Digital Transformation for Aging Society

Members

Keywords

Digital technology, Wearable device, daily-life walking speed, Life-log data, Coping behavior, Stress management

Profile

This research theme focuses on practical studies aimed at transitioning from a disease-avoidance model to a salutogenic model to promote well-being in a super-aged society. With recent advancements in IoT technology, various life-log data--such as walking, sleep patterns, and physical activity--can now be recorded in daily life. However, a lack of sufficient scientific evidence remains a challenge.
To address this, we utilize wearable devices such as smartwatches and ankle-band accelerometers to collect and analyze long-term life-log data from older individuals. Using artificial intelligence (AI), we examine the associations between life-log data and health outcomes, such as frailty and cognitive decline. This analysis provides valuable insights for preventing long-term care dependence and dementia, as well as for maintaining overall health.
Furthermore, we aim to develop a large-scale digital registry, the "Digital Cohort," where participants' daily activities are continuously recorded and leveraged to study their relationship with health outcomes.

References

1. Takeshi Kera, Hisashi Kawai, Manami Ejiri, Keigo Imamura, Hiroyuki Sasai, Hirohiko Hirano, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Kazushige Ihara, Shuichi Obuchi: Clinical characteristics survival in sarcopenic obesity defined by the Japanese working group on sarcopenic obesity criteria versus existing definitions in older adults findings from the Otassha study. International Journal of Obesity. (in press)
2. Shuichi P Obuchi, Hisashi Kawai, Takeshi Kera, Keigo Imamura, Manami Ejiri, Hirohiko Hirano, Kazushige Ihara, Hiroyuki Sasai, Yoshinori Fujiwara: Validity of a smartphone-based measurement for assessing lower limb power for sarcopenia and frailty discrimination: The Otassha Study. JMIR Formative Research. (in press)
3. Takeshi Kera, Hisashi Kawai, Manami Ejiri, Keigo Imamura, Hirohiko Hirano, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Kazushige Ihara, Shuichi Obuchi: Characteristics of probable respiratory sarcopenia based on the definitions of four professional organizations-The Otassha Study. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2026;26(1):e70329.
4. Hisashi Kawai, Keigo Imamura, Manami Ejiri, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Kazushige Ihara, Hirohiko Hirano, Hiroyuki Sasai, Shuichi Obuchi, Takao Suzuki: Association of aging trajectories in the Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence with instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling older Japanese adults: The Otassha study. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 25(12):1894-1902, 2025.
5. Hisashi Kawai, Keigo Imamura, Rui Gong, Manami Ejiri, Shuichi Obuchi: Comparability of Daily-Life Walking Speed Measured by Smartphone GPS and Ankle-Band Accelerometer: Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR Form Res. 9:e73722. 2025.
6. Takeshi Kera, Hisashi Kawai, Manami Ejiri, Keigo Imamura, Hirohiko Hirano, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Kazushige Ihara, Shuichi Obuchi: Comparative Analysis of the Maximal Respiratory Pressure and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate in Diagnosing Probable Respiratory Sarcopenia--The Otassha Study. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 25: 1253-1259. 2025.
7. Kazuyuki Sato, Hisashi Kawai, Keigo Imamura, Manami Ejiri, Hiroyuki Sasai, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Hirohiko Hirano, Kazushige Ihara, Shuichi Obuchi: Association of Self-perception and Perception Gap in Walking Speed with Frailty: The Otassha Study. Gait & Posture.122:38-44. 2025.
8. Keigo Imamura, Hisashi Kawai, Manami Ejiri, Hiroyuki Sasai, Kazushige Ihara, Harumi Nakada, Atsushi Araki, Hirohiko Hirano, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Takao Suzuki, Shuichi Obuchi: Association between the use of information and communication technology and cognitive decline stratified by social isolation: The Otassha Study. J Prev Alzheimers Dis.12(6):100138. 2025.
9. Jou-Yin Chen, Hisashi Kawai, Junta Takahashi, Manami Ejiri, Keigo Imamura, Shuichi P Obuchi: Test-retest reliability of the computer-based cognitive assessment tool for community-dwelling older adults in Japan: The Otassha study. Digit Health. 11:20552076251317627, 2025.
10. Takeshi Kera, Hisashi Kawai, Shuichi Obuchi: Respiratory Sarcopenia: Current Understanding of Concepts and Future Issues. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 26(5):105541, 2025.