A cohort study on.the influence of working in foreign countries on stress and lifestyle

背景：第二次世界大战后，日本工业已经全球化。目前，有30多万日本人在国外工作。本研究的目的是调查在国外工作对日本工人的生活方式和职业压力的变化的影响。方法：一个队列的194名男性工人属于一个贸易公司，已被派往国外和256名男性工人在国内网站进行了跟踪调查，平均一年。在基线和随访时，通过自评问卷收集生活方式和职业紧张的数据。分别按37岁以下和38岁以上两个年龄组进行分层分析，并按年龄组比较国外和国内工人的变化。结果：国外工人与国内工人相比，基线和随访时的变化有以下差异：在37岁或以下的工人中，经常锻炼和晚餐用餐时间较早的流行率，味噌汤、绿色茶、鱼、豆腐和蔬菜的低摄入率，以及饮料和油腻食物的高摄入率增加。工作内容问卷调查的工作需求下降。在38岁以上的工人中，经常锻炼和晚餐用餐时间提前，更频繁地在家里吃晚餐，减少饮酒量，更频繁地在两餐之间进食，味噌汤，绿色茶，鱼，豆腐和蔬菜的低摄入率以及土豆的高摄入率增加。结论：国外一年生活方式和职业紧张的变化与国内不同。不同年龄组的变化也不同。

BACKGROUND : After World War II, Japanese industry has been globalized. Nowadays, more than 300,000 Japanese are working in foreign countries. The aim of this cohort study was to investigate the influence of working in foreign countries on changes in lifestyles and occupational stress among Japanese workers.METHODS : A cohort of 194 male workers who belonged to a trade company and had been sent to foreign countries and 256 male workers in domestic sites was followed for one year on average. At both baseline and follow-up, the data of the lifestyles and occupational stress was gathered by self-rating questionnaires. The data was separately analyzed by strata of two age-groups of 37 years or less and 38 years or more, and the changes were compared between workers in foreign countries and in domestic sites by age-groups.RESULTS: Compared to workers in domestic sites, workers in foreign countries had different changes between baseline and follow-up as follows : Among workers aged 37 or less, the prevalence of regular exercise and earlier mealtime of supper, rates of lower intake of miso-soup, green tea, fish, tofu, and vegetables, and rates of higher intake of beverage and oily food increased. The job demand assessed by the Job Content Questionnaire decreased among them. Among workers aged 38 or more, the prevalence of habit of regular exercise and earlier mealtime of supper, taking supper out of home more frequently, lowering alcohol consumption, and eating between meals more frequently, rates of lower intake of miso-soup, green tea, fish, tofu, and vegetables, and rates of higher intake of potatoes increased. Among them, scores of the 20-items General Health Questionnaire increased.CONCLUSION : Changes of lifestyles and occupational stress for one year in foreign countries differed from in domestic sites. The changes also differed between age groups.