Introduction

  Migrants are often more vulnerable to disasters than the native population. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that influence individual disaster preparedness among non-native residents in Japan.

Methods

  A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among non-native residents aged 18 and above who had resided in Japan for a minimum of three months and could answer questions in Chinese, English, Vietnamese, or simple Japanese. The survey collected data on socio-economic demographic characteristics, disaster preparedness (self-help and mutual help), and its factors (risk awareness, feasibility of disaster preparedness, awareness of disaster prevention, imperative norms, and social connectedness at the community level). Disaster preparedness for self-help included identifying evacuation shelters, checking local hazard maps, discussing disaster preparation with families and peers, having proper home equipment, and willingness to cooperate with disaster relief efforts as a form of mutual help. Factors associated with disaster preparedness were determined using a binary logistic regression analysis.

Results

  We received 207 valid responses. Respondents’ mean age was 33.8±10.4 years, and almost half were male (51.7%). For many respondents, the origin country/region was China (48.8%), with 27.1% respondents having been in Japan for less than 3-5 years and 37.7% being students. Regarding disaster preparedness, more than half of the respondents (67.6%) identified evacuation shelters, and a majority (93.3%) had a sense of mutual help. Multivariate analysis showed that being male, over 40 years old, living together, financial affordability, having never experienced a disaster, and having participated in community activities, are significantly associated with self-help. Meanwhile, having regular social contacts with native residents was associated with mutual help.

Conclusion

  It is suggested that connections with family and peers, interactions with the community, including Japanese people, and participation in local activities are important for promoting disaster preparedness among non-native residents in Japan.

Objectives

  There are only a few quantitative studies focusing on religious and cultural barriers among non-Japanese-speaking patients and discussing the association in Japanese healthcare institutions. This study aims to clarify the association between the religious and cultural backgrounds of non-Japanese-speaking patients and their difficult experiences in the healthcare institutions.

Methods

  The Google Forms questionnaire survey was conducted in four languages (Plain Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese) among non-Japanese-speaking patients who had visited a Japanese healthcare institution. Of the 376 respondents (response rate: 19.7%), 350 were included in the analysis while excluding invalid responses. The association between their religions and difficulties were examined by logistic regression analysis with putting their gender, age, Japanese language proficiency, the purpose of visit and the way to communicate in examination rooms as adjustment variables.

Results

  237 (67.7%) had no religion, 29 (8.3%) were Christian, 12 (3.4%) were Muslim, 22 (6.3%) were Hindu and 50 (14.3%) were Buddhist of those analyzed. Odds ratios for experiencing difficulties were significantly higher for Hindu (odds ratio ［95% confidence interval］＝6.35［1.51-26.77］) and Christian (3.67［1.27-10.61］) compared with those who do not have religion. Regarding difficulties, it was found that the half of Hindu respondents identified “food” (50%) indicating a religious and cultural background, while various difficulties were identified for Christian respondents including “religion” (22%), “culture” (22%), and “medical costs” (22%).

Conclusions

  This study demonstrated an association between religion and difficulties in Japanese healthcare institutions among non-Japanese patients with a large proportion of outpatients. It was observed that Christian and Hindu respondents were more likely to have difficult experiences in the healthcare institutions. The results of this study suggest a need for religious and cultural consideration in outpatient settings such as the use of healthcare interpreters and the practice of transcultural nursing by medical professionals.

Background

  The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is a national institution (state corporation of the Kenyan government) that conducts human health research in Kenya. The institute is important in the East African region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, KEMRI played a major role in conducting half of the PCR testing in Kenya.

  In response to the excessive burden on researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve support to researchers, KEMRI decided to conduct internal training to develop skills in research management and administration (RMA) for mainly administrative staff, to strengthen collaboration between researchers and administrative staff.

Planning, implementation, and evaluation of the RMA Training

  From July 2023 to January 2024, in cooperation with Kyoto University and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a series of internal RMA training courses on the basic knowledge required for RMA staff was planned and conducted for the first time at KEMRI. As part of the training, Kyoto University’s practices were learned, and the “KEMRI RMA Process Mapping” workshop was held to make these processes easier to visualize for researchers by having the training participants compile the organization’s rules and regulations of KEMRI that were difficult to understand for researchers.

  This paper describes KEMRI’s first internal RMA training in planning, implementation, and evaluation through group discussions.

Conclusion

  KEMRI conducted its first internal RMA training, which incorporated a combination of lectures and workshops. The training evaluation revealed that participants developed a more comprehensive understanding of the RMA-related work and enhanced their comprehension of the researchers’ work. The training participants began to utilize the learning of RMA-related specialized knowledge and organizational management related to the work for research support. The communication between RMA-related departments and between RMA staff and researchers was enhanced, and behavioral changes towards cross-departmental collaboration were observed. KEMRI is planning to revise its personnel and organizational regulations and strengthen internal training, including the RMA training.