The second phase of the Chiba Study of Mother and Child Health (C-MACH) was initiated to investigate how environmental exposures from the fetal period to early childhood influence maternal and child health outcomes. The sub-cohort focuses specifically on detailed assessments of indoor environmental factors and neighbourhood-built and social environments. By integrating environmental metrics with biological, behavioural and sociodemographic data, the study aims to elucidate their role in the development of allergies, neurodevelopmental disorders and other non-communicable diseases in early life.
Between June 2021 and April 2023, 505 pregnant women were enrolled in the second phase of the C-MACH main study. Of these, 298 participants consented to join the sub-cohort study, including 258 in the sleep and physical activity monitoring option (Option 1) and 148 in the indoor allergen exposure sub-study (Option 2). The study includes biological sampling, environmental monitoring and repeated questionnaire surveys. At baseline, 253 live births were recorded from 251 pregnancies.
Of the 298 women, 272 completed early pregnancy questionnaires. The mean maternal age was 33.1 years (SD 4.6); 97.8% were married. University-level education was reported by 51.0% of mothers and 53.7% of fathers. Most households had an annual income of 6 to
Longitudinal follow-up will continue until the children reach age 15. Future analyses will examine associations between environmental exposures and allergic, developmental, endocrine/metabolic and obesity-related outcomes.
Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite strong recommendations, the implementation rate of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in Japan remains low. Mobile health technologies, such as Personal Health Record (PHR) applications combined with wearable devices, may enhance adherence to rehabilitation programmes. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a continuous support programme that integrates a PHR app and counselling services in improving the continuation rate of outpatient CR and exercise tolerance in patients with IHD.
This is a single-blind randomised controlled trial with a parallel-group design. A total of 72 participants with IHD will be recruited from the outpatient departments of Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Gunma Saiseikai Maebashi Hospital, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama Red Cross Hospital, Momoyama-kai Ono Internal Clinic, Hiroshima University Hospital, Tshuyama Jifu-kai Tsuyama Chuo Hospital and Shinpu-kai Tamashima Chuo Hospital. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group, which will receive a wearable device, a PHR app, counselling services and a rehabilitation notebook, or the control group, which will receive a wearable device and a rehabilitation notebook without the PHR app and counselling. The primary outcome is the change in peak oxygen uptake from baseline to 150 days. Secondary outcomes include changes in anaerobic threshold, number of outpatient rehabilitation visits, daily steps and vital signs. Data will be analysed using a generalised estimating equations for primary outcomes and appropriate statistical tests for secondary outcomes, following an intention-to-treat approach.
Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the ethics committee of the Kyoto University Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine (C1669-1). In addition, permission to conduct the study was granted by the director of each participating institution. Participants will provide informed consent prior to participation. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conferences and summary reports to stakeholders.
This trial is registered with the University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry (trial identifier: UMIN000055823).