Name：Akira Kyan

Health promotion is an interdisciplinary field encompassing a broad range of research themes. Our lab investigates health promotion approaches that identify and reduce inequalities in the social determinants of health and well-being, while also developing health-related measures to support research and practice. Although our primary focus is on children and adolescents, we also conduct social epidemiological research among adults and older people to examine how health inequalities develop across the life course and how social environments can buffer and reduce them.

Research Theme 1: Social Determinants of Health among Children and Adolescents

Human health is shaped not only by innate characteristics, including genetic factors, but also by social conditions such as family background, institutions, and culture. Our lab investigates the social determinants of health, with a particular focus on socioeconomic inequalities.

• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) (Publicly Offered Research), "Elucidating Regional Disparities and Buffering Mechanisms in the Impact of Three-Generation Poverty on Children's Physical Health" (Project No. 25H01458; April 2025-March 2027).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. University of the Ryukyus, FY2025 Early-Career Researcher Support Program (Daiichi Sankyo "Supporting the Next Generation" Donation Program), "Trends in Health Disparities among Adolescents and Identification of Factors for Their Mitigation" (April 2025-February 2026).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) (Publicly Offered Research), "Time Trends of Socioeconomic Disparities in Children's Physical Activity and Physical Fitness" (Project No. 23H04441; April 2023-March 2025).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Kobe University Institute for Advanced Research, Tenure-Track Faculty Support Program, "Identification of Social Determinants of Health and Well-being from Early Childhood to Adolescence and Elucidation of Factors Promoting School Health Activities" (January 2023-March 2023).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Project for Building a Research Data Ecosystem that Promotes the Use of AI and Related Technologies, "Estimation of Physical Activity Using Simulated Human-Flow Data and Identification of Geographical Area Characteristics from Geographical and Socioeconomic Environments: Development of an Activity Simulation System to Promote the Health of Local Residents" (December 2022-March 2024).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Research Promotion Support Fund, "Identifying Determinants of Children's Well-being: A Multilevel Examination Using Health Behaviors and Psychosocial Environments as Indicators" (June 2022-March 2023).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Public Trust Uruma Academic Research Grant Fund, Research Grant, "Survey of Compliance with the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines among Preschool Children in Okinawa Prefecture" (June 2019-June 2020).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Tetsuhiro Kidokoro. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), "The Protective Effects of Physical Activity in Low-Birthweight Infants" (Project No. 24K05891; April 2024-March 2027).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Minoru Takakura. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), "Temporal Trends in Social Determinants of Health among Young People" (Project No. 24K13509; April 2024-March 2027).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Yuta Uchiyama. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), "Access Inequality and Effects of Ecosystem Services in Daily Life: Developing a Method for Improving Urban Regional Environments and Health" (Project Nos. 23H03605/23K28295; April 2023-March 2027).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Minoru Takakura. University of the Ryukyus, FY2022 Advanced Medical Research Support Program, "A Social Epidemiological Study of the Social Determinants of Health and Their Secular Changes among Young People" (October 2022-May 2023).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Minoru Takakura. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), "The Effects of School and Neighborhood Collective Efficacy on Health Inequalities among Youth" (Project No. 20K10473; April 2020-March 2023).

• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. Socioeconomic inequalities in health behaviours pre- and post-COVID-19 among Japanese school-aged adolescents: a nationally representative three-wave repeated cross-sectional survey. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 2025;30:70.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Shigeho Tanaka, Masayuki Okuda, Shinpei Okada, Chiaki Tanaka. Association between parental education and movement behaviours among young children in Okinawa Prefecture: the SUNRISE Japan study. Japan Journal of Human Growth and Development Research. 2024;96:20-26. [Recommended Paper]
• Minoru Takakura, Masaya Miyagi, Akira Kyan. Changes in the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among Japanese adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: 2002-2021. School Health. 2023;19:14-25. [Award-winning article: Japanese Association of School Health Award and Japan Society of Human Growth and Development Outstanding Research Award]
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Socioeconomic Inequality of Health Behavior Among Japanese Adolescents: A 2-Year Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2023;20(6):538–546.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Masaya Miyagi. Associations between 24-h movement behaviors and self-rated health: a representative sample of school-aged children and adolescents in Okinawa, Japan. Public Health. 2022;213:117–123.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Yoshito Kamiya, Noboru Kinjo, Tadashi Nakasone. Socioeconomic inequalities in toothbrushing behaviours in young children: a children’s lifestyle survey in a representative population of A city, Okinawa prefecture, Japan. European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry. 2022;23(6):969–977.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. Socioeconomic inequalities in physical activity among Japanese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health. 2022;207:7–13.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. The effects of school connectedness on physical activity among junior high school students in Okinawa: a longitudinal study. Japan Journal of Human Growth and Development Research. 2020;88:1-10. [Recommended Paper]

Research Theme 2: Health Promotion Research among Children and Adolescents (Intervention and Implementation Research)

Achieving health equity requires not only measuring health inequalities but also designing actions to reduce them and evaluating these actions in real-world settings. Our lab conducts school- and community-based intervention and implementation research.

• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. University of the Ryukyus, FY2026 KAKENHI Acquisition Step-Up Fund (Category 1), "Building the Foundation for an HPS/WSA-PA Co-Creation and Implementation Package toward Establishing a Japanese Science of HPS Implementation" (Project No. 26SP12101; FY2026).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), "Restructuring School Health Activities in Japan Based on WHO Health-Promoting Schools Theory" (Project No. 24K00395; April 2024-March 2027).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare, 39th Health Science Research Grant for Young Researchers (FY2023), "Investigating the Effects of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Intervention on the Mental and Physical Health of Youth" (November 2023-January 2026).
• [Principal Investigator] Akira Kyan. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, "Development of an Active Lesson Program that Enables Simultaneous Improvement of Physical Activity and Academic Performance" (Project No. 20K13966; April 2020-March 2023).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Keisuke Komura. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), "Developing a Collaborative Model Using Community Hubs to Foster Children's Motor Competence and Community Connectedness" (Project No. 26K00480; April 2026-March 2031).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Minoru Takakura. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research, "Improving Physical Activity and Academic Achievement of Young People in Okinawa, Japan: Longitudinal Study and Intervention Programs" (Project No. 15K12725; April 2015-March 2019).

• Akira Kyan, Kiyonori Masukawa, Minoru Takakura. Validity of the Japanese version of the Health Promoting School culture scale: multilevel associations with workplace social capital. Health Promotion International. 2026;41(3):daag071.
• Akira Kyan, Kiyonori Masukawa, Minoru Takakura. Validity of the Japanese version of health promoting school implementation questionnaire. Scientific Reports. 2026.
• Akira Kyan, Koryu Sato, Naoki Kondo. Increased vegetable consumption in Japan using an incentivized health communication campaign with a quiz. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2025;14:e30.
• Akira Kyan. Active Lesson Program to Enhance Physical Activity and Improve Cognitive Function and Academic Achievement. Advances in Exercise and Sports Physiology. 2024;30(1):10–12.
• Akira Kyan, Masaya Miyagi, Minoru Takakura. Physical Activity among Schoolchildren in Okinawa Prefecture Assessed Using a Questionnaire. Research in Exercise Epidemiology. 2023;25(1):118-119.
• Akira Kyan, K. Nakaima. A Practice Report on Remote University Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Achievements and Challenges of On-Demand Poster Presentations for Deepening Understanding of Pediatric Diseases. Japanese Journal of Health Education and Promotion. 2021;29(1):95-101.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. Proposal for an Active Lesson Program Integrating Physical Activity with Classroom Learning: An Example Using Mathematics. Japanese Journal of Health Education and Promotion. 2020;28(3):169-175.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura. Effects of Active Lesson Programs Integrating Physical Activity with Classroom Learning on Academic Achievement and Physical Activity: An Updated Systematic Review. Japanese Journal of Health Education and Promotion. 2019;27(3):229-245.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Masaya Miyagi. Mediating effect of aerobic fitness on the association between physical activity and academic achievement among adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Okinawa, Japan. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2019;37(11):1242–1249.
• Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Masaya Miyagi. Does Physical Fitness Affect Academic Achievement among Japanese Adolescents? A Hybrid Approach for Decomposing Within-Person and Between-Persons Effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018;15(9):1901.

Research Theme 3: Development of Health-Related Measures for Children and Adolescents

Quantitative analysis and translation of health-related phenomena into research and practice require valid and reliable measures. Our lab develops and validates measures of physical activity, motor competence, and health promotion in schools.

• [Research Participant] Host Researcher: Yuta Nemoto. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan, "Development of a Novel Algorithm for Accurate Estimation of Physical Activity among Older Adults Using Accelerometer Data" (FY2025).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Keisuke Komura. Daiko Foundation, 13th Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant (FY2024), "Development of a Simple Questionnaire to Assess the 24-Hour Behaviors of Preschool Children" (October 2024-March 2026).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Yumiko Endo. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), "Validation of a Preconception Health Behavior Model among Young Men and Women Residing in Okinawa Prefecture" (Project No. 24K13928; April 2024-March 2027).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Keisuke Komura. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), "Development and Evaluation of a Simple Motor Competence Assessment for Preschool Children that Visualizes Motor Development" (Project No. 22K02421; April 2022-March 2025).
• [Co-Investigator] Principal Investigator: Chiaki Tanaka. Sasakawa Sports Foundation, FY2017 Sports Research Grant, "Validation of a Questionnaire on Sports and Other Physical Activity in Daily Life among Children and Adolescents" (April 2017-February 2018).

• Keisuke Komura, Tomohiro Demura, Yusaku Ogura, Akira Kyan, Ryota Nawata, Kousuke Takahashi, Ryo Matsuura. Validity and reliability of the Simple Motor Competence-check for Kids (SMC-Kids). Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2025;28(5):391–397.
• Akira Kyan, Shigeho Tanaka, Minoru Takakura, Timothy Olds, Natasha Schranz, Chiaki Tanaka. Validity of Japanese version of a two-item 60-minute moderate-to-vigorous physical activity screening tool for compliance with WHO physical activity recommendations. The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine. 2021;10(2):99-107. [Award-winning article: Encouragement Award, Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine]
• Chiaki Tanaka, Akira Kyan, Minoru Takakura, Tim Olds, Natasha Schranz, Shigeho Tanaka. Validation of the Physical Activity Questions in the World Health Organization Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey Using Accelerometer Data in Japanese Children and Adolescents. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2021;18(2):151–156.

• Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education, Health and Physical Education Division, Committee for Promoting Physical Fitness among Schoolchildren - Vice Chair
• Japanese Association of School Health - Member, Academic Committee; Reviewer
• Japanese Association of Exercise Epidemiology - Board Member; Chair, External Relations Committee; Member, Academic Committee
• Japanese Society of Health Education and Promotion - Member, Academic Committee; Councilor
• Japan Society of Human Growth and Development - Councilor