Yearly changes in serum electrolytes, especially calcium (Ca), and Ca intake which may influence such changes were studied for 2 years from 1979 to 1980 in the same inhabitants of a rural area with a tendency to low Ca intake, and the following results were obtained.
1) Among different components of electrolytes, yearly changes in Ca were greater than in magnesium and inorganic phosphorus.
2) Yearly changes in serum Ca level from 9 mg/dl or lower level to higher level or vice versa were more frequent in men than in women and the number of women with not more than 9 mg/dl showed a tendency to decrease.
3) Yearly changes in serum Ca were closely correlated with Ca intake. It was supposed that serum Ca level in those who took about 400 mg/day of Ca was fluctuating above or below 9 mg/dl level in proportion to amount of intake.

We have taken measurements of skinfold thickness in the 10 regions of the body of the adult farmers. The regions were cheek, submandibular region, upper arm, scapular region, abdomen, side, femoral region, waist and calf. Included in this study were 148 men and 150 women.
A summary of the results is as follows:
1. The average skinfold thickness in each of the 10 regions was larger in women than in men. Subcutaneous fat was the thickest in the abdomen, followed by the scapular region and the cheek, irrespective of sex.
2. The average reading by age and sex in each of the regions also indicated that there is little variation in the case of men. Only in the abdomen and the waist, measurements slightly decreased with aging. However, in the case of women aged 70, the thickness readings went up with aging. Women in their 70s showed a decreasing tendency.
3. When those examined are broken down into the persons of the pyknic type and the persons of the leptosome type, the average thickness value in each of the 10 regions reveals that the leptosome-type persons, regardless of sex, have subcutaneous fat deposited evenly throughout the body. By contrast, men of the pyknic type have subcutaneous fat accumulated mainly in the abdominal region and women of the pyknic type in the scapular region, abdomen and upper arms.
4, Correlation between total skin thickness and region-wise skinfold thickness was higher in the sum of values for two regions than in values for any single region. In men, the scapular region+ abdominal region values have higher correlation than the upper arm+the scapular region values.
5. From the above, it can be said, the scapular region + the abdominal region, rather than the upper arm + the scapular region, should be selected for the diagnosis of obesity.

On the basis of the statistical data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on “dekasegi” (Family members leaving home for temporary working) in 1958-67, the author analyzed the annual transition of “dekasegi.” 1. During the period of 1958 to 1967, the number of farmers engaged in “dekasegi” throughout the nation ranged from 200, 000 to 300, 000, and there were no significant fluctuations. When these workers are analyzed by sex, females engaged in “dekasegi” in 1967 accounted for about 8% of all the “dekasegi” workers, and there were signs for a drop in their number.
2. With respect to the types of industry in which they were employed during that period, their number in the construction industry was on the upturn and accounted for 6.5% of all the “dekasegi” farmers. Their employment in agriculture has continuously been on the downtown and dwindled to 2.8 percent in 1973.
3. As classified by economic blocs (Division of prefecture by characteristics of agricultural production or economic situation), it was recognized that the ratio of farmers engaged in “dekasegi” (ratio of temporary workers leaving home to total farm population of 15 of age) increased in the order of suburban areas, farm villages on the flatland, farm villages in the mountains, and mountain villages.
4. Of the farmers engaged in “dekasegi, ” there existed 15, 500 in the two years of 1963 and 1964 who did not intend to return to their home villages. This phenomenon is one of actors associmportant social factors associated with “dekasegi.”

On the statistical data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the author analyzed the status of “dekasegi” farm households as classified by regional patterns (Zengoku-chiiki-ruikei) and economic blocs (Keizai-chitai) and secured the following findings.
1. With the nation divided into seven regions in terms of regional patterns, the rate of “dekasegi” farm households is low in the industrial areas but high in the advanced farm areas centered around rice production, general areas centered around rice production, and isolated farm areas.
2. With the nation divided into regional patterns in terms of farm production and economic blocs, there were signs for a rise in the rate of “dekasegi” farm households in the order of suburban areas, farm villages on the flatland, farm villages in the mountains, and mountain villages. The lowest rate of “dekasegi” farm households was registered in the peripheries of major industrial cities, whereas mountain villages in secluded areas registered high percentages.
3. In the 27 areas classified by regional patterns and economic blocs, the correlation coefficients and regression lines of the rate of “dekasegi” farm houses (total number of “dekasegi” farm households/total number of farm households x 100), infant mortality, crude mortality and birth rate are as follows:
Infant mortality r=+0.7748 y =0.7781x-11.5637 Crude mortality r=+0.4680 y =1.7884x-9.0808 Birth rate r=-0.3807 y=-0.9969x+22.6291
The correlations of the rate of “dekasegi” farm households, infant mortality and crude mortality were minus. The fact that the correlations of the rate of “dekasegi” farm households and the infant mortality rate were as high as 0.7 indicates that “dekasegi” farm households are great in number in the areas where the health standards are low. From a sociomedical point of view, it follows that many “dekasegi” farm households exist in unhealthy areas. On the basis of this observation, the author has come to the conclusion that “dekasegi” is not a favorable social phenomenon.

On the basis of the 1965 statistical data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the author computed the rates of “dekasegi” farm households as classified by prefecture, agricultural region and economic bloc (Provided by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), and this report is an attempt to introduce the conclusions drawn from the computation.
1. The rate of “dekasegi” farm households by prefecture is high in Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, Niigata and Kagoshima Prefectures, which were followed by Nagasaki and Hyogo Prefectures in terms of percentage. The rate was low in the prefectures which have major urban areas. In the economic blocs of Tohoku Region's three prefectures and Niigata Prefecture, the percentage was high.
2. The rate of “dekasegi” farm households by economic bloc rises in the order of suburban areas, farm villages on the flatland, farm villages in the mountains and mountain villages.
3. The correlation coefficient of the rate of “dekasegi” farm households and the infant mortality rate was in the neighborhood of +0.4.

On the basis of the 1965 and 1975 statistical data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the author analyzed in national and regional terms what changes took place during these ten years and came to the following general conclustion.
1. The numbers of “dekasegi” farm households and farmers conspicuously decreased from 1965 to 1975 in a national perspective. The number of “dekasegi” farm households which was registered at 382, 279 in 1965 dropped to 178, 000 in 1975. Analyzed in terms of prefectures, this phenomenon has resulted from a drastic drop in the number of “dekasegi” farm households in prefectures other than Akita and Aomori, where there have been proctically no fluctuations in the number of “dekasegi” farm households in the last 10 years.
2. The prefectures in which powerful measures for “dekasegi” farm households, judging from the 1975 new data, are Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Niigata and Kagoshima.
3. The rate of “farm households” at the prefectural level is not so high, to be sure, but the prefectures in which there exist special areas featuring high rates of “dekasegi” farm households have been identified. These prefectures are Hyogo, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Ehime Prefectures.
4. To decrease the number of “dekasegi” farm households, the author theoretically corroborated, on the basis of the conditions of “dekasegi” farm households in Shizuoka, Akita and Kagoshima Prefectures, that the prerequisite is to increase the number of constantly working farm households.