The subjects were aged inhabitants in a rural area in the southern part of Akita Prefecture. The purpose of this study was to collect and provide fundamental information instrumental in grasping the candidates for institutional care under the secondary prevention program. Toward this end, we examined the items of the checklist for preventing or delaying institutionalization relative to blood-sugar levels in the subjects.　　Since we found that elevated fasting blood-sugar levels and high HbA1c values had some associations with depression, it was concluded that those old people with elevated blood-sugar levels should be taken care of with depression in mind.

  An inquiry was made into the health of 10 one-time asbestos workers now living in the southern part of Akita Prefecture who had taken screening tests for asbestosis on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to provide pertinent information and better health support to these people at high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. The average number of years they served as asbestos workers was 11.1±2.12 years and 29.8±4.64 years had passed since first exposure. All the subjects were found to have had no idea about guarding against exposure to asbestos while at work. Neither had they been told to protect themselves from this fibrous mineral by their employers. What motivated them to take examinations for asbestosis was news reports provided by newspapers and other mass media about pulmonary disorders caused by earlier contact with asbestos fibers. Half of the subjects did not know anything about qualifications for receiving the health card for retired asbestos workers. They expressed apprehensions about their health. One subject said, “I may be taken ill anytime,” another said, “The psychological burden of always taking meticulous care of my health is overwhelming,” and still another said, “There is no way of knowing whether I am suffering from asbestosis because there is no symptom.” The latest statistics showed that the number of officially acknowledged victims of asbestos-related pulmonary diseases is increasing across the nation together with the incidence of mesothelioma. To allay the anxiety of former asbestos workers about their health, this study suggested that as the responsibilities of the medical profession, we should (1) get acquainted with the relief system and related laws, (2) help the patients maintain their quality of life by following up the their problems over a long period of time, and (3) continue research activities and make the results public so as to contribute to the relief of the patients.

Objective: The author conducted a survey on social mutual aid and the social stimulative effect of older adults living in a rural district, and compared young old and old-old persons to clarify the roles of public health nurses in promoting community development.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization was conducted with 2,500 residents aged 65 years or older of City A in Akita Prefecture. The study was conducted from April 8 to May 15, 2017. Participants were administered a questionnaire containing items on “social mutual aid in the rural district”. Responses were recorded on a Likert scale.Results: As a result of factor analysis, the following four factors were extracted; [Blessing of a rural district and mutual help and assistance unique to a rural district], [Closeness of healthcare welfare service and family doctors in conjunction with their own health], [Decline of culture and community unique to rural districts accompanied by depopulation] and [Closeness of the town where they live]. Differences were observed in the closeness of social mutual aid and local societal stimulative effects, even between generations of old and old-old persons. In young-old persons, a negative correlation was observed between [Closeness of the town where they live] and other factors. In old-old persons, a negative correlation was found between [Decline of culture and community unique to rural districts accompanied by depopulation] and other factors.Conclusion: Since not only individual health indices but also local social mutual aid, which relates to individuals’ influence on the construction of a Community-based Integrated Care System in a rural district, the author posits that a data collection and analysis system on social mutual aid would be beneficial for community development for older adults living in rural districts.

  The purpose of this study was to accumulate fundamental data for use in the future project for preventing or delaying institutionalization of the aged by clarifying the relationship between the Kihon Checklist and bone density. All the subjects were residents of the southern part of Akita Prefecture in the 65-74 age band. The Kihon Checklist was used. The women who marked the items on the list related to “intraoral conditions” tended to be low in bone density. Those who checked off the items related to “oral functions” -- the standard of judgment in determining the level of care needed - were inactive and depressed.   Since bone density was an indicator of whether the elderly women were in need of nursing care, we thought it of paramount importance to encourage them to participate in the screening for osteoporosis on a regular basis and to take measures to maintain or improve bone density.

  In view of the situation where an increasing number of old women as well as old men have health problems associated with drinking, some measures should be taken in terms of setting sensible limits of alcoholic intake for these people to keep to, the Report of Kenko (Health) Nippon 21 for 2011 warned. It also suggested that further studies be made to amass necessary data in order to introduce effective measures and give a right assessment to the situation.
  The present study was carried out with the aim of providing fundamental pieces of information usable in primary prevention of alcohol-related health problems among the aged. For this purpose, we looked into the drinking habits as well as the numerical data of vital and liver functions tests of old people in a rural area in Yokote, Akita Prefecture. A total of 448 old people (206 men, 242 women) were involved in this study. Nineteen items out of 25 in the Kihon-Checklist, which was designed to reduce the need for nursing care, revealed notable decreases in vital functions in those men who took in over 21 grams of alcohol per day. Of those men specially categorized as individuals who are 65 and older and who are regarded as very likely to need nursing care in the near future, 88.9% took in 21 grams of alcohol. In women, there was no relation between drinking habits, BMI and liver functions. However, it was found that daily alcoholic consumption was greater in those specially categorized group of women at high risk for institutional care than in the other women.
  Our study made it clear that drinking habits, which were found to bear on liver and vital functions, could serve as a yardstick for judging whether the old people are at high risk for institutional care. We concluded that it is necessary to spread the knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol among the elderly and advise them to act their age and drink in moderation even before they enter advanced age.

  An inquiry was made into the health of 10 one-time asbestos workers now living in the southern part of Akita Prefecture who had taken screening tests for asbestosis on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to provide pertinent information and better health support to these people at high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. The average number of years they served as asbestos workers was 11.1±2.12 years and 29.8±4.64 years had passed sincefirst exposure. All the subjects were found to have had no idea about guarding against exposure to asbestos while at work. Neither had they been told to protect themselves from this fibrous mineral by their employers. What motivated them to take examinations for asbestosis was news reports provided by newspapers and other mass media about pulmonary disorders caused by earlier contact with asbestos fibers. Half of the subjects did not know anything about qualifications for receiving the health card for retired asbestos workers. They expressed apprehensions about their health. One subject said, “I may be taken ill anytime,” another said, “The psychological burden of always taking meticulous care of my health is overwhelming,” and still another said, “There is no way of knowing whether I am suffering from asbestosis because there is no symptom.” The latest statistics showed that the number of officially acknowledged victims of asbestos-related pulmonary diseases is increasing across the nation together with the incidence of mesothelioma. To allay the anxiety of former asbestos workers about their health, this study suggested that as the responsibilities of the medical profession, we should (1) get acquainted with the relief system and related laws, (2) help the patients maintain their quality of life by following up the their problems over a long period of time, and (3) continue research activities and make the results public so as to contribute to the relief of the patients.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the “Scientific Meaning of Clinical Practice Workshop” held at the Wakayama Nursing Practice Research Center and clarify its effects and future tasks.Participants and Methods: Based on what nurses currently find beneficial and problematic about their research, we conducted a survey using a self-administered questionnaire among the nurses who participated in the workshop. The questionnaire was processed using Microsoft Forms. Eight of the nine clinical nurses who participated in the workshop participated in this study. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tokyo Healthcare University. The participants provided written confirmation of their cooperation.Results: Six categories were generated to demonstrate the effects and future tasks of the workshop. Several challenges faced by the participants were highlighted, including difficulties in determining research directions and managing time constraints. However, the workshop notably enhanced the participants’ comprehension of nursing research and positively shifted their attitudes toward it. Other benefits, such as improved research skills and the ability to apply research findings to clinical practice, were also noted. The workshop underscored the value of peer support in fostering interest in nursing research and addressing common obstacles.Conclusion: These findings reveal the importance of continuous education and support mechanisms for clinical nurses to overcome barriers and enhance their research capabilities. Future workshops should consider participants’ needs for learning about research methods and ethics.

The objective of this study was to investigate associations between societal mutual assistance and vital functions among Aged People in rural Districts. This cross-sectional survey used questions based on the Anderson Behavioral Model, including relevant items such as “Individual characteristics (predisposing, enabling, and need factors)” and “Community characteristics (physical factors)”. We distributed questionnaires to 2,500 people and used 974 valid responses for study analyses. Our results showed that older adults in rural districts with lower levels of societal mutual assistance tended to have lower vital functions levels. Also, actual lower vital functions levels appear to be associated with lower levels of “Living in harmony with nature” and “No available social groups to participate in” at the group or community level, which define vital functions. It is necessary to objectively review self- and mutual-assistance roles of older adults living in rural areas as well as the mutual and public assistance functions that are typically involved in public health services.

In this study, we conducted text analysis to clarify the “feelings and considerations about the community (thoughts on the community)” of aged individuals in depopulated rural districts with low birth and high death rates, to identify a basis for public health nurse activities that contribute to improved functioning of aged individuals in rural areas. Quantitative text analysis was performed on free descriptive data collected from 362 aged individuals in rural districts; a co-occurrence network was created and correspondence analysis was performed. Six categories were extracted by analyzing the structure of the co-occurrence network: “loneliness because of the increasing number of unoccupied houses with few children and young people around”, “changes in the neighborhood and relationship with neighbors over time”, “continuous aging and depopulation of the village”, “preciousness of living with and spending time with family”, “maintaining good health and healthy aging”, and “difficulties and worries about inconvenient access to hospitals, public administrative offices, and shops”. Correspondence analysis of extracted words identified “inside the town”, “difficult”, “depopulation”, and “town” as factors strongly contributing to the principal component. The categories revealed by text analysis in this study may indicate an approach to develop the community, through objectively analyzing and then best utilizing self-care and mutual care in aged individuals in rural districts and social solidarity and governmental care (e.g., public health services).

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the association between social mutual aid and psychological stress among residents in a rural district.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization was conducted on 2,500 residents of City A in Akita Prefecture who were aged 65 years or older. The study was conducted from April 8 to May 15, 2017. Participants were administered a questionnaire containing items on individual characteristics (predisposing, enabling, and need) and contextual characteristics (physical factors).Results: Responses were obtained from 1,236 participants, and data from 974 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Factors related to the high level of psychological stress were “maintenance of confidential relationships that could only be formed in the rural district (low)” and “social support (low)”, which are forms of social mutual aid. Use of health services had no association with psychological stress, whereas when psychological stress was high (5 points or higher), the rate of “not participating in community groups (no)” was also high.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the need for the objective evaluation of the roles of self-help and mutual help among elderly adults living in a rural district and the mutual help and public help functions represented by health services. It is also important to develop districts that promote the enhancement of social mutual aid so that such help can be fully utilized.