This study was designed as a longitudinal survey of life stressors and subjective fatigue symptoms in students before and after examinations and examined the correlation between the stressors and fatigue symptoms while taking any causal relationships into consideration. Three hundred and eighty-four students of both sexes ranging in age from 15 to 18 years were selected as subjects by capable extraction. The subjective symptoms of fatigue scale for youth (SFS-Y) was used to evaluate the severity of subjective fatigue symptoms. To evaluate stressors in daily life, the ADES-20 (Adolescent Daily Events Scale-20) was used. Subjective fatigue symptoms and stressor values obtained before and after an examination were compared using a paired Student's t-test. We tested the moderating effect of subjective fatigue symptoms and stressors by a multiple-indicator model in structural equation modeling, and analyzed its causal structure. Three subjective fatigue symptoms decreased in severity after the examination: "difficulty in concentrating on thinking", "weariness", and "reduced vitality". In contrast the "feeling of physical disorder", increased in severity afterwards. It was confirmed that achievement examinations were stress events which influenced subjective fatigue symptoms. It was also confirmed that life stressors changed after the examination, and that these modified the environment rather than personal cognitive appraisal. With regard to the causal relationship between life stressors and subjective fatigue symptoms before and after the examination, subjective fatigue symptoms before the examination most profoundly influenced those after it. The subjective fatigue symptoms caused by unusual life stressors before the examination probably persisted and influenced the subjective fatigue symptoms after the examination.

Purpose: This study surveyed Japanese high school students in order to examine the relationship between chronic fatigue (CF), lifestyle, subjective symptoms of fatigue (SSF) and life stressors. Method: The questionnaire surveyed male and female students aged between 15 and 18; 2,944 effective replies were obtained. The questionnaire consisted of information on personal characteristics (school name, grade, course, age and gender), CF by Performance Status (PS), SSF, life stressors and lifestyle questions. A logistic analysis model was used to define the cause of CF. Results: Of the students surveyed, 168 (5.7%) were determined to have CF. Since the results of logistic regression analysis did not reveal a significant association between CF and lifestyle, lifestyle may not be a cause of CF. The present study shows that a significant association was apparent between CF and a ‘feeling of physical disintegration’ (P<0.01; odds ratio, 1.12). These results do not signify a high risk but they do indicate that there is a relationship between CF and physical symptoms.

Purpose: A previous study examining subjective symptoms of fatigue (SSF) suggested the existence of a gender difference and reported that the SSF complaint level of females was higher than of males. However, investigations into the degree and frequency of SSF complaints have not been carried out in detail. The purpose of this research was to survey high school students in order to examine gender differences in the degree SSF complaints, the frequency of SSF, and the relationships between domains as represented by subscales. Methods: The questionnaire surveyed male and female students between 15 and 18 years of age;2,980 effective replies were obtained. The questionnaire obtained data regarding personal information (school name, grade, course, age and gender), the Subjective Fatigue Scale for Young Adults (SFS-Y) and lifestyle. Student's t tests and confirmatory factor analysis using the structural equation model (SEM) were applied to males and females, respectively, to determine the gender differences in subjective symptoms of fatigue. Multi-group simultaneous analysis by SEM examined the gender difference in relationships between factors. Results: It was found that there were significant gender differences in the degree of SSF complaints in five domains, with the exception of "reduced motivation," and that females had higher scores than males in each of those sub-scales. Significant gender differences in correlation coefficients for frequency of SSF complaints were found in four domains, with "languor" and "reduced motivation" being exceptions. Females had higher scores than males in each of the sub-scales. Gender differences between 15 combinations of the 6 domains were recognized in 8 sets with regard to degree and 2 sets with regard to frequency, with the relationships being greater for males. Conclusions: The relationships among SSF sub-scales are probably not the major cause of gender difference. Since the gender difference in SSF complaints is not derived from the perception of subjective symptoms, it may be associated with physiological susceptibility or cognitive appraisal.

The objective of this study is to determine the latent psychological factors influencing people to continue their involvement in Neighborhood Watch Schemes. The subjects consist of 261 participants in local Neighborhood Watch schemes. We used data gathered from administering a questionnaire to participants in a Neighborhood Watch scheme to evaluate the attitudes and risk perceptions of the participants in relation to "stranger danger". Firstly, we analyzed the latent factors which influenced the participants' intention by using the factor analysis. Secondly, we verified whether the field data fit our behavioral model which hypothesized participants' attitudes towards crime prevention in relation to the Theory of Reasoned Action made by Ajzen and Fishbein. We obtained the following results: 1) We found out three latent factors such as "personal satisfaction through service", "perspective on service" and "perception of crime prevention". 2) We formulated our model of Participatory Intention as influenced by the two factors of "Perception of crime prevention" and "Perspective on service". In conclusion, our results suggested that "personal satisfaction through service" directly motivated "perception of crime prevention". Consequently, the fact that participants have a "perception of crime prevention" inspired their "participatory intention" to continue their involvement in the Neighborhood Watch scheme. We considered that participants might continue the schemes on the condition that they derived from the satisfaction through their sense of community.

In this paper, we estimated the traits of AIDS knowledge items found in Japanese junior high school tests using Item Response Theory. Discrimination and difficulty, which are parameters that regulate the item traits, were estimated. With this method, we were able to describe the characteristics of AIDS knowledge items. As a result, items like “one has more risk of getting infected by AIDS when fatigued” , “the body fluid that contains the HIV virus the most is blood” , and “AIDS can be transmitted through sexual intercourse” were found low in difficulty for students, meaning that many students do have an understanding of those items. On the other hand, items that relate to the routes of infection other than humans, like “mosquitoes can carry HIV viruses” , “the disease cannot be transmitted from pets and other animals” , and “there are effective vaccines for AIDS” were found to be high in difficulty. However, “the HIV virus can be transmitted by shaking hands” , “AIDS can be transmitted when the blood of an infected patient touches a wound of a healthy individual” , and others regarding the routes of infection among human beings were also low in difficulty, proving a high understanding by the students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of an intervention program for lifestyle modification on male students of a Japanese university by considering the time spent on sedentary behavior and the use of TV/PC as a measure of sedentary behavior. Further, we examined the decisional balance for exercise, which was a correlational factor of physical inactivity. Seven hundred and eighty-eight male freshmen from an institute of technology in Japan were selected to serve as subjects (intervention group: 411 subjects; control group: 377 subjects). The program for the intervention group included: 1) out-of-class practical assignments that comprised three types of self-monitoring activities for the promotion of healthy behavior, 2) example-based lectures for improving decisional balance, and 3) providing education regarding behavioral strategy for negative thoughts on exercising. The subjects were rated twice, before and after the physical activity programs. The following variables were measured: 1) the time spent on sedentary behavior, 2) the time spent on use of TV/PC, and 3) the decisional balance for exercise. The results of the analyses suggest that the intervention group exhibited enhanced scores targeting the pros of exercise as compared with the control group. On the other hand, the time spent on sedentary behavior decreased and TV/PC use time increased in both the intervention and control groups. Namely, it was not proved that the intervention program for lifestyle modification was valid. In conclusion, the intervention program for lifestyle modification in this study did have inadequate positive effects with respect to the improvement of sedentary behavior in these male students of a Japanese university. In the future, the intervention program for reducing sedentary behavior that needs to be improved.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sedentary behavior and parameters related to physical activity in Japanese male university students. Further, we examined the decisional balance for exercise, which is a correlation factor of physical inactivity. The study participants were 638 male freshmen from an institute of technology in Japan who were rated on the time spent on sedentary behavior and the use of TV/PC as a measure of sedentary behavior. The physical activity assessment scale (exercise/sports and daily activity), and the stages of change in the exercise behavior scale were used as measures of physical activity. The following variables were measured as potential correlates: self-efficacy and decisional balance for exercise. A significant negative correlation was observed between the time spent on the use of TV/PC and the exercise/sports score. An ANOVA showed that the participants in the ‘precontemplation’ group reported a significantly longer time spent on the use of TV/PC when compared with those in the ‘action’ and ‘maintenance’ groups. A significant relationship was observed between the time spent on the use of TV/PC, the ‘pros for exercise’, and self-efficacy for exercise. On the other hand, no significant relationship was observed between time spent on sedentary behavior and any parameters related to physical activity. As a result of multiple regression analysis, the decisional balance for exercise significantly explained the time spent on the use of TV/PC. In conclusion, it was suggested that time spent on the use of TV/PC might be preferable as a measure of sedentary behavior in future research on sedentary behavior.