Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the usefulness of a mobile application designed to facilitate real-time collection and automatic aggregation of morning health observation data. By leveraging an ICT-based environment, the application sought to enable early detection and timely intervention for students’ physical and mental health issues. Methods: A total of 429 students from three high schools participated. Each morning, students submitted their health status via Microsoft Forms. A custom application was developed using Microsoft Power Apps to automatically aggregate, visualize, and share the data. To assess usability and usefulness, pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to students, Yogo teachers (school health educators), and homeroom teachers. Results: The application enabled systematic monitoring of attendance, physical condition, and mental well-being. Its alert function facilitated the early identification and intervention for students with health-related concerns. Faculty members also reported that the application was effective in detecting early signs of health problems, bullying, and school absenteeism. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the application is a useful tool for streamlining health observations and identifying physical and mental health issues at an early stage. Furthermore, it demonstrated potential in reducing the workload of school staff.

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Objective: The purpose of this study is twofold: 1) to investigate the provision of and state of participation in postpartum health education and 2) to examine whether the participants and the midwives who provide it are satisfied with the content of postpartum health education. Method: The survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire of colleagues of instructors at medical universities and at training hospitals. The responses from 62 midwives and 333 women with childbirth experience were analyzed. The survey items were as follows: respondents’ age; whether postpartum health education was provided and whether the respondent attended, including the reasons why; and the respondents’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with postpartum health education, including the reasons why. The results of the survey were analyzed using simple tabulation, and Fisher’s exact probability test was performed for satisfaction and dissatisfaction. This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee for Human Research at Utsunomiya University (July 8, 2022, H22-0053). Results: Among the 333 women with childbirth experience, 55 individuals (16.5%) ranging in age from their 30s to their 70s had participated in postpartum health education. Of these, 47 (85.5%) were satisfied with the educational content; 7 12.7%) were dissatisfied; and 1 (1.8%) did not answer. Next, of the 62 midwives, 17 (27.4%) aged 40 or older had provided postpartum health education. Of the 17 midwives who had provided “postpartum health education,” 4 (23.5%) were satisfied with the educational content, and 11 (64.7%) were dissatisfied. Nine respondents gave reasons for dissatisfaction, with most of the responses concerning lack of follow-up and limited time. Discussion: Midwives provide postpartum health education during the limited time of visits and stays in hospital in conjunction with birth. However, whereas more than 85% of participants were satisfied with the program, 64.7% of the midwives who provided postpartum health education were dissatisfied, indicating that midwives and participants differ in how they perceive the content of postpartum health education. Furthermore, the midwives’ responses highlighted the importance of continuous postpartum health education.

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