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.

Objective: To clarify the association between dementia knowledge and attitudes, lifestyle backgrounds, and practical training experiences of nursing students, and examine the basic nursing education for dementia.Participants and Methods: A total of 412 first-to-fourth-year students at Nursing College A participated in the study. A cross-sectional survey was conducted regarding knowledge (15 questions) and attitudes (15 questions) related to dementia.Results: Consent was obtained from 158 individuals (The response rate was 38.3%). Significant items regarding dementia attitudes and cohabitation experiences were identified. Additionally, significant items regarding attitude toward dementia and care providing experiences were identified.Conclusion: Associations among attitude toward dementia, cohabitation experiences, and care providing experiences were determined. Knowledge and attitudes regarding dementia improved with practical training experience.

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.

Introduction: This study aims to examine the actual conditions of Institutional Research (IR) activities and operations and explore the differences between the items analyzed by the IR organization and those that nursing faculty members would like to compare with other Japanese nursing universities.　Method: We conducted a questionnaire survey among 48 nursing universities in Japan (424 instructors) in December 2020.　Results: Of the total 116 participants, the number of participants who responded to being aware of both the name and role of IR and having an IR organization in their universities was 51 (44.0%) and 82 (70.7%), respectively. Teaching-related items ranked high in both the items analyzed by the IR organization and those that nursing faculty members would like to compare with other nursing universities. For the survey of admission applicants and graduates, the degree of the desire to be compared with other nursing universities was higher than that of being analyzed by the IR organization (p<0.05).　Discussion: Although a greater number of IR organizations are being established, awareness of these remains low within Japanese nursing universities. Additionally, there are differences between the items analyzed by the IR organization and those that nursing faculty members would like to compare with other Japanese nursing universities. Therefore, the goal is to achieve a common understanding of IR activities and operations at each nursing university.

Objective: Medical science students, especially nursing students, are more likely to experience academic stress; therefore, resilience helps them focus on their lessons attentively. However, the results of a few existing studies regarding how resilience impacts the academic performance of medical science students are incongruent. This study aimed to investigate whether resilience impacts the academic performance of Japanese nursing students.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey from September to November 2020. A total of 229 undergraduate nursing students participated in this study; here, resilience was measured using the Bidimensional Resilience Scale, which includes innate factors (optimism, control, sociability, and vitality) and acquired factors (problem-solving, self-understanding, and understanding others). Academic performance was measured using the functional grade point average (f-GPA). Covariates were demographics, pre-entry academic performance levels, medical history, time spent walking, psychological distress, subjective economic status, and part-time jobs. Multivariate regression analyses were performed.Results: Among the 229 participants, the f-GPA mean (standard deviation) was 2.93 (0.46). Only vitality was significantly associated with a higher f-GPA after multiple imputations (β = 0.06; 95% confidence interval = 0.03–0.09; P<0.01). The Poisson regression analysis of 212 participants with all data indicated that vitality was associated with the fourth quartile f-GPA (prevalence ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.08; P<0.01).Conclusion: There was a significant association between the vitality of resilience components and academic performance among Japanese nursing students. This study suggests that an approach that develops resilience is necessary for the academic success of nursing students.

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.

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.

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: Although it is well known that smoking is a risk factor for subarachnoid hemorrhage, the association between smoking and unruptured intracranial aneurysms remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether smoking status was associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms among Japanese brain health check-up examinees.Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,496 adults (aged 26–90 years) undergoing brain health check-ups at a single community medical support hospital in Akita, Japan between 2009 and 2013. In Japan, people can discretionarily undergo a brain health check-up for early detection of unruptured intracranial aneurysms or subarachnoid hemorrhages. Participants responded to a questionnaire on lifestyle, such as smoking status, and were classified into three groups: never, former, and current smoker. The evaluation of unruptured intracranial aneurysms detected by magnetic resonance angiography was performed by an expert physician. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio for unruptured intracranial aneurysms. We performed statistical analyses by age, sex, and family history of stroke.Results: The number of participants with unruptured intracranial aneurysms was 43 (2.9%). The mean age (standard deviation) and proportion of males was 55.8 (9.5) years and 53.3%, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for unruptured intracranial aneurysms of 1.21 (0.48–3.08) among former smokers and 2.88 (1.10–7.50) among current smokers were compared to those of never smokers (p-trend = 0.041). After stratifying by age, sex, and family history of stroke, no interactions were found.Conclusion: This cross-sectional study conducted in Japan showed that smoking was positively associated with unruptured intracranial aneurysms among brain health check-up examinees.

　　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.