Tsuyoshi Okuhara
Biographic Data
| ID | 6264690 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tsuyoshi Okuhara |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tsuyoshi |
| FAMILY NAME | Okuhara |
| SIGNATURE | OKUHARA T |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Tokyo |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6251-3587 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Health literacy reductionism
Health literacy is one of the most influential concepts in contemporary health promotion. However, its success has created an explanatory shadow. Specifically, complex problems of communication, participation, and engagement are often reduced to deficits in individual health literacy, while relational, organizational, and structural explanations are backgrounded. This paper conceptualized this repetitive explanatory pattern as “health literacy re…
Responsibility frame for depression in Japanese newspapers
Using quantitative content analysis, we explored how Japanese newspapers framed causal and solution responsibility for depression and whether they attributed more responsibility to individuals or society. The longitudinal changes in framing were also examined. Articles referring to depression were selected from the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Asahi Shimbun, and the Mainichi Shimbun, which are nationwide daily newspapers published in Japan between 1993 a…
The curse of knowledge in medical communication
The curse of knowledge—the difficulty of imagining what it is like not to know something once one knows it—is a well-documented cognitive bias, yet it has rarely been applied to clinical communication. This paper proposes it as an upstream mechanism linking three domains often treated as separate: health literacy, epistemic injustice, and medical invalidation. Using a narrative synthesis across multiple scholarly traditions, we argue that clinici…
Evaluating the understandability and actionability of Japanese human papillomavirus vaccination educational materials on cervical cancer
Educational materials about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination must be easy to understand and must support recommended behaviors regardless of readers’ health literacy levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the understandability, actionability, and comprehensiveness of HPV vaccination educational materials in Japan. From August to September 2023, we obtained HPV vaccination educational materials from the central government, local g…
Redefining health communication through narrative intersection
We aimed to propose a new conceptualization of health communication that mitigates the limitations of traditional one-way models by introducing a relational, narrative-based approach that emphasizes mutual understanding. This paper critiques existing definitions and proposes an alternative framework by reviewing interdisciplinary literature on Narrative Medicine, narrative identity theory, and health communication research. The paper introduces “…
Development and psychometric evaluation of the Infertility Public Stigma Scale for Japanese women
Introduction: Women undergoing infertility treatment are often tagged with negative labels, subjected to negative reactions and behaviors by laypeople (public stigma), and they internalize these negative values (self-stigma). As self-stigma is associated with poor mental health, a measure is needed to determine the current state of public stigma in Japan and to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to reduce it. However, existing instruments to m…
Misinformation surrounding sodium reduction for blood pressure
This content analysis aimed to assess misinformation themes regarding sodium reduction and blood pressure on X with the goal of providing strategies to address and debunk such misinformation. A total of 531 posts were manually coded into sodium-related misinformation themes, with inclusion criteria for posts asserting no association between sodium reduction and hypertension or claiming consuming sodium is beneficial for health. Numbers and post f…
The direct effects of media exposure on behaviors aimed at preventing Covid-19 and its indirect effects as mediated by interpersonal communication
Objective: We aimed to examine the direct effects of exposure to media information about infection-preventing behavior and its indirect effects via interpersonal communication at two time points during the pandemic. Methods: In August 2020 and August 2021, a web-based survey of Japanese people under a declared state of emergency was conducted. We collected sociodemographic data and data on seven types of exposure to media information, three types…
Self-perceived food literacy in relation to the quality of overall diet and main meals
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between self-perceived food literacy (SPFL) and quality of overall diet and main meals in Japanese adults. In total, 5998 adults aged 20-79 years were included in this analysis. The SPFL was assessed using the Japanese version of the 29-item Dutch SPFL scale (score range 1-5). Using validated dietary information, the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) was calculated (score range 0-100)…
Public perception of the resumption of HPV vaccine recommendation in Japan
On 12 November 2021, after a stagnation of 8.5 years, Japan decided to resume proactive recommendations for HPV vaccines. However, it is not known how the public reacted to the resumption of proactive recommendations for HPV vaccines, which are key elements in health communication that promote HPV vaccination. This study aimed to capture discussions on HPV vaccination on Twitter and to identify user characteristics, sentiments, discussed themes a…
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (Pemat)
Our study showed that materials rated highly on Japanese version of PEMAT were also easy for laypeople to understand and action
Patterns of alcohol and alcohol-flavoured non-alcoholic beverage advertisements over Japanese free-to-air television networks
The number of alcohol advertisements aired at times when adolescents often watch TV is 2 to 3.2 times higher than that at other times of the day. Furthermore, despite the industry's self-imposed regulations, some alcoholic beverages are still advertised. Therefore, other methods to protect children and adolescents from exposure to advertisements for alcoholic beverages should be investigated and implemented
Japanese anti- versus pro-influenza vaccination websites
Anti-vaccination sentiment exists worldwide and Japan is no exception. Health professionals publish pro-influenza vaccination messages online to encourage proactive seeking of influenza vaccination. However, influenza vaccine coverage among the Japanese population is less than optimal. The contents of pro- and anti-influenza vaccination websites may contribute to readers’ acceptance of one or the other position. We aimed to use a text-mining meth…
Newspaper coverage before and after the HPV vaccination crisis began in Japan
Newspaper contents changed profoundly before and after the start of the vaccination crisis. Those newspaper reports potentially had impact on readers' beliefs and actions. Journalists should strive for impartial coverage so readers can make more-informed decisions. Health professionals should be expected to work with journalists to help improve impartiality in newspaper coverage. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare should discus benefits a…
Lessons learned from previous environmental health crises
On 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. Minamata disease is caused by methylmercury poisoning in humans. The victims’ acute symptoms were captured in photographs by Eugene Smith by which people worldwide became aware of this environmental health crisis. Over 60 years have passed since the first case of methylmercury poisoning. The vic…
Improving health literacy in a Japanese community population—A pilot study to develop an educational programme
OBJECTIVE: Although a growing number of interventional studies on health literacy have been conducted recently, the majority were designed in clinical settings, focusing mainly on functional health literacy. This study evaluated a programme designed to improve health literacy in a community population, with a scope of going beyond functional health literacy. METHODS: In collaboration with an Approved Specified Nonprofit organization (NPO), we eva…
Self-perceived food literacy in relation to the quality of overall diet and main meals
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between self-perceived food literacy (SPFL) and quality of overall diet and main meals in Japanese adults. In total, 5998 adults aged 20-79 years were included in this analysis. The SPFL was assessed using the Japanese version of the 29-item Dutch SPFL scale (score range 1-5). Using validated dietary information, the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) was calculated (score range 0-100)…
Lessons learned from previous environmental health crises
On 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into force to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. Minamata disease is caused by methylmercury poisoning in humans. The victims’ acute symptoms were captured in photographs by Eugene Smith by which people worldwide became aware of this environmental health crisis. Over 60 years have passed since the first case of methylmercury poisoning. The vic…
Improving health literacy in a Japanese community population—A pilot study to develop an educational programme
OBJECTIVE: Although a growing number of interventional studies on health literacy have been conducted recently, the majority were designed in clinical settings, focusing mainly on functional health literacy. This study evaluated a programme designed to improve health literacy in a community population, with a scope of going beyond functional health literacy. METHODS: In collaboration with an Approved Specified Nonprofit organization (NPO), we eva…
Japanese anti- versus pro-influenza vaccination websites
Anti-vaccination sentiment exists worldwide and Japan is no exception. Health professionals publish pro-influenza vaccination messages online to encourage proactive seeking of influenza vaccination. However, influenza vaccine coverage among the Japanese population is less than optimal. The contents of pro- and anti-influenza vaccination websites may contribute to readers’ acceptance of one or the other position. We aimed to use a text-mining meth…
Newspaper coverage before and after the HPV vaccination crisis began in Japan
Newspaper contents changed profoundly before and after the start of the vaccination crisis. Those newspaper reports potentially had impact on readers' beliefs and actions. Journalists should strive for impartial coverage so readers can make more-informed decisions. Health professionals should be expected to work with journalists to help improve impartiality in newspaper coverage. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare should discus benefits a…
Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (Pemat)
Our study showed that materials rated highly on Japanese version of PEMAT were also easy for laypeople to understand and action
Patterns of alcohol and alcohol-flavoured non-alcoholic beverage advertisements over Japanese free-to-air television networks
The number of alcohol advertisements aired at times when adolescents often watch TV is 2 to 3.2 times higher than that at other times of the day. Furthermore, despite the industry's self-imposed regulations, some alcoholic beverages are still advertised. Therefore, other methods to protect children and adolescents from exposure to advertisements for alcoholic beverages should be investigated and implemented
Public perception of the resumption of HPV vaccine recommendation in Japan
On 12 November 2021, after a stagnation of 8.5 years, Japan decided to resume proactive recommendations for HPV vaccines. However, it is not known how the public reacted to the resumption of proactive recommendations for HPV vaccines, which are key elements in health communication that promote HPV vaccination. This study aimed to capture discussions on HPV vaccination on Twitter and to identify user characteristics, sentiments, discussed themes a…
Misinformation surrounding sodium reduction for blood pressure
This content analysis aimed to assess misinformation themes regarding sodium reduction and blood pressure on X with the goal of providing strategies to address and debunk such misinformation. A total of 531 posts were manually coded into sodium-related misinformation themes, with inclusion criteria for posts asserting no association between sodium reduction and hypertension or claiming consuming sodium is beneficial for health. Numbers and post f…
The direct effects of media exposure on behaviors aimed at preventing Covid-19 and its indirect effects as mediated by interpersonal communication
Objective: We aimed to examine the direct effects of exposure to media information about infection-preventing behavior and its indirect effects via interpersonal communication at two time points during the pandemic. Methods: In August 2020 and August 2021, a web-based survey of Japanese people under a declared state of emergency was conducted. We collected sociodemographic data and data on seven types of exposure to media information, three types…
Self-perceived food literacy in relation to the quality of overall diet and main meals
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between self-perceived food literacy (SPFL) and quality of overall diet and main meals in Japanese adults. In total, 5998 adults aged 20-79 years were included in this analysis. The SPFL was assessed using the Japanese version of the 29-item Dutch SPFL scale (score range 1-5). Using validated dietary information, the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) was calculated (score range 0-100)…
Evaluating the understandability and actionability of Japanese human papillomavirus vaccination educational materials on cervical cancer
Educational materials about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination must be easy to understand and must support recommended behaviors regardless of readers’ health literacy levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the understandability, actionability, and comprehensiveness of HPV vaccination educational materials in Japan. From August to September 2023, we obtained HPV vaccination educational materials from the central government, local g…
Redefining health communication through narrative intersection
We aimed to propose a new conceptualization of health communication that mitigates the limitations of traditional one-way models by introducing a relational, narrative-based approach that emphasizes mutual understanding. This paper critiques existing definitions and proposes an alternative framework by reviewing interdisciplinary literature on Narrative Medicine, narrative identity theory, and health communication research. The paper introduces “…
Development and psychometric evaluation of the Infertility Public Stigma Scale for Japanese women
Introduction: Women undergoing infertility treatment are often tagged with negative labels, subjected to negative reactions and behaviors by laypeople (public stigma), and they internalize these negative values (self-stigma). As self-stigma is associated with poor mental health, a measure is needed to determine the current state of public stigma in Japan and to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to reduce it. However, existing instruments to m…
Health literacy reductionism
Health literacy is one of the most influential concepts in contemporary health promotion. However, its success has created an explanatory shadow. Specifically, complex problems of communication, participation, and engagement are often reduced to deficits in individual health literacy, while relational, organizational, and structural explanations are backgrounded. This paper conceptualized this repetitive explanatory pattern as “health literacy re…
Responsibility frame for depression in Japanese newspapers
Using quantitative content analysis, we explored how Japanese newspapers framed causal and solution responsibility for depression and whether they attributed more responsibility to individuals or society. The longitudinal changes in framing were also examined. Articles referring to depression were selected from the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Asahi Shimbun, and the Mainichi Shimbun, which are nationwide daily newspapers published in Japan between 1993 a…
The curse of knowledge in medical communication
The curse of knowledge—the difficulty of imagining what it is like not to know something once one knows it—is a well-documented cognitive bias, yet it has rarely been applied to clinical communication. This paper proposes it as an upstream mechanism linking three domains often treated as separate: health literacy, epistemic injustice, and medical invalidation. Using a narrative synthesis across multiple scholarly traditions, we argue that clinici…
Medicine (11 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Environmental health (5 works) · Family medicine (5 works) · Public health (5 works) · Content analysis (4 works) · Misinformation and Its Impacts (4 works) · Nursing (4 works)