Development of Childcare Literacy Scale for Mothers with Infants and Children.

This study aimed to develop a Childcare Literacy Scale for Mothers with Infants and Children (CLMIC) and verify its reliability and validity. Using a 28-item childcare literacy measurement scale proposed after a preliminary survey, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted. Participants were mothers who came to the city's infant health checkups ; 211 people were included in the analysis. Cronbach's ? was used to verify reliability. To verify the validity, exploratory factor analysis was performed as construct validity.Following factor analysis of 28 items on the childcare literacy measurement scale, 4 factors and 24 items were adopted. For all factors, Cronbach's ? were greater than or equal to .80. CLMIC and Communicative and Critical Health Literacy, Health Literacy Scale for Women of Reproductive Age, and Japanese Short-Form-8-Item Health Survey showed significant positive correlations. CLMIC and Japanese Parenting Stress Index Short Form indicated a significant negative correlation. The reliability and validity of the developed CLMIC were confirmed. It was shown to be a useful scale that can contribute to health behaviors that protect against child-rearing stress and promote child safety and security, valuing the unique perspective of child-rearing that is appropriate for Japanese mothers. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 171-179, February, 2023.

Knowledge and risk perception of radiation for Japanese nursing students after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster.

BACKGROUND: The Japanese have had three experiences of radiation disasters: the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The former two experiences have been covered in compulsory education programs. In light of these incidents, a strong fear of radiation has pervaded people of several generations. In such a situation, the role of nurses is important. When nurses treat residents, their attitudes change depending on how they understand and feel about radiation. The foundations of these attitudes are formed through student education. Hence, it is necessary to explore nursing students' understanding and risk perception of radiation, and the nature of radiation education received. OBJECTIVES: To assess the levels of understanding and risk perception of nursing students regarding radiation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was administered to all students (74 first-year, 79 second-year, 65 third-year, and 69 fourth-year students) in the nursing department of a Japanese national university. The response rate was 84%. Respondents were asked to rate their level of understanding of 50 phrases chosen from two supplementary texts about radiation for elementary school students and for middle and high school students, prepared by the Japanese Ministry. Further, they were asked to rate their risk perception for 30 events, and to answer six questions about radiation. RESULTS: It was found that knowledge about radiation among Japanese nursing students was poor, because sufficient radiation education had not been provided. Hence, they displayed a greater fear of X-rays as compared to American students and members of the League of Woman Voters. However, it was also found that an increase in understanding might decrease risk perception. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that nursing students require adequate education about radiation, in order to reduce their fear of X-rays and to mitigate their risk perception.

Development of a Strengths Measurement Scale for the lifestyle transformation process.

This study aimed to develop a Strengths Measurement Scale (SMS) for assessment of people in the process of transforming their own lifestyle, and to examine the reliability and validity of the SMS. This is to establish a foothold for introducing the Strengths Model into health guidance for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. We conducted an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire survey with our SMS comprising 38 items proposed in a preliminary investigation. In total, 1,339 Japanese adults participated, and responses from 1,160 participants (effective response rate of 86.6%) were analyzed. We calculated Cronbach's alpha coefficient for testing the reliability. To test the validity, we examined the construct validity through exploratory factor analyses. Based on the results of the factor analysis performed on the 38 question items of the SMS, we adopted four factors and 36 question items. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of all the factors were 0.80 or above. There were significant, positive correlations between the SMS and the Modified Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS), and between the SMS and the Adolescent Resilience Scale (ARS). The reliability and validity of the SMS for the lifestyle transformation process were confirmed, suggesting that the scale is applicable to health guidance for preventing lifestyle-related diseases.

Health behavior of elderly people engaged in agriculture in conjunction with information communication technology.

The aim of this study is to clarify the health behavior of elderly people engaged in agriculture and information communication technology (ICT). The participants were 61 people engaged in agriculture in conjunction with ICT systems (group A), and 49 people not engaged in this (group B) from among the people aged 65 years or over in village C, both living located in a mountain areas. Data were collected from August 2009 to June 2011 in two stages: interviews to members of group A through home visits, and a group survey of groups A and B through questionnaires. The results of the study were as follows: 1) members of group A lived with feelings of attachment to the land to which they were accustomed and showed gratitude to their ancestors; 2) in group A, the desire of participants to continue their life was sufficient motivation to look after their own health and maintain independence; and 3) they provided a new challenge and a sense of achievement. The results suggest that the health behavior in group A was behavior adopted voluntarily in order to maintain an independent lifestyle supported by working, and it is likely to be linked to the preservation of health.