The effect of on-the-job training for planning and executing a health education program in an institute for preventive medicine was assessed for self-evaluated skills of the project members before and after six months of practice. The subjects were nine workers aged 25-47 years old (4 males and 5 females) and consisted of 2 nurses, 2 medical technologists, 2 radiological technologists, 2 clerks and one driver. Eight had had no previous experiences on planning health education programs. Self-evaluated scaling data in 12 items were analyzed using Wilcoxon t-test. Significant increases in scores were seen in all of the 12 items after 6 months of the training : listening carefully (p<0.05), empathy (p<0.05), self-expression (p<0.05), leadership in meetings (p<0.01), discussion (p<0.05), writing of proceedings (p<0.05), planning (p<0.05), presentation (p<0.05), teamwork (p<0.01), problem-solving (p<0.05), judgement (p<0.05) and negotiation (p<0.01). Self-evaluated scaling data of self-efficacy increased after the program was carried out successfully.
Three different organizational structures were introduced during the progress of the project. Although it is difficult to compare the training effect and efficiency of them exactly because of the difference in programs or the underlying situations among the three project periods, the following factors may be important for efficient management of the project : small groups with group leaders, a project manager who motivates and supports staffs, and goal setting which is specific and time-limited.
One of the study limitations is that the evaluation of change in skills is based on self-report information, which can be subject to response biases. Another limitation is that the long-term effect of the project is not analyzed. Supportive organizational structures are required to maintain and enhance skills and motivations obtained during the project.

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Urinary salt (NaCl) and potassium (K) excretion in an individual is subject to day to day fluctuations. As a result, the method for determination of usual mean values requires daily measurement over a 7 or 14 day period. A simple method for measuring mean excretion over a 7 day period using filter paper absorption was tested on 115 subjects who participated in a sodium restriction health education program.
Urine specimens were gathered as follows : 1.The second morning voiding urine was adsorbed onto a piece of filter paper and dried. 2.Samples were collected for each of consecutive seven days. 3.The seven filter papers were stacked and a longitudinal cut was made of about 1 mm width from the edge of the papers. 4.From this combined sample and each seven pieces of the rest, the urinary components, sodium (Na), K and creatinine (Creat) were extracted and concentrations measured.
Using the predictive equations by Kawasaki et al., 24 hours urinary NaCl and K excretion were calculated. The correlation between the combined 7 samples and the mean of the 7 days were calculated. The respective correlation coefficients and the regression equations for NaCl, K, and Na-K ratio were : r=0.942 (p<0.001), y=1.0448x+0.5213; r=0.932 (p< 0.001), y=1.0455x+0.0262; r=0.903 (p<0.001), y=1.1128x-0.0013.
The results show that there were no significant differences for NaCl, K, and Na-K ratio between the mean values over 7 days and the average presumptive value calculated by substituting the combined measured values in the regression equations. This method may provide a simplified way for quantifying excretion of these urinary components during the period of time studied.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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Objective : To compare perceptions and awareness regarding ethical issues in epidemiological studies among medical school students before and after lectures on ethical issues in epidemiological studies.
Methods : Medical school students responded to a self-administered questionnaire about ethical issues in epidemiological studies.
Results : Medical school students had more philosophical concerns about perceptions and awareness regarding ethical issues after the lectures than before.
Conclusion : The results of this study indicate a need for thorough education, both in the medical school curriculum and in post-graduation continuing education, in epidemiological fundamentals of purpose and methods, personal information management and privacy protection. These actions will provide necessary support in order that research in the clinical and public health fields are designed and conducted properly.

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