Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology

Purpose : This study aimed to clarify the utilization behaviors in health care of healthcare workers and to show the factors affecting on their decision to use modern or traditional medicine.
Methods : The subjects of this study were 11 healthcare workers from five African Francophone countries. Their utilization behaviors in health care when the subjects had become ill in the previous one-year period were studied by questionnaire and interview and the data were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.
Results : Thirty labels and ten categories were extracted as the factors influencing the decision on choosing the modern medical institution or traditional one. The ten categories were summarized in three major category groups : “Expectations for safer and more effective treatment for a disease condition”, “Sense of values derived from the profession” and “View to the economy and convenience in current living environment”. The images of traditional medicine were negative for nearly all subjects regardless of their experience in using the traditional medicine or not.
Conclusion : In order to create a sustainable healthcare system in developing countries, involving traditional healers or treatment methods is a notable discussion point. The results suggested a need to improve the recognition for traditional medicine in healthcare workers having a modern medical background.

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Objective : This paper considers the differences in the relationship between the dependence on cellular phone and stress among female Japanese college students and Korean university students.
Method : A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on the cellular phone dependence and stress among 159 female students in a Japanese college and 85 female students in a Korean university. The applied questionnaires were the cellular phone dependence questionnaire (CPDQ) designed by Toda et al. (2004) and the stress survey questionnaire designed by Canadian Institute of stress and Hans Selye foundation (2005).
Results : Both among Japanese and Korean students, frequencies of mail exchange among the students scored higher than 42 points as a results of a CDPQ survey, were significantly more than those among the students scored lower than 42 points (P<0.01), time for mailing and time for call in the students scored higher than 42 points were significantly longer than those in the students scored lower than 42 points (P<0.01). Only among Japanese students, scores of stress in the students scored higher than 42 points (6.4±4.1 points) were significantly higher than those in the students scored lower than 42 points (4.6±3.3 points) (P<0.05).
Conclusion : On the basis of the results obtained, it could be concluded that a relationship between cellular phone dependence and stress is more likely to be seen among Japanese students.

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