This study examined the effects of ‘contribution to household income’ and ‘contribution to housework’ as a ‘perception of the contribution to an increase in family wealth’ and ‘wives’ nominal assets’. The data was obtained from F-GENS Korea Panel Survey at Ochanomizu University. The responses were gathered primarily from married people in the Seoul metropolitan area. I used the data from 835 respondents, 327 of whom were male, and 508 of whom were female. The results are as follows:First, in the case of both males and females, the ‘contribution to household income’ has a positive effect on the ‘perception of contribution to an increase in family wealth’. However, the ‘contribution to housework’ does not have an effect on the ‘wives’ nominal assets’, according to the women surveyed. Second, the ‘perception of the contribution to an increase in family wealth’ has a great impact on the ‘wives’ nominal assets’ and the ‘husbands’ nominal assets’.

View full abstract

This study examines the relationship between child care support from the relatives of wives, and husbands’participation in child care among dual-career couples. I focused on the care of sick children. Istudied 534 couples with children in day care in a questionnaire in 2009 in the Tokyo and Chiba prefectures.This study indicates that when wives’ relatives are involved in looking after sick children, husbands tend to participate to a lesser degree in terms of child care. The frequency with which relatives were asked for assistance with regard to child care did not relate to the husbands’ degree of participation. E. Bott has stated that the close relationships between wives and their relatives tend to interfere with couples’relationships.However, my findings tend to suggest that the relationship between wives and their relatives may not be as close as previously hypothesized. In relation to the husbands’ degree of participation in child care, the husbands’ long working hours and the fact that their working hours are not flexible had a greater influence than the standing of wives relatives regarding the care of sick children. It was presumed that if husbands could not participate in child care because of work, wives could ask relatives for support.

View full abstract

The purpose of this research is to reveal the recognition and the actual conditions of discipline and abuse.We received 832 effectual responses from questionnaires given to 1266 guardians of preschoolers between November 2010 and February 2011. 709 of these guardians were the mothers of preschoolers.The findings are as follows: 1. Over 80% of mothers recognize 10 actions as abuse: these include torturing children by burning them, not serving meals, and preventing children from going to school. 2. About 60% of mothers recognize the following actions as means of disciplining children: scolding their children loudly, spanking them, and slapping their children’s hands. 3. In fact, over 70% of mothers have scolded their children loudly, spanked them, and slapped their children’s hands as a way of disciplining them and over40% of mothers performed other actions in order to discipline their children. 4. Mothers who have not used childcare support services, or who are not part of an informal childcare network show a marked tendency toward recognizing scolding, spanking and slapping children as forms of discipline, rather than abuse.

View full abstract

Eleven healthy male subjects slept from 13:30 to 15:30 under ambient temperature and humidity maintained at 29℃ and RH70%, using polyurethane foam mattresses (U) and camel mattresses (C). A polysomnography,skin temperature (Tsk), microclimate, bed climate, and subjective sensations were obtained. The rapid eye movement sleep (REM) in the first hour for the U significantly increased compared to that for the C. The leg, arm, and mean Tsks for the C significantly increased compared to those for the U during the later segment of sleep. The microclimate humidity significantly increased, while the microclimate temperature and bed climate significantly increased during the later segment of sleep. The subjective humid sensation and the requirement for decreasing the mattress temperature significantly increased in U compared to the C. These results suggest that bed mattress material can increase the subjective humid sensation and the requirement for decreasing mattress temperature by 1) increasing the bed climate and microclimate temperature and humidity, and 2) changing the REM distribution.

View full abstract

For this research, an investigation was conducted to examine the relation between residents’ awareness and the actual state of maintenance management of their houses, and to consider future maintenance management systems. As a result, it was learned that through their daily maintenance activities, residents recognized the importance of ongoing maintenance management. The actual state of residents’ maintenance management is directly related to the durability of their houses. In terms of future management, a house, which is an individual possession, should be regarded as a social property and accorded financial support, while a mechanism should be established allowing residents to move house easily if need be. Residents should also make a continuous effort to improve their awareness of maintenance management by improving the performance of their places of residence, thereby making them more durable.

View full abstract

Cooking by the same method often results in prepared foods differing in quality from person to person.We focused on the observation skill of professionals and non-professionals during hot-mixing with the same method. The relationship between the observation skill and quality evaluation of the prepared food was explained. The observation skill was compared by the authors scoring eye movement, the distance of eye movement being detected by image processing. The prepared food was then compared by measuring the physical properties of hardness, starch gelatinization, structure and sensory evaluation. We confirmed the effect of teaching the observation skill to non-professionals.The food prepared by professionals was better than that by non-professionals and had the preferred hardness. The degree of starch gelatinization was also higher and a different structure was apparent.The observation skill by the professionals was higher scoring than that by the non-professionals, and the distance of eye movement was longer. We confirmed that the quality of the prepared food was related to this observation skill. Moreover, the observation skill and quality evaluation of non-professionals was improved by teaching the observation skill of the professionals. We confirmed the effect of observation skill as one of the teaching methods for hot-mixing.

View full abstract

While leanness and obesity are viewed as problems in Japan, there has been insufficient clarification of the status of individuals showing a high body fat percentage with a body mass index(BMI) categorizing them as lean or normal, or what may be termed “normal-weight obesity”. The present study looked at 57 female university students with a standard body type (BMI greater than or equal to 18.5, and less than 25) and classified the subjects by body fat percentage (BFP) into three groups: BFP less than 25.0%; BFP greater than or equal to 25.0% and less than 30.0%; and BFP greater than or equal to 30.0%. We then examined the anthropometric measurements, blood parameters, body image, and intake of different food groups and amounts of energy and nutrients,and investigated the relationships of these factors with the body fat percentage. The serum highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol level was significantly lower and the serum triacylglycerol and leptin levels were significantly higher in the group with BFP greater than or equal to 30.0% than in the groups with BFP less than 25%, or BFP greater than or equal to 25% and less than 30%. The survey of food intake showed that the consumption of fats, oils and fruits was significantly higher in the high BFP group. These results from blood biochemistry tests and the food intake survey suggest that appropriate nutritional education is necessary for those people with normal-weight obesity having BMI in the normal range (greater than or equal to 18.5 and less than 25).

View full abstract