抄録
There have been reports indicating that 1 in 2 female high school students exhibits some signs of female-specific health problems, which may include energy deficiency, menstrual irregularities, and osteoporosis. These issues constitute a significant health concern that requires intervention. Investigation of female-specific health problems from the perspective of school health activities promoted by health education and health management is essential, as it contributes to the promotion and maintenance of well-being for high school girls. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of high school teachers about female-specific health problems and the actual situation of school health programs. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted via mail, targeting 1,041 teachers from 347 full-time public high schools in 4 prefectures of northern Kanto, excluding all-boys schools. The researchers collected a total of 235 valid responses, and comparisons were conducted based on the type of teaching license (health and PE teachers, yogo teachers, and general teachers : except for health and PE teachers and yogo teachers) and whether the respondents served as homeroom teachers (homeroom teachers vs. subject teachers only). The findings revealed that the accuracy of knowledge about female-specific health problems showed higher values for health and PE teachers and yogo teachers compared to general teachers in terms of the overall correct answer rate for true/false questions. For the overall correct answer rate on multiplechoice questions, the order of lowest to highest was general teachers, health and PE teachers, and yogo teachers. The implementation rate of health education regarding female-specific health problems within subjects other than health and PE ranged from 6.6% to 13.1%. In comparison, for homeroom teachers, the implementation rate for student-led activities and period for inquiry-based cross-disciplinary study ranged from 0.0% to 2.0%, indicating low engagement. Regarding health management, the study found that teachers who also served as homeroom teachers had lower implementation rates for health consultations and health guidance than teachers responsible only for subject instruction. These results highlight the lack of integration of female-specific health topics in subjects outside of health and PE and the low engagement of homeroom teachers in health management. From the perspective of school health activities, it is necessary to enhance classes on female-specific health problems outside of health and physical education and to raise the awareness of homeroom teachers regarding health management.
