Name：Minoru Takakura

• Position：Professor
• Research：Epidemiology, Health Promotion & Education, School Health, Public Health
• Email：minoru (@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp)

• 【Researcher data base】http://kenkyushadb.lab.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/html/100000562_ja.html

  【Website】http://www.cc.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/~minoru/

  【Researchmap】https://researchmap.jp/minoru?lang=jp

• Master’s Program: School Health, Advanced Seminar (School Health), Thesis Research, Research Methods in Health Sciences (2 times), Advanced Health Sciences (1 time)
• Doctoral Program: Advanced Health Promotion & Development, Advanced Thesis ResearchⅠ・Ⅱ，Advanced Global and Islands Health (2 times)

• Social determinants of health among young people (Kaken Ⅰ・Ⅱ)
  We focus on social capital as an important social determinant of health and well-being among young people. Social capital often refers to features of social organization, such as trust, norms, and networks, which can improve social efficiency by facilitating coordinated actions. Among young people, not only the neighborhood, but also schools are important communities that influence and shape their character, academic performance, and health indicators. We examine the associations between social capital both in school and in the neighborhood contexts and health among Japanese youth. We suggest that social capital has a significant contextual effect on good health and the school-level associations of social capital with youth health may have a greater impact than the neighborhood-level associations.
• Longitudinal study on physical activities, physical fitness, and academic achievement among youth (Kaken)
  In recent years, there has been considerable discussion about the influence of physical activity and aerobic fitness not only on physical and mental health, but also on brain function and academic achievement among children and adolescents. Although previous studies showed that increased aerobic fitness benefits children’s brain function, it is not clear whether aerobic fitness mediates the relationship between physical activity and brain function and academic achievement among children. We examined the mediating role of aerobic fitness and the effects of physical activity on academic achievement of Japanese children, considering potential confounders. The hypothesis that aerobic fitness might mediate the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement was supported for boys, but not for girls.
• Associations between psychosocial school environment and health among youth (Kaken Ⅰ・Ⅱ)
• Time trends in health-risk behaviors and its correlates among adolescents (OkiSH)
• Intervention on smoking, alcohol use, and other drug use prevention among children and adolescents
• Mental health & well-being education for children and adolescents

• Takakura M, Miyagi M, Kyan A. Changes in the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among Japanese adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: 2002-2021. School Health 2023;19:14-25. doi.org/10.20812/jash.SH_125
• Takakura M, Miyagi M, Kyan A. Time trends of socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent smoking in Okinawa, Japan, 2008–2016: a repeated cross-sectional study. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2021;26:24. doi.org/10.1186/s12199-021-00948-y
• Takakura M, Miyagi M, Ueji M, et al. The relative association of collective efficacy in school and neighborhood contexts with adolescent alcohol use. J Epidemiol 2019;29:384-390. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20180125
• Takakura M. Past and present of paper submission: recommendation on the use of online editorial system. Jpn J Health Education Promotion 2019;27:184-185. doi:10.11260/kenkokyoiku.27.184
• Takakura M, Miyagi M, Ueji M, et al. Development of school and neighborhood collective efficacy scales for use in Japanese adolescent health research. School Health 2017;13:11-19. doi:10.20812/jash.SH_089
• Takakura M. Social connectedness and health from Okinawa's perspective. Jpn J Health Education Promotion 2016;24:239-244. doi:10.11260/kenkokyoiku.24.239
• Takakura M. Relations of participation in organized activities to smoking and drinking among Japanese youth: contextual effects of structural social capital in high school. Int J Public Health 2015;60:679-689. doi:10.1007/s00038-015-0697-4
• Takakura M. Miyagi M. Health risk behaviors in high school students in Okinawa, Japan: Trends from 2002 to 2012. Jpn J Sch Health 2014;56:347-355.
• Takakura M. Hamabata Y, Ueji M, Kurihara A. Measurement of social capital at school and neighborhood among young people. School Health 2014;10:1-8. doi:10.20812/jash.SH-2014_067
• Takakura M. Does social trust at school affect students' smoking and drinking behavior in Japan? Social Science & Medicine 2011;72:299-306. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.11.003

• Nagayama M. Socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries and tooth-brushing among elementary school children in Okinawa: a cross-sectional study.
• Gabe A. Association between dental caries, socioeconomic status and tooth brushing after school lunch among elementary school students: a multilevel analysis in Okinawa, Japan.
• Nakao K. Association between violence-related behaviors, sleep time, and depressive symptoms among high school students in Okinawa, Japan.
• Hamabata Y. The relationships between cognitive social capital and self-rated health and well-being in high school students.
• Aragaki S. Change of physical activity behavior by dietary information interventions targeted at local residents in Okinawa
• Gushiken N. Associations between the proximity of convenience stores and fast food restaurants to school and children’s dietary behaviors.

• Kyan A. Does physical fitness affect academic achievement among Japanese adolescents? A hybrid approach for decomposing within-person and between-persons effects. (http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/handle/20.500.12000/44047)
• Toyozato T. Gender difference in the mediating effect of health-related behaviors on the relationship between neighborhood social capital and self-rated health among community dwelling people in a town of Okinawa. (http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/handle/20.500.12000/30594)