2023 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 71-80
This study examined a scale for capturing the health and daily lifestyles of the final year of kindergarten and children in the first grade of elementary school: that is, before and after the start of compulsory education in Japan. The newly developed scale examined school grade and gender differences. A total of 924 respondents (81.2% response rate) who answered all items were included in the analysis, and factor analysis was conducted. The factor structure consisted of 30 items constituting six factors: “active physical activity,” “well-being,” “mental and physical health,” “sleeping habits,” “life skills,” and “healthy diet.” The six factors extracted in this study included, in relation to “a healthy mind and body,” “the type of child desired to be raised at the end of the preschool period.” The scale was found to be reliable and valid for ascertaining children’s actual state of health and lifestyle during this period. “Health overall,” the sum of all factor scores, was higher in first graders than in the preschool children. “Sleeping habits” was poorer in preschoolers than in first graders, and “well-being” was lower in first graders than in preschoolers. Boys scored lower than girls on “well-being” and “life skills.” This scale may be useful in connecting preschool education with elementary school education.
