This study aimed to assess self-rated health (SRH) and self-rated mental health status (SRMH) among community dwellers in relation to individual religiosity and neighborhood religious characteristics and to consider factors associated with SRH and SRMH in Sotome District, Nagasaki, Japan. A comparison was made between the Kurosaki area, which has a high proportion of Christian residents, and the Konoura area, which has a proportion of Christian residents consistent with the Japanese average. An anonymous self-administered survey that collected data on sociodemographic information, religion, current medical history, self-rated economic satisfaction, SRH and SRMH was conducted in 2013. Comments about community activities, including religious activities, were obtained from leaders of residents' associations. A total of 424 (19.4%) eligible residents living in the study area responded to the survey. After exclusion of responses with missing values, 287 (mean age 66.0 (standard deviation (SD) 14.0) years, range 30-91 years) responses were analyzed. The bivariate analysis showed that Christians from the Christian area were more likely than non-Christians to feel anxiety about the future (chi-square test, P=0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the main factor associated with SRMH, which included anxiety (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.01-6.94), helplessness (AOR: 3.97, 95% CI: 2.20-7.17) and depression (AOR: 2.67, 95% CI: 1.50-4.76), was poor self-rated economic status, regardless of individual religious faith or neighborhood religious characteristics. The main factor associated with mental health status in Sotome District was poor self-reported economic satisfaction. Interviews with the leaders of residents' associations revealed that Christian residents were more likely than non-Christian residents to be involved in religious and non-religious community activities. The mental health of residents in two regions with different neighborhood religious characteristics seems to be associated with self-rated economic satisfaction rather than religious factors.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the actual breast and nipple observations received by pregnant mothers from nurses and midwives and the effects of breastfeeding.

Methods

The study method consisted of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey of 302 mothers who attended infant health screening with their infants. This study was approved by the ethics committee of the Kagoshima University (No.348).

Results

Valid responses were received from 240 mothers (79.5%). Mothers who underwent observation of the breast and nipple for the entire duration of their pregnancy accounted for 129 of the199 respondents (64.8%). Most mothers felt that observation of the breasts and nipples was necessary, with 185 of the 199 respondents (92.9%) indicating a perceived need for this type of observation. Mothers who underwent observation of the breast and nipple for the entire duration of their pregnancy revealed a significantly related to breastfeeding among the mothers (p＜0.05).

Conclusions

Many pregnant women wish for observation opportunities, the observation of the breast and nipple during pregnancy by midwife or nurse had breastfeeding rate than those who did not observe.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Ministry of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan created supplemental texts about radiation. Teachers were then instructed to provide education on radiation, but many were unable to do so because they had not learned a sufficient amount of material. Therefore, we developed a “Quartet Game” that could be used by teachers in school as teaching material to make learning easier for students. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether elementary school students could acquire knowledge on radiation through the Quartet Game and clarified whether it was an appropriate methodology for sharing information. This study was carried out in 2015 in Fukushima Prefecture and included 89 students as study participants. We conducted a questionnaire test on the students before and after the implementation of the game. The results indicated that over 95% of the students understood the rules, enjoyed playing the game, and learned something new. Furthermore, the total knowledge score on the post-test was significantly higher than that on the pre-test. These findings suggest that the Quartet Game is an effective method for teaching radiation education among elementary school students.