The top concern for both men and women is lower back pain | How to read the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions” includes two useful indicators that are not widely known: the rate of persons with subjective symptoms and the rate of persons receiving outpatient treatment.

Two indicators

• Persons with subjective symptoms --among household members who are not hospitalized, people who have subjective symptoms due to illness, injury, or other causes. The number per 1,000 people is the rate of persons with subjective symptoms in total.
• Persons receiving outpatient treatment --among household members who are not hospitalized, people who visit a hospital, clinic, or similar facility for illness or injury. The number per 1,000 people is the rate of persons receiving outpatient treatment in total.

The former shows “how the person feels,” while the latter shows “whether the person is actually receiving medical care.” What makes this survey interesting is that it measures from two directions: subjectivity and behavior.

Looking at the numbers

According to the 2022 survey, the rate of persons with subjective symptoms was 276.5 per 1,000 population. This means roughly 1 in 4 people had some kind of subjective symptom. By sex, the figure was 246.7 for men and 304.2 for women, with women higher.

By type of symptom, lower back pain ranks first for both men and women. It is followed by stiff shoulders and similar symptoms. A consistent trend in this survey is that the top items are not special diseases, but issues related to everyday posture and movement.

The items that appear at the top are all things that are easily overlooked as not serious enough to visit a hospital for. But if one-quarter of the population is feeling them, they begin to look less like individual problems and more like issues of how daily life is designed.

For moving the body, see WHO estimates is also worth reading.

Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions”

※This article introduces statistics and system information published by public institutions and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any specific disease. If you have health concerns, please consult a medical institution.

—The Value Village Editorial Team