A Seminar, a special issue and several study meetings have been held for these two years since the Research Group on the Living Environment for the Elderly were established. Number of group member became fifteen, it is able to discuss the living environment for the elderly from the various points of view based on the physiological anthropology. In this special issue, five reports could be appeared from the view point of food, color, living environment and environmental adaptation.

View full abstract

For these 6 years, I have been recording the dietary behavior of men who have lunch at a fast-food restaurant. The record includes their side dish choice, food intake rate and estimated age. The comparison of the dietary behavior of the aged with that of the young revealed the following difference in their dietary behavior among the age groups; 1) The young prefer row egg to pickles as a side-order, while the aged tend to prefer side-dishes in the reverse order. 2) Men aged 30-40 eat main dish significantly faster than the younger group (aged 10-20) and the aged (over 50 years old). 3) Men intake the main dish faster when they mix it with row egg. 4) There is a little seasonal difference in food intake rate.

View full abstract

The authors carried out an experiment in which the subjects judge the impression of interior model due to an inter-generational comparison between the interior images. The color combinations of the model were divided to three types (warm colors, cool colors, unique colors). The consequent of the analysis of the impression judgment data are as follows. (1) The impression of the young generation is much different from the other generations in the interior with the cool colors. (2) The cool colors reduce activity in proportion as grows older. (3) The structure of the old generation judgment is much different from the other generations.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify relationship between the sleep-wake thythm and the living environment on the residents with lower level of ADL through a comparison among private rooms with a small-scale care unit and plural-bed rooms in nursing home. The results are:(1) For about 60% of the time, the residents were found awake in plural-bed rooms, and asleep in private rooms. (2) In living rooms,they were found awake for more than 90% of the time. (3) The longer the residents stay in living room, the clearer their sleep-wake rhythm become.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe environmental adaptation for the aged with disabilities. Rehabilitation to maintain physical function is conducted to prevent disuse syndrome. Improvement of their dwelling environment is important to prevent the syndrome. Environmental improvement enables to reduce physical aid and to promote more independent activities. However, some elderly persons with cerebrovascular impairment can't perceive the information from improved environment. Although they can move independently, their movement lacks flexibility and their posture control is inefficient and coarse. Therefore it should be considered how the aged with disabilities adapt to new environment easily.

View full abstract

The objective of this study is to clarify the actual condition of the house adaptation for the aged. In this study, accordingly, the house adaptation for the aged which Osaka City carried out in 1999 was taken up, and the actual condition and problems were clarified. As a result, some example which the result of the house adaptation did not fit for the disabilities or motion of the aged have been grasped, and for future, the necessity of solving for these problems was checked. Moreover, it has grasped also about the actual condition of the constructor who perfomed these house adaptation. As a result, it turns out that there are many small-scale conductors, and they are seeking for the several informations about the house adaptation, and they hope for cooperation with care manager etc.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of water-based exercise training on vital age (VA) in older adults. Thirty-nine volunteers were randomly divided into an exercise group (WEX: 8 man and 13 women, age 69±4 yr), and control group (5 men and 11 women, age 68±4yr). The WEX participated in a 12-week supervised exercise program, 70 min/d, and 3 d/wk. Significant lowering in VA was noted in WEX (68.7±8.5yr→61.2±8.3yr), and no significant change was observed in control group (69.2±5.9→69.7±8.3yr). The results indicate that the WEX is an effective measure to lower the VA, thus improving the overall physical fitness in the elderly.

View full abstract

It has been well known that far infrared rays radiated from ceramics fiber has thermal effect on humans. This study aimed to investigate if the fabric containing the ceramics fiber, with which the seat and back of chair (FIR) was covered, improve the problems of office workers such as neck - shoulder stiffness and cold sensation of the limbs as compared with non-ceramic fiber chair (BLANK). Ten healty male students (22.31±1.1year-old) volunteered for the study. The decrement of skin temperatures of the dorsal hand and foot at FIR was decreased. The activity of frontal muscle kept a resting level at FIR during mental work, but increased at BLANK and the enhancement of arousal level above optimum was also estimated from the increase in the inclination angle of the trunk at BLANK. It was suggested that FIR might keep the arousal level moderate and improve cold sensation of limbs.

View full abstract

The primary objective of this study was to determine annual changes in body fat of young Japanese children. We also assessed annual changes in body fat distribution [subcutaneous fat mass (SFM) and internal fat mass (IFM)]. Measurements of body composition by bioelectrical impedance were made in 72 boys and 88 girls, all apparently healthy, aged 3-6 years. Determinations of impedance were made using a four-terminal impedance analyzer (TP-95K, Toyo Physical, Inc., Fukuoka, Japan). LBM was calculated using the equations of Kushner et al. (1992) and Goran et al. (1993). SFM was calculated using a modification of the equation derived by Skerjl et al. (1953). IFM was calculated as the difference between total body fat mass (TBFM) and SFM. The annual increments in skinfold thickness increased with age for boys, but not for girls Although the annual increments in SFM did not differ significantly with age, the annual increments in TBFM,IFM and %Fat increased with age for boys and girls: %Fat values 15.9 - 19.0% for boys aged 3 - 6 yr, and 19.8 - 21.2% for girls aged 3 - 6 yr. When body mass increased by 1 kg, TBFM increased by 0.54 kg for boys and 0.39 kg for girls. We conclude that the annual increments in TBFM show significant age - related changes and sex differences in young Japanese children aged 3 - 6 yr.

View full abstract