The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020 drastically changed urban lifestyles. Workers were forced to minimize commuting to their workplaces, older adults were banned from using meeting facilities, and children were prohibited from going to school. The consequent lack of exercise, accumulated stress, and reduced well-being are likely to have become problems, which may be improved by using urban green spaces (UGS). This study clarified the characteristics of users of UGS in Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on telecommuters, older adults, and families with children. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among Tokyo residents, and 3085 responses were obtained. A binomial logistic regression analysis was conducted with the use and evaluation of UGS as the objective variables. The results showed that older adults and families with children who had been using UGS before the pandemic and telecommuters who newly started using UGS during the pandemic used UGS differently. Older adults and families with children tended to use small parks and appreciated human connections. Telecommuters often used greenways, temples, and shrines, valuing stress-reducing functions. Given that a changing lifestyle brings new UGS users new preferences, urban planners should consider that UGS require change with the time.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Smartphones have integrated into our society and are expected to serve as tools to improve health outcomes. In the summer of 2016, Pokémon Go, a location-based augmented reality game for smartphones, was released and attracted attention from the perspective of health, especially with its potential to increase physical activity (PA). A few studies have compared objectively-measured step counts before and after the release of the game; however, they were conducted over a short study period and evaluated only young people. Objective: Forty-eight players and 192 non-players aged ≥38 years were matched for sex, age group, and PA level; they were respondents to a questionnaire randomly sent to citizens who were given free pedometers by Yokohama city. Their play status was identified through the questionnaire. To investigate the change in step counts before and after the release of Pokémon Go according to play status, two-way repeated measures ANOVA was performed. Step counts one month before the release of the game were compared with those eight months after the release. In addition, subgroup analysis according to sex, age group, PA level, and subjective health status was conducted. Methods: Among citizens who was given a free pedometer by Yokohama City, 48 players and 192 non-players, matched for sex, age group and PA level, were selected. They were aged 38 or older and their play statuses were identified through a questionnaire randomly sent to those citizens. To investigate the change in step counts before and after the release of Pokémon GO by play status, two way repeated measures ANOVA was used. Step counts before the release of 1 month were compared with those after the release of 8 months. In addition to the analysis of all samples, subgroup analysis by sex, age group, PA level and subjective health status were conducted. Results: The mean ages of players and non-players were 56.6 (±9.7) years and 57.3 (±9.6) years, respectively, and the mean of baseline step counts of players and non-players were 7776.5 (±2773.3) and 7947.1 (±2849.2), respectively. There was no significant difference in the age and baseline step counts according to a t-test. In the analysis of all samples, the interaction between play status and time effect was significant for three of eight months after release. In the subgroup analyses, the interaction was significant for five months in men, eight months in the 55–64-year-old group, three months in workers, two months in the active group in PA level, and four months in participants with subjectively good health. The interaction was significant for only one month at most in other subgroups. Conclusions: The present study confirmed a difference in step counts between players and non-players before and after the release of Pokémon GO. According to our analysis, step counts were higher until six months after the release. There was no decrease in the step counts of players even in cold months, despite the decrease in step counts of non-players. In subgroup analyses, players were more likely to be men, aged <55 years, workers, active, and subjectively in good health.

The issue of vacant houses is receiving increased attention in the field of urban policy and planning in Japan. We aim to describe the factors of vacant houses that lead to abandonment from the perspectives of the characteristics of the built environment and property owners using a logistic regression model to analyze the relationship between housing abandonment and these characteristics. There were five major findings. First, building age and attachment to a road less than four meters wide increase the probability of housing abandonment, although urbanization before 1960 lowers the probability. Second, an exclusively residential zone is more likely to be associated with floor area, which makes abandonment more likely and building age in this zone has a positive relationship particularly to an overgrowth of trees. Third, the further away the property owner's own residence is from the vacant house, the greater the likelihood that it will be abandoned. Fourth, vacancies owing to the demise of the previous occupants significantly raise the likelihood of housing abandonment. Fifth, the probability of housing abandonment is extremely high when the owner of the vacant house is unknown.

People's year-round interpersonal step count variations according to meteorological conditions are not fully understood, because complete year-round data from a sufficient sample of the general population are difficult to acquire. This study examined the associations between meteorological conditions and objectively measured step counts using year-round data collected from a large cohort (N = 24,625) in Yokohama, Japan from April 2015 to March 2016. Two-piece linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations between the monthly median daily step count and three meteorological indices (mean values of temperature, temperature-humidity index (THI), and net effective temperature (NET)). The number of steps per day peaked at temperatures between 19.4 and 20.7 °C. At lower temperatures, the increase in steps per day was between 46.4 and 52.5 steps per 1 °C increase. At temperatures higher than those at which step counts peaked, the decrease in steps per day was between 98.0 and 187.9 per 1 °C increase. Furthermore, these effects were more obvious in elderly than non-elderly persons in both sexes. A similar tendency was seen when using THI and NET instead of temperature. Among the three meteorological indices, the highest R2 value with step counts was observed with THI in all four groups. Both high and low meteorological indices discourage people from walking and higher values of the indices adversely affect step count more than lower values, particularly among the elderly. Among the three indices assessed, THI best explains the seasonal fluctuations in step counts.

This study examined the longitudinal association between the change in the step count of older adults and the neighborhood-built environment (BE) in Yokohama, Japan. We analyzed pedometer data in March 2016 and March 2019 that were acquired from 21,557 older adults aged 65–79 years at baseline, who lived in 758 neighborhoods in Yokohama City and participated in the Yokohama Walking Point Program (YWPP). Six BE variables were computed, for each of which neighborhoods were classified into quartiles. Using multilevel regression analysis, we examined the association between the BE variables, baseline step count, and change in step count. Higher population density, lower intersection density, and the second shortest quartile of the average distance to the nearest railway station were associated with a higher baseline step count. A lower intersection density and shorter average distance to the nearest railway station were associated with a smaller decline. The lowest quartile of population density was inversely associated with step-count decline. In conclusion, the neighborhood BEs were not only associated with their step count at baseline, but also widened the disparity of the step count over the three years. These findings would contribute to creating age-friendly cities where older adults can maintain and promote their health.