222 - America–Japan International Study on Workers’ Health and Well-being: Cross-Cultural Insights from the AJISAI Project

Session Description: The America–Japan International Study on Workers’ Active-lifestyles and Illnesses (AJISAI) investigates how cultural and psychosocial factors influence workers’ mental health and work engagement. Using data from an internet-based survey of 2,000 workers (1,000 in Japan and 1,000 in the United States), the study compares health perceptions, job stress, organizational justice, and well-being between the two countries. The session will introduce cross-cultural findings and demonstrate how text mining was applied to open-ended responses about “ideal health” to reveal shared and culture-specific values. Presentations from Japanese and U.S. researchers will offer new insights into how workplace and social environments shape mental health and engagement, highlighting evidence-based strategies to promote well-being in diverse work settings.

Educational Gaps: Most occupational health studies focus on domestic workers, overlooking cultural and institutional differences that influence mental health and engagement. Moreover, analyzing workers’ own words through text mining is rarely applied in this field. As workplaces globalize, physicians need cross-national and data-driven perspectives to understand diverse psychosocial factors.

Is this session being sponsored by an ACOEM Section or Component?:

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The AOHC 2026 theme is Healthy workers. Healthy world: This session embodies the theme “Healthy workers. Healthy world.” by emphasizing the global and cultural dimensions of worker well-being. Through the project, it highlights how cultural values, social systems, and workplace factors shape mental health and engagement. By comparing data from Japan and the United States, the session provides insights into universal and culture-specific determinants of health, promoting a more inclusive and globally informed approach to occupational health. Participants will learn how understanding cross-cultural differences can lead to healthier workplaces and, ultimately, a healthier world.