Exploring the Barriers and Coping Strategies Faced by Male Nursing Students in Japanese Nursing Education

Purpose@#Nursing is traditionally considered a female profession, and male nursing students face gender stereotype barriers. Most studies of male nursing students in Japan focus on their learning experiences in maternal nursing, and little is known about the experiences of male nursing students in their usual learning environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the barriers and coping strategies of Japanese male nursing students in nursing education, including classroom and practical training. @*Methods@#A qualitative descriptive design was used to study 20 male nursing students from eight Japanese universities. Purposive sampling using the snowball method was used to recruit participants. Semistructured interviews were used to gather data about the participants’ thoughts and experiences in nursing education. All interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. @*Results@#Four themes emerged from the data: (1) nursing choices of own volition; (2) loneliness due to the female-dominated environment and marginalization; (3) dealing with barriers and seeking support; and (4) positive experiences in nursing education. Male nursing students face barriers such as loneliness and feelings of alienation. Family support, mutual support among male nursing students, and the presence of role models were factors that addressed these barriers and positively influenced career choice. @*Conclusions@#This research suggests that nursing educators need to understand the barriers faced by male nursing students and provide a gender-neutral learning environment for all students.

Association between daily physical activity and neighborhood environments

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Previous studies on the association between physical activity (PA) and neighborhood environments (NE) focused on either objectively measuring the NE or the residents' perception of NE. Here, we investigate which actual or perceived NE is associated with residents' PA in Japan.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two regions with an objectively assessed high and low residential density, land use mix-diversity, and street connectivity, respectively, were identified in one city. The subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method by sex and age in each region. The NE of the subjects was objectively measured using the Geographic Information System (GIS), and the subjects' perception of the NE was assessed using a questionnaire. The daily total number of walking steps was measured with an accelerometer, and walking and cycling time were assessed by a questionnaire.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>For the female subjects, the mean cycling time, subjectively assessed as a means of transport, was significantly longer in the group with a high GIS score for the number of land use types, while the score for total number of walking steps was significantly higher among those who were aware of places to walk to, and cycling time for transport was longer for those who perceived an accessibility to post offices, banks/credit unions, gymnasiums/fitness facilities, and amusement facilities in their neighborhood. For the male subjects, the score for walking time for leisure was longer for those who perceived aesthetics and an accessibility to parks, and the score for total walking steps was significantly higher for those who perceived an accessibility to bookstores or rental video stores in their neighborhood.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results to this study demonstrate that daily PA was high among female subjects living in a NE with land use mix-diversity, and who had an awareness of places to walk to and the accessibility to facilities for daily necessities in their neighborhood. For male subjects, daily PA was high among those who perceived the aesthetics of and accessibility to facilities for pleasure in their neighborhood. Further research is needed to determine the association between PA and NE on the basis of sex differences.</p>

Nutritional adaptation of women in contrasting agricultural environments in Tari, Papua New Guinea

The energy expenditure, food consumption and anthropometry of two groups of Hull women are described. The group occupying the highly productive drained margins of the Haeapugua Swamp at Weinani have significantly higher intakes of energy and protein than those at Heli on the Paijaka Plateau. However, both groups of women expend similar amounts of time and energy in agricultural activities. The differences are explained by the contrasting quality of agricultural land at each place. Production per hectare at Heli is only around half of that at Weinani. It is concluded that the nutritional health of Heli women is compromised. This is probably the cause of the significantly lower mean birthweights of children born to women living on the Paijaka Plateau.