Objective: The present study aimed to develop a scale for measuring factors that hinder the use of specific health guidance (Scale of factors that hinder the use of specific health guidance) by specific health guidance relevant individuals.

Method: The 50-item factors that hinder the use of specific health guidance Measurement Scale was designed based on previous studies and published data. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 3,738 individuals requiring specific health guidance in two cities, one town, and one village and scale reliability, construct validity, and concurrent validity were investigated.

Results: A total of 1,849 (49.5%) questionnaires were returned, of which 1,459 were valid. Item and exploratory factor analysis identified 18 items within the following 4 factors: feeling of futility regarding altering lifestyle habits; values prioritized above perfect health; negative feelings regarding health guidance; and pride in own judgement regarding personal health. Overall and subscale Cronbach’s α coefficients were 0.904 and 0.737-0.845, respectively. Goodness of model fit values were as follows: goodness of fit index GFI=0.951; adjusted AGFI=0.935; comparative fit index=0.952; and root mean square error of approximation=0.053. A significant association was found using the known-groups method and a significant negative correlation was observed regarding concurrent validity.

Conclusion: The present 4-subscale 18-item scale is useful for measuring the factors that hinder the use of specific health guidance.

Objectives: To elucidate the thoughts of mothers with late preterm (LP) infants of <2,000–2,500 g birth weight about caring for these children and to examine community support for LP infants and their families.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers of 4- and 5-year-old LP children with birth weights <2,000–2,500 g who had received continuous support from municipal public health nurses. Interview data were analyzed qualitatively.

Results: The largest response category, “feelings of self-responsibility raised by anxiety about the child’s being born small”, included seven categories. Another large category, “feelings of satisfaction with childcare and a sense of relief accompanying the child’s growth”, consisted of four categories. Mothers reported "self-blame” about their low-birth-weight infants. After giving birth, their thoughts included “awareness of the unexpectedly early birth” and “anxiety when they compared the child with others”. On the other hand, they were “relieved that the child grew well, despite the low birth weight”. The mother’s remorse and relief continued until her child was 4-5 years old.

Conclusion:It was shown that “feelings of self-responsibility raised by anxiety about the child’s being born small” and “feelings of satisfaction with childcare and a sense of relief accompanying the child’s growth” continue until late childhood. Even if the birth weight is 2,000 g or more, it is necessary for the medical institution during hospitalization and the health institution immediately after discharge to listen to the mother’s thoughts and cooperate with the school to identify and support their needs until the child enters school.

Purpose: To clarify the construct of skills for cooperation used by municipal public health nurses in support for children with developmental disabilities.

Method: In a first study, focus group interviews were conducted to identify content corresponding to cooperative skills used by public health nurses in support for children with developmental disabilities. A questionnaire was created based on this content. The subjects were seven municipal public health nurses who had been working for at least 10 years in the business of maternal and child health. In a second study, the questionnaire created in the first study was used to conduct a quantitative survey to clarify the construct of cooperative skills, after which a factor analysis was performed. The subjects of the survey were 280 public health nurses working in the business of maternal and child health in municipalities in Prefecture A.

Results: The construct of public health nurses’ cooperative skills in support of children with developmental disabilities was 31 items and 5 factors: “creating a system for multidisciplinary cooperation,” “reviewing roles based on mutual understanding with professionals from multiple disciplines,” “improving multidisciplinary support skills,” “conveying the child’s characteristics to the mother,” and “continuously engaging with the mother.”

Discussion: This research revealed the construct of skills for cooperation used by municipal public health nurses in support for children with developmental disabilities. The assessment of subjects is associated with support, interdisciplinary cooperation, and the creation of a system tailored to the region, and seems to be based on a particular of process.

Objective: The objective is to clarify the experience of public health nurses when working with commissioned-type community-based integrated support center while community-based integrated care is being developed in the elderly welfare field.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 public health nurses in the elderly welfare field and analyzed with qualitative induction using revised grounded theory approach.

Result: Seven categories constructed with 19 concepts were extracted. These promoted [showing the activity] and [coordinating from behind] and had [reconstruction by introspection]. Among these, the effort by public health nurses in the elderly welfare field started [the awareness of the organization] and furthered [the awareness of the development of community-based integrated care].

Discussion: It was clarified that public health nurses in the elderly welfare field had the strength of having the ability to develop support with emphasis on prevention and being in the local government so they involved the integration and the department in charge to continue with [reconstruction by introspection]. [Showing the activity] and [coordinating from behind] lead to the solution to the issues. From then, it suggested that the effort of public health nurses changed the surroundings and working with commissioned type integration made them mature as <an organization that can be a control tower>. This is an important approach for the development of community-based integrated care.

Aim: This study aimed to explore how nursing practices reflect the intentions and actions of public health nurses (PHNs) to clarify the characteristics of appropriate nursing practice for recipients of welfare services.

Method: Nursing practices of six PHNs for recipients of welfare services were examined. These PHNs were contacted and interviewed about their “intentions” and “actions” regarding their nursing practice and other health support activities. After documentation, individual interviews were conducted to identify their behavior and inner thoughts. Data were analyzed for seven themes and were extracted by comprehensively referring to the context and combined PHNs’ intentions and actions and identifying similarities. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Medical Ethics Centre.

Results: The context and combined PHNs’ intentions and actions were recorded and integrated into 20 items. There are some items of new nursing practice for various care recipients’ needs and values (e.g., identify the aim for visiting and consider how to communicate with them). There are also the same items as other nursing practice (e.g., establish and maintain relationships with care receivers and support systems).

Conclusion: It was found that PHNs assigned to board of welfare services specifically aimed to identify and consider various care recipients’ needs and values, lead independent lives to deal with crucial issues, and secure appropriate supports for recipients of welfare services from neighbours and care workers. Furthermore, PHNs universally aimed to establish relationships with recipients of welfare services, maintain their daily lives independently, and establish support systems including neighborhood residents.

This study clarifies the characteristics of the current home health nursing education as well as their relationship with the expected learning outcomes for home health nursing practice in a bachelor of nursing curriculum.

  We conducted a questionnaire survey of home nursing faculty members at 247 nursing universities. The analysis targets 108 universities. The survey gathered data regarding the basic attributes, the characteristics of the home nursing practice system, and the results of the expected outcomes. The average score of the home health nursing behavior expectation scale was 95.2 points (SD = 19.2), and the average score of the interprofessional behavior expectation scale was 52.7 points (SD = 11.8). A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the group with a higher ratio of visiting nurse practical training days had higher evaluation scores for home health nursing behavior (p<0.05). Fewer than 80 associates (p<0.05), teachers with more than 10 years of home health nursing experience (p<0.05), fewer than 80 students (p<0.05), and universities with independent home health nursing education (p<0.05) all scored higher on interprofessional behavior expectation scale.

  The results suggested that maintaining practice at visit nursing agencies and organizing a multifaceted education system could improve the expected outcome of home health nursing practice.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between work engagement (WE) and lifestyle in workers under 40 years of age using existing data.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the results of health examinations of employees under 40 years at Company A. The WE measurement scale was the New Brief of Job Stress Questionnaire (NewBJSQ) used in the stress check system in Japan. Lifestyle items were extracted from standardized questionnaires. We obtained information on basic attributes, medical history and history of illness, and work status from the questionnaire and NewBJSQ as confounding factors. Chi-square tests were conducted for men and women to investigate the association between WE and lifestyle. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted with the lifestyle items and confounding factors that showed significant differences and trends as independent variables and WE as the dependent variable.

Results: The odds ratio was 1.496 (95%CI 1.047–2.137, p = 0.027) for men who had adequate sleep, and 3.547 (95%CI 1.509–8.338, p = 0.004) for women who had light exercise for 30 minutes or more twice a week for more than a year, indicating a significant relationship between these lifestyle habits and high WE.

Consideration: Among those under 40 years of age, the lifestyle habits associated with WE were sleep for men and exercise for women. There were some similarities and differences between these habits and those of previous studies on people aged 40 years or older. In addition, this report provides basic data for studies in the field of occupational health using existing data.