News

WKC’s legacy: 25 years of contributions to local and international health work

Twenty-five years ago, the WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre) was established in Kobe, Japan. The official inauguration on 17 March 1996 realized the vision of the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, the Mayor of Kobe City and the Director-General of WHO to set up a research centre in Japan focusing on health development.  

Today, WKC’s work is even more relevant as we conduct research on promoting health systems for universal health coverage in the context of population ageing, and advancing knowledge on health emergencies and disaster risk preparedness. Local engagement with communities in Hyogo, Kobe and the Kansai region more broadly is a cornerstone of our work.

Please see the grateful acknowledgement of WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, to the four representatives of the Kobe Group for 25 years of sustained and generous support to WKC.

Economics of healthy and active ageing

The WHO Centre for Health Development, EURO Observatory for Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office issued six new reports studying the impact of population ageing on health expenditure trends in six countries (Vietnam, Mongolia, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Korea, and Japan). We find that population ageing results in moderate increase in health care expenditures over time, but ageing is the not the main driver of health spending.

However, per person health spending for older age groups differ based on health status, whereas populations with older persons that have relatively high levels of disability may face higher health expenditures. Our simulations find that populations with lower levels of disability among older adults experience slower growth in health spending. This suggests that policies to promote good health as populations age are beneficial in reducing growth in health spending.

The reports can be accessed here

Hyogo high schools participate in first online WKC High School Forum

On 11 February 2021, over 200 students from 12 high schools across Hyogo Prefecture participated in the WKC Forum “High School Students Thinking Globally Day”.  This event is co-organized by the WHO Kobe Centre, Hyogo Board of Education and Osaka University.  It has been held annually since 2016 as an important local engagement activity of the WHO Kobe Centre.  This year, the Forum was held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In previous years, the highlight of this event has been a poster session of students’ research projects.  This year, the students were asked in advance to submit video presentations of their independent research projects to an online platform created specifically for this event by Osaka University, where the video presentations would undergo peer review and formal judging by a panel of judges from the Board of Education.  A total of 53 videos were submitted by individuals or groups of students from 15 different schools.  The four presentations that received the highest marks from the panel of judges were from Hyogo High School, Nagata High School, Kakogawa Higashi High School and Himeji Nishi High School.  The students ­were invited to give their presentations live during the online Forum. 

The students gave outstanding presentations on topics of local interest with global relevance and consideration for the current pandemic, such as on the potential for virtual international tourism and effective remote learning/teaching techniques.  The students also handled the Q&A session with Osaka University faculty members and graduate students with poise, demonstrating the skills of this young generation with information technology and remote communication.

The event also featured a discussion with Mr Yoshiaki Nagata, Deputy Assistant Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kansai Centre and Dr Megumi Rosenberg, Technical Officer of the WHO Kobe Centre.  This session aimed to raise awareness about the work of these local organizations and promote general interest in global development careers. It elicited several questions from the students about each organization’s work, the impact of the current pandemic, and the educational and career experiences of Mr Nagata and Dr Rosenberg.

The Forum concluded with a message from Dr Sarah Louise Barber, Director of the WHO Kobe Centre, who congratulated the students and their teachers on their achievements despite the many challenges they faced this past year due to the pandemic.

Perceived need for care and assistance among older people in Malaysia

Malaysia’s population of older people over the age of 60 is expected to double in the next twenty years, making it important to plan for the health and social care this population will need over the long term. 

Findings from research on the older population in Malaysia supported by the WHO Kobe Centre was recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study used a survey instrument adapted from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) to establish how many older people needed assistance and the types of assistance they required. 

The research was based on face-to-face interviews with a sample of 1204 older people living at home in Selangor state (excluding those with serious physical or cognitive impairment). It found that, on average, only 8% of respondents reported that they needed care or assistance in their daily life. Yet, a significant proportion of them reported having difficulty seeing (69%), walking or climbing stairs (50%), remembering (38%) and hearing (27%).  Many of them also reported being unable to perform activities of daily living on their own, like filling out documents (42%), using public transportation (36%), or withdrawing and depositing money (36%). Forty percent of them expressed that they were “very concerned” about falling.   

While the older people’s perceived need for daily care and assistance was low, they commonly reported physical and functional challenges that could be addressed through greater availability of services. Perceptions of need for care and assistance alone can be misleading. Thus, objective measures are also important to inform service delivery and planning.

WKC Director presents at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

The WKC Director, Dr Sarah Barber, presented online to the students attending the seminar about “How does the UN System Work?” among briefings by UN Officials on 27 Jan, 2021. She discussed the research programs at the WKC about universal health coverage and health emergencies, collaborations with the local community in Hyogo and Kobe, and the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WKC’s first online Forum honors nurses

23 November 2020

Nurses, public health nurses and midwives are at the forefront of healthcare, dealing with health crises caused by infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and emergencies such as natural disasters.

As part of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC) collaborated with local nursing partners to host its first Forum held online due to COVID-19,  on “Nurses at the Forefront – their Role and Prospects in Global Health” to recognize the key contributions of nurses and midwives.

Around 300 people participated in the Forum with strong engagement of local academic and service provision partners (1) Using WHO’s State of the World Nursing Report which has been translated into Japanese, they discussed the current situation of nursing in Japan and issues facing Japanese nursing personnel. The meeting also heard from nurse academics and practitioners on the role of nursing in responding to COVID-19 and its impact on nursing in homes, hospitals, quarantine stations and nursing centres, as well as the future role of nursing.

“The COVID pandemic has brought to light the tremendous contribution that nurses and midwives make throughout the world, while at the same time facing challenges in service provision, heavy workloads, and sometimes limited resources. Sadly, some health professionals have faced COVID-related stigma and discrimination, just when we need solidarity to face the pandemic together,” said WKC’s Director, Dr Sarah Barber in her opening remarks.

The meeting organiser and WKC technical officer responsible for disaster management and health emergencies, Dr Ryoma Kayano, reminded delegates about the difficulties for nurse professionals working with great responsibility and expectations on challenges facing the world for the first time. He stressed that nurses and nursing needed to be supported throughout society.

“In line with Kobe City’s slogan ‘Be Kobe’, WHO’s three slogans for COVID-19 are: ‘Be Safe, Be Smart, and Be Kind’. I want to emphasise ‘be kind’ and the need to show respect and compassion,” said Dr Kayano.

“No matter how careful you are, you may get infected, but blaming a person will drive the infection into hiding and result in further spread of the disease. You could be in that position tomorrow. Healthcare and nursing professionals are taking risks themselves to contribute to the future of humanity. Remember that when you are in need, it is the healthcare worker who will help you.”

Participants expressed their gratitude to WKC for the opportunity to showcase nurses and nursing. WKC will continue to provide support so that healthcare workers, including nursing professionals, and people in society can work together to tackle the pandemic.

Building new evidence to guide policies on addressing rapid ageing in Myanmar

The initial survey results of the first longitudinal cohort study of older adults in Myanmar have been published in BMJ Open, providing baseline data for the country to create evidence-based policies to prepare for rapid ageing. The study was jointly supported by WKC and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.

By 2030, about 13% of the population in Myanmar is expected to be 60 years or older. Similar rapid ageing is occurring in many South-East Asian countries, although effective medical and long-term care systems remain underdeveloped.

The cohort study was modelled after the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), initiated in 2010 to investigate the health and well-being of older Japanese adults in the world’s most aged society. The study is the first to adapt and validate the JAGES questionnaire outside Japan. Directly comparable with JAGES data, the results will enable evaluation of the long-term care needs and their possible determinants among older adults in Myanmar.

The baseline survey found that older people (60 years and older) living in the rural Bago region have lower socioeconomic status and more commonly self-reported poor health. Those living in urban Yangon reported less social interaction and had a higher average body mass index but scored better on their self-reported ability to perform daily living activities. Women in both regions reported poorer physical and cognitive function compared to men, controlling for age.

The follow-up survey will be conducted in 2021 to gather outcome data on mortality, changes in mobility, and declines in physical health and cognitive function. This will allow a prospective risk-assessment of older adults who may require assistance with activities of daily living. The data can also inform the translation of research evidence into policy and practice, such as the need for outreach and support to disadvantaged older women.

Further details about the study and the research article can be found here.