J-HOPE Outline
J-HOPE (Japanese study of Health. Occupation and Psychosocial factors related to Equity) is research that was started with the objective of clarifying the actual conditions of the qualitative disparity in health between laborers and the mechanism that causes this disparity. This research was established by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas' (for research proposals) "Multipurpose Research Panel" and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)'s Research Funds. This research has been going on under the framework of a research panel repeatedly examining important indicators every year since 2009.
The issue of the qualitative disparity in the health of laborers is not a problem that can be simply solved by medical expertise. Accordingly, a team of specialists from not only the medical field but also from the fields of psychology, sociology and economics are conducting this research. Every year this research panel has used a standardized method to measure the socio-economic factors and new mental health indicators of laborers from diverse backgrounds, and this data has been accumulated.
