Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the level of oral health awareness in elderly women attending a community-salon operated by resident volunteers, and to reveal that whether oral awareness is to influence how outing frequency.

Methods: A total of 218 elderly women attending the community-salon were interviewed. The survey included items on basic attributes, ability to participate in activities, and oral health. Participants’ behaviors and their desire to go out were also examined. We conducted an analysis of covariance to clarify the association between oral health awareness and outing frequency.

Results: Our results showed that “oral health awareness” significantly affected outing frequency through factors such as “ability to participate in activities,” “number of remaining teeth,” and “self-efficacy in going out.”

Conclusion: A high degree of oral health awareness was associated with maintaining oral health, enjoying eating, and having fun through conversation. Moreover, elderly women’s ability to participate in activities was preserved, and their self-efficacy for going out provided them with an opportunity to interact with others.

Objectives: We examined the items important for the community assessment of nutrition and dietary habits as recognized by public health nurses for use in the development of assessment tools for health promotion policies.

Methods: An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was sent by mail to 504 public health nurses working for over 11 years in the municipality. The questionnaire comprised questions related to three categories: community profile, community risk analysis, and community strength. The importance and accessibility of 77 items in the questionnaire were surveyed. We analyzed the data using weighted averages.

Results: The important and accessible items included population structure, health conditions such as Certification of Needed Long-Term Care, and specific health checkup. The important but inaccessible items included cause of death, lifestyle, health services, and medical specialists.

Conclusion: The data for a longitudinal analysis are accumulated when important data are collected by selecting appropriate assessment items for health policy development. Thus, a longitudinal analysis can enable health policy development.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine associations among the experiences of bullying and being bullied, cohesion of classmates, time perspectives, family structures, and economic situations.

Methods: Between December 2012 and January 2013, a survey was conducted involving students in all grades of eight public junior high schools (N=2,968). The experiences of bullying and being bullied were classified into binary variables. There were four questions based on a four-grade assessment exploring the students’ ties with other classmates. The mean of each class was calculated and defined as the value representing the “cohesion of the class.” A univariate logistic regression analysis was conducted with the experience of bullying as the objective variable, and the experience of being bullied, cohesion of the class, time perspectives, family structures, and economic situations as explanatory variables.

Results: The higher the cohesion of the class, the lower the odds ratio of the experience of bullying (Males: OR=0.44, 95% CI=0.29–0.67; Females: OR=0.59, 95% CI=0.37–0.95). For both male and female students, there was a positive association between the experience of bulling and being bullied, and a negative association between self-fullness and acceptance of past.

Discussion: These results suggest that the cohesion of classmates is associated with a decrease in the experience of bullying. To develop measures for the prevention of bullying, it is important to nurture trusting relationships at the class level. It is also necessary to promote self-fullness and acceptance of past as personal factors.

Objectives: The aims were to outline the difficulties faced by public health nurses when interacting with and providing support to persons with mental illnesses, and to provide practical suggestions to help overcome these difficulties.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study of municipal public health nurses used semi-structured interviews for data collection.

Results: Eight municipal public health nurses participated. Four major categories, 11 middle categories, 45 minor categories, and 476 codes were extracted from the qualitative analysis. Public health nurses experienced [difficulty in supporting patients and their families], [difficulty in improving the life of the patients facing difficulties in their social life], [lack of coordination and organizations for mental health support from the municipal standpoint], and [difficulty in controlling their own emotions when providing mental health support].

Discussion: Municipal public health nurses need to acquire skills for provision of mental health support, control their negative emotions, and to increase their understanding of patient characteristics. A support system for sharing information and case studies within the workplace needs to be created. Cross-departmental liaison meetings among public health nurses are recommended for considering the problems at a regional level (instead of perceiving them as personal problems) and to discuss solutions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the techniques employed by public health nurses working for local governments to leverage qualitative data to clarify community health needs.

Methodology: The participants were 12 public health nurses employed by local governments for at least five years, with experience in community health and research. Data were collected through individual interviews on how the participants organized and implemented the activities for a qualitative, descriptive analysis to help identify community health issues.

Results: In the process of organizing and carrying out the activities focusing on qualitative data to clarify community health issues, our study identified three types of techniques: techniques to identify health issues based on qualitative data, techniques to understand health needs in detail by indicating quantitative data based on qualitative data,and techniques to embody high-priority health issues by qualitative analysis in the critical phase.

Observation: The techniques thus identified can be used for the early detection of potential health needs, and for searching for health needs stemming from unidentified causes.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify how experience in the social welfare field increases role recognition among public health nurses.

Methods: A semi-structured interview was conducted with 15 public health nurses who transferred to the social welfare field and then returned to the health field. The results were qualitatively analyzed and described.

Results: We identified three stages of role recognition: fluctuations in professional identity, rediscovery of the essence of the roles of a public health nurse, and awareness of the fundamental roles. Through this process, public health nurses strengthened the consciousness deeply concerned with residentsʼ life, reconfirmed roles such as to prevent disease, and found social resources. Eventually, they believed that public health nurses could demonstrate their roles wherever they belonged.

Conclusions: We need to develop the role of public health nurses in organizations and to encourage greater participation of public health nurses in the social welfare field.