposure to the sun is seen more a beauty rather than a health issue here in Japan, and indeed there seems to be a lot of folk wisdom that suggests a child cooked brown is a healthy child. In addition, given the apparent lack of parental care regarding second-hand smoke and child car seats, for instance, I lloked forward to seeing what results came from a recent survey by DIMSDRIVE Research on the topic of ultraviolet protection for children.
Demographics
Between the 20th and 29th of June 2007 DIMSDRIVE Research interviewed 7,121 members of its internet monitor pool by means of a private online questionnaire. 51.8% of the sample was female, 1.0% in their teens, 14.2% in their twenties, 34.0% in their thirties, 29.7% in their forties, 14.6% in their fifties, and 6.5% aged sixty or older. 66.0% were married, and 53.0% had children.
For myself, I wear a hat mostly, and avoid going out for too long in the summertime sun. Thinking about it, in the last few years I’ve actually had sunburn more often when abroad than in Japan, which is perhaps a reflection on Japan being far too hot meaning I have stay in air-conditioned space as much as possible.
I’ve done a bit of web research to find out what is the incidence of skin cancer in Japan, and surprisingly it looks like it is almost neglegible. It doesn’t merit its own separate category in the official cancer statistics of Japan (interestingly, by 2020 prostate cancer will be the second most common cancer in men, yet I’ve never ever seen it mentioned on any popular health program here, and I watch rather a lot of them), and a rather old TIME article suggests that Japanese in Kauai, Hawaii are 88 times more likely than Japanese in Japan to develop skin malignancy. Read the rest of this entry »
Between the 1st and 5th of July 2007 14,119 members of the MyVoice internet community answered a private internet-based questionnaire. 57% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 14% in their fifties.
The top-rated foodstuff, Calorie Mate, is also just about the most heavily advertised, notable for the use of Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer) in “24″-like situations.
Ahh, stress in Japan, I could write a book on it, but look, I’ve just got far too many things on my plate piling up already and I just can’t take my attention away from them and will you stop asking me to write more on it as I am planning on getting round to it but it’s rather difficult finding the time and I love my family more than my blogging; is that a crime? as you seem to be suggesting but then MyVoice published the results of a survey on stress.
Demographics
Over the first five days of July 2007 13,030 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was male, 2% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 14% aged fifty or older.
One cold shower and two cold beers later: stress, and its darker cousin depression, is a serious problem in Japan, I feel, but not one that is very well understood. For example, a health-related magazine I read had a wee depression comic strip: guy transfers to a new devision as a team leader, gets under pressure and tries to live up to unreasonable expectations, working all hours, getting irritated and other classic symptoms. He goes to to talk to his old boss (over reasonable quantities of sake, of course) who tells him to not be so diligent and learn to delegate. And they all lived happily ever after. Ooh, and don’t get me started on reading advice from someone who should know better that ciggies and booze can relieve some stress.
I also wonder how much stress affects men in the trouser department, an unasked question below, as I suspect working on stress reduction (and fatigue reduction too) by for instance rationalising working hours could have a noticeable positive effect on the birth rate. Of course, I realise that changing the current working system is effectively impossible, but we have to have our dreams. Read the rest of this entry »
One thing you soon notice in Japan is that a lot of people drink little bottles of… well, I’ve never really quite worked out exactly what is in these little bottles, but basically some supposedly healthy concoction. I did have one foreign friend who drunk them, but the smell of them was enough to put me off ever trying! To find out what the Japanese themselves are consuming, MyVoice performed a survey on these health drinks.
Demographics
Over the first five days of June 2007 13,228 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed an online survey. 54% were female, 2% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 14% in their fifties.
I suspect that some of these drinks do tend to quackery, but I don’t know what testing is required for them before they make their claims, although I would hazard a guess that the answer would be “not much”. Some of the advertisements have small captions saying that they are restricted to people over 15 and only one per day, so perhaps I should investigate the reason for that, although the cynical part of me says that it is just to try to convice the viewer of the potency of the brew. Read the rest of this entry »
With almost three-quarters of Japanese reckoning that they themselves need to lose a few kilos, and with Billy’s Boot Camp flying off the shelves, not least because for men metabolic syndrome is the in cause of concern, and for women the summer and the associated revealing fashions are fast approaching. This recent survey by DIMSDRIVE Research on weight-loss dieting offered me so many possible headline opportunities, and I succumbed to the temptation to stuff in as many sweet keywords as I could.
Demographics
Between the 23rd and 31st of May 2007 DIMSDRIVE Research interviewed 8,408 members of its online monitor panel by means of a private internet-based questionnaire. 43.1% of the sample was male, 0.8% in their teens, 15.0% in their twenties, 35.9% in their thirties, 28.8% in their forties, 13.9% in their fifties, and 5.6% aged sixty or older.
Television still remains the most popular source for information on dieting, despite the infamous natto diet scandal at the start of the year. Not terribly suprisingly, I think, Norkia chan is the body shape women most desire, while Hiromi Go, an aging-but-not-really-showing-it singer is tops for men, and not a person I would have considered. Read the rest of this entry »
With almost three-quarters of Japanese reckoning that they themselves need to lose a few kilos, and with Billy’s Boot Camp flying off the shelves, not least because for men metabolic syndrome is the in cause of concern, and for women the summer and the associated revealing fashions are fast approaching. This recent survey by DIMSDRIVE Research on weight-loss dieting offered me so many possible headline opportunities, and I succumbed to the temptation to stuff in as many sweet keywords as I could.
Demographics
Between the 23rd and 31st of May 2007 DIMSDRIVE Research interviewed 8,408 members of its online monitor panel by means of a private internet-based questionnaire. 43.1% of the sample was male, 0.8% in their teens, 15.0% in their twenties, 35.9% in their thirties, 28.8% in their forties, 13.9% in their fifties, and 5.6% aged sixty or older.
Note that Billy and Norika don’t make an appearance in this survey until tomorrow’s part 2 post, so you’ll just have to wait!
I too, despite being underweight for my height, could do with losing (or moving elsewhere) a couple of kilos of spare tyre. Actually taking more exercise in addition to just walking between stations would help, but just cutting down on snacks is my lazy way out, I suppose. Read the rest of this entry »
Between the 1st and 5th of May 2007 14,891 members of the MyVoice internet community completed an online survey. 54% of the sample was female, 1% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.
A few years ago there was quite a boom in drinking vinegar, but recently I don’t hear of it so often, perhaps in part due to the downfall of Aru-Aru Daijiten. I do drink it regularly, and recently one of my favourite places to do so is C’s Garden Cafe.
One of my favourite subjects, and one of the perennial favourites of Google searchers, is Japanese teeth. With today being Dental Caries (Decay) Prevention Day (in Japanese, one way of reading June 4th is mu-shi, which is the first two syllables of the phrase 虫歯予防デー, mushiba yobou de-, or the aforementioned Dental Caries Prevention Day), let’s take a timely look with goo Ranking at what people are most afraid of when going to the dentist. Note that this survey excludes the contents of the treatment itself. Read the rest of this entry »
16,032 members of their online community successfully completed the survey. 54% were female, 2% in their teens, 19% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 26% in their forties, and 14% in their fifites.
I drink low-fat (or is it low sugar? or both?) Yakult almost every morning, delivered door-to-door once a week. Whether or not it does me any good is debatable, it seems… On the other hand, they have the Tokuho mark on their bottles, which implies that it has passed some sort of testing of its claims in Japan. Read the rest of this entry »
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Perhaps just because I come from more northern stock where skin is paler and more susceptible to not just burning but melanoma and skin cancer, but I feel that over-exposure to the sun is seen more a beauty rather than a health issue here in Japan, and indeed there seems to be a lot of folk wisdom that suggests a child cooked brown is a healthy child. In addition, given the apparent lack of parental care regarding second-hand smoke and child car seats, for instance, I lloked forward to seeing what results came from a recent survey by DIMSDRIVE Research on the topic of 
Ahh, stress in Japan, I could write a book on it, but look, I’ve just got far too many things on my plate piling up already and I just can’t take my attention away from them and will you stop asking me to write more on it as I am planning on getting round to it but it’s rather difficult finding the time and I love my family more than my blogging; is that a crime? as you seem to be suggesting but then MyVoice published the results of a survey on 
One thing you soon notice in Japan is that a lot of people drink little bottles of… well, I’ve never really quite worked out exactly what is in these little bottles, but basically some supposedly healthy concoction. I did have one foreign friend who drunk them, but the smell of them was enough to put me off ever trying! To find out what the Japanese themselves are consuming, MyVoice performed a survey on these 
MyVoice recently conducted its second survey into the topic of the 
Over the first five days of March this year MyVoice looked at the 
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