Purpose Health promotion volunteers (HPVs) who are members of community health organizations are being fostered by local governments to work in local communities in Japan. The purpose of this study was to develop Satisfaction and Burden Scales for HPVs in their community activities.
Methods The subjects were 604 HPVs in two cities in a prefecture. Based on the findings of preliminary interviews, ten items for the Satisfaction Scale and fourteen items for the Burden Scale were prepared, and their content validities were confirmed. A mail-in self-check questionnaire survey was conducted in September 2005.
Results A total of 433 questionnaires were analyzed (valid response rate: 71.7%). Two factors and nine items for the Satisfaction Scale and three factors and fourteen items for the Burden Scale were obtained based on factor analysis. Convergent validities of both scales and discriminant validity of the Burden Scale were supported by the results of the multitrait-multimethod matrix for Satisfaction and Burden Scales, and one item each for general satisfaction and general burden regarding their activities. The reliabilities of both scales were confirmed with reference to the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Moreover, all item-total correlations were moderately or strongly positive.
Conclusion This study provided support for the reliability and the validity of Satisfaction and Burden Scales for HPVs in their community activities. The applicability of both scales is suggested.

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[in Japanese]

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Objective This study aimed to clarify problems perceived by volunteers of a meal distribution service (MDS) in Less-Favoured Areas and the content of information expected to be provided by the administration and social welfare council.
Methods We chose three municipalities (A, B, and C) with a population of less than 4,000 and an elderly population rate of 25% or higher. Volunteers involved in MDS in the municipalities were 28, 11, and 22 people in A, B, and C, respectively. We interviewed each group after explaining our purpose in writing, and made word-for-word records. Survey items were as follows; what you try and aim to do, what is your burden and pleasure, what are your problems and the solutions, and what are your demands for future activity in the MDS. The study period was from March to November, 2003.
Results The information that the volunteers expected the administration and social welfare council to provide encompassed 3 categories, each of which contained 2 subcategories. They expected 〈information to allow elderly people to use the service on their own initiative〉 and 〈education to improve the understanding of the residents about the MDS〉 as 【information to improve understanding of the users and residents about the aims and contents of the MDS】, 〈responsible recruiting of volunteers by the administration and social welfare council〉 and 〈recruiting to secure motivated volunteers〉 as 【information to ensure the quality and quantity of volunteers】, and 〈support for smooth delivery of meals〉 and 〈support for the service in terms of evaluation〉 as 【information to improve the relationships between the volunteers and users】.
Conclusions The volunteers expected education to improve the understanding of the residents so that elderly people can use the MDS on their own initiative, recruiting of motivated volunteers to ensure continuation of the service, and support for the smooth execution of the service and a system for such support. These were perceived by the subjects as problems to be solved for effective implementation of the service, and are considered to represent the meaning and state of the MDS that the volunteers wanted to share with the administration, social welfare council, and residents. The information that should be shared among the administration, social welfare council, residents, and volunteers can be clarified by evaluation of the expectations of the volunteers which must be met to promote their cooperation to support the service.

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Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify living areas perceived by healthy elderly people living in A, a Metropolitan city. The study also focused on the influences of age, gender, and family structures, residence period, the level of instrumental activities of daily living (the IADL), and frequency of weekly outing of the elderly upon their perceptions.
Methods The inclusion criteria for the study subjects were: (1) elderly people aged 65 and over living in A city, and (2) not receiving Long-Term Insurance services. The survey period was between January and February in 2005. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to 4,000 randomly selected elderly people by mail and 3,070 (77.0%) questionnaires were returned. 2,692 (67.3%) of these could be analyzed.
Results The majority of respondents perceived the entire area of A city and the local center's area as living areas. Junior high school districts and primary school districts were stated by less than 3% of all respondents as within their living areas. Regarding gender, men were more likely to respond that the local center's area was their living area, whereas women considered that the whole area of A city was included. However, there was no statistically significant difference. In terms of age, respondents aged under 79 included the whole area of A city, whereas those aged 80 and under stated that their areas of self-governing body/neighborhood association were their living areas, indicating reduction in living areas with aging. Regarding the family structure of the respondents, the most frequent answer was the entire K city in subjects in all types of households except those consisting of the subject and parents, who most frequently regarded local center's as the living area. Respondents who were living 10 years and over in K city perceived that the whole area of the city was included, but respondents residing for under 10 years perceived the local center's area to be their living area. With regard to the level of the IADL, independent elderly responded the entire city, whereas dependent elderly responded the local center's area. Moreover, the living areas of respondents became smaller with decrease in the frequency of weekly outing.
Conclusion The living areas perceived by elderly people differ depending on their attributes, including age and gender, IADL, frequency of weekly outing, and the period of residence. In order to provide support to facilitate the elderly staying at home, we need to consider their backgrounds and thoughts. Further investigation is necessary to identify the influences of the characteristics and environments of communities upon the elderly perception of living areas.

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