ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to measure the physical activity (exercise and non-exercise) of community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals and to investigate the relationships between physical activity and daily life behaviors.Methods: Community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals who resided in town A, city B, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and were not certified as requiring long-term care were included in this study. Physical activity in 1 week was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to assess daily life behaviors. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the factors affecting physical activity.Results: A total of 107 elderly Japanese (46 men and 61 women) individuals were included. The mean amount of physical activity in men was 37.9 Metabolic equivalents (METs)*h/wk, whereas that in women was 33.8 METs*h/wk. The proportion of exercise to physical activity for men and women was 43.2% and 26.0%, respectively. Men and women took an average of 47,393.7 and 35,305.6 steps/wk, respectively. Step counts and the presence or absence of plant cultivation were the factors associated with the amount of physical activity. The exercise component of physical activity was associated with step count, whereas the non-exercise component was associated with step count, plant cultivation, and frequent outings.Conclusion: Among community-dwelling elderly Japanese individuals, physical activity levels appear to be affected by step count and the presence or absence of certain factors, such as plant cultivation and frequent outings.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To clarify the relationship between the proportion of severely insufficient vegetable intake frequency and 1) vegetable cultivation, 2) frequency of receiving vegetable among non-cultivators.Materials and Methods: Residents aged 20 to 74 years in three areas of a city in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, were invited to participate. In September 2016, two sets of self-administered questionnaires were mailed to all 2,260 households in the three areas. The survey items covered the frequency of vegetable intake, vegetable cultivation (as a farmer, as a non-farmer, or no-cultivation), frequency of receiving vegetable, and basic characteristics. For vegetable cultivators, we asked the proportion of cultivated vegetables for home consumption and for giving to neighbors. Binomial logistic regression models were used to analyze the data collected. The respondents were classified into two groups according to their vegetable intake frequency: fewer than three times per day (severely insufficient), and at least three times per day.Results: We had 796 valid responses. Using the no-cultivation group as reference, both of the other groups —vegetable cultivation as a farmer, and as a non-farmer— had a significantly smaller proportion of severely insufficient vegetable intake frequency. Among the no-cultivation group, using those who had never received vegetable in the past month as reference, those who rarely, sometimes, or often received vegetables had a significantly smaller proportion of severely insufficient vegetable intake frequency. These associations were similar in cases where vegetable juice was or was not included. The proportion of those who cultivated vegetables for home consumption was 96% among farmers and 100% among non-farmers, respectively, and for giving to neighbors was 84% among farmers and 62% among non-farmers, respectively.Conclusion: A negative association of the proportion of severely insufficient vegetable intake with vegetable cultivation, and with receiving vegetable among non-cultivators, was suggested.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: This study aimed at identifying the differences in the vegetable intake frequency among rural, suburban, and urban residents. It also intended to estimate the effects of vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and purchasing vegetables at farmers’ markets on the differences in vegetable intake frequency. Based on the results, to promote vegetable intake, we discuss the value of supporting vegetable cultivation in the rural areas.Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study targeting residents aged between 20 and 74, living in three parts of a city within the Gunma prefecture in Japan. The three locations were selected to represent the rural, suburban, and urban areas. We mailed two sets of anonymous self-administered questionnaires to all households in the three areas (a total of 2,260 households, comprising about 1,000 people aged between 20 and 74 in each area). The survey requested information on the vegetable intake frequency, vegetable cultivation, frequency of receiving vegetables, frequency of vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets, the subjective difficulty in food-store access, economic circumstances, health attitudes, and demographic characteristics. We used the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to examine the data obtained.Results: We received 873 responses (from 586 households), of which 90 were irrelevant, thus leaving a sample of 783 residents (257 rural, 259 suburban, 267 urban) available for statistical analysis. The results revealed that the rural residents had significantly greater vegetable intake frequency than the urban and suburban residents did. These regional differences became smaller after the adjustment of the following variables: vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets. No significant difference was observed in the vegetable intake frequency between the rural and urban respondents after this adjustment was made.Conclusions: Vegetable intake frequency was higher in the rural area than in the suburban and urban areas. Vegetable cultivation, receiving vegetables, and vegetable purchase at farmers’ markets were strongly linked to these regional differences.
ABSTRACT
In Japan, community–based education remains uncommon in undergraduate programs for students in schools of health sciences. The purpose of this study was to examine how students are affected by their participation in off–campus classes, which are considered as a main course of community–based education at the School of Health Sciences, Gunma University.<br>1)Reports submitted by students after participating in off–campus classes were broken down into sentences (with care being taken that each sentence made sense). The extracted sentences were carefully consolidated by means of the Kawakita Jiro method (affinity diagram).<br>2)A total of 972 sentences were extracted and were categorized into 3 categories: "enjoy going out to the community," "increased activity through experiences," "awareness of what one wants to be and one's insufficient abilities." Five middle–sized categories and 10 small categories were obtained.<br>3)Experiences in off–campus classes are expected to increase the activity of students and to have synergic effects with on–campus classes.<br>4)Community–based education might be effectively included in undergraduate programs for students in schools of health sciences.