An experiential approach to developing radiological content for public health nursing: Lessons from a nuclear disaster.

OBJECTIVE: This study identified the radiological content required for PHNs and public health nursing students based on PHNs' experiences caring for people affected by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. DESIGN: We used qualitative research, interviews, and content analysis. SAMPLE: Participants were eight PHNs employed by local governments in Fukushima and neighboring prefectures. RESULTS: Six content themes regarding the nuclear disaster were identified: (a) basic knowledge about radiation, (b) public health nursing activities in emergency exposure situations, (c) management in emergency exposure situations, (d) consultation to support residents affected by the nuclear disaster, (e) activities in the existing exposure situations, and (f) disaster preparedness in the planned exposure situations. Necessary content shifted depending on the phase of the nuclear disaster recovery. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the experiences of PHNs after the nuclear power plant accident to inform PHNs and public health nursing students will enable PHNs to respond appropriately and support people without difficulties. Comprehensive radiation content is needed to address the range of situations caused by nuclear disaster.

Service-Learning Experiences Related to Health Support Activities for Residents Who Have Returned Home after Evacuation Due to a Radiation Disaster.

Hirosaki University has regularly offered health support activities to residents of X town in Fukushima, and thus, some interactive benefits are expected as a service-learning experience for nursing students. This study aimed to clarify the experiences of students who participated in service-learning and consider which methods and content were effective. In total, 52 nursing students were recruited into the program, which was held from 2018 to 2021. The roles of students included assisting in health consultations related to a radiation disaster. Questionnaires designed by researchers with experience in risk communication programs were conducted on the students after the program, and included the reasons why they joined, their most memorable experiences, and their opinions regarding required support for residents. The data were analyzed by content analysis. The nursing students thought about the health of residents through health support activities in the affected areas. Furthermore, by communicating with residents via on-site service-learning, they could experience the humanity of the residents and the current status of the affected areas, learn the importance of person-to-person relationships, and think about reconstruction. Thus, service-learning was found to be effective and to offer substantial benefits for both residents and students in affected areas.

[Activities and awareness of public health nurses working at local government facilities and health centers regarding potential nuclear accidents].

OBJECTIVES: The purpose was to study public health service activities developed during non-emergency periods to respond to potential nuclear accidents and to contribute to an understanding of public health nurses' awareness of the possibility of such accidents. METHODS: For the purpose of this study, we chose prefectural health centers located in a prefecture with a nuclear power plant and in two adjacent prefectures, along with all local administrative bodies (cities, towns, and villages) in these prefectures. For each one of 124 entities, we selected one public health nurse in charge of health crisis management from among the personnel to be targeted for a questionnaire survey conducted by mail. The survey period was from October to November 2009, and the questionnaire contained questions on the following: whether there had been any disasters over the past ten years; whether the respondent had received training in public health services regarding nuclear accidents; and public health service activities developed during non-emergency periods to respond to potential nuclear accidents (and the amount of work done in this regard). RESULTS: The response rate for our survey was 71.8%. Of the total of 124 entities chosen, 9 were aware of the possibility of radiation accidents and 12 had manuals on radiation accidents. Two local governments and five health centers had participated in accident drills, and at both of two local governments, public health nurses were expected to act as guides during resident evacuation in the event of a nuclear accident. Public health nurses were sent to participate in workshops on radiation at four facilities located in the prefecture with a nuclear power plant. Our analysis revealed a lack of knowledge (beta = -0.404, P < 0.01) and concerns over one's own safety (beta = -0.233, P < 0.01) to have significant effects on the level of anxiety with regard to performing tasks as public health nurses in the event of disaster. CONCLUSION: The results of our survey lead us to believe that apart from creation of manuals, provision of opportunities to gain knowledge of materials regarding past damage to the health of residents and how such damage can be coped with is likely to be effective in developing effective measures in response to disasters.

[Circumstances and comparisons of child rearing burnout scales between neonatal mothers with and without home visit nursing. Analysis with a child rearing burnout scale].

OBJECTIVE: The Japanese neonate home-visit nursing guidance program for mother-and-child health administration is unique on the world scale, because it makes support for every family possible. However, very few studies have been conducted concerning the efficacy of the neonate home-visiting guidance program. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the program and factor out necessary questionnaire entries to sreflect mother's child-rearing anxieties. METHOD: Questionnaire survey. The subjects were 169 mothers. RESULTS: Ninety-two (54.4%) out of 169 subjects had neonate home-visit nursing guidance. Five factors and twenty-two items were abstracted by the factor analysis method. The difference in factor scores between the groups with and without guidance was analyzed byt-test. There were significant differences in the first factor (feelings change), the second factor (body tiredness), and the fourth factor (brought up a child) between the group that had guidance and the group that had not, and the score for mother's child-care anxiety in the group that had guidance was high. Among subjects who answered "no" to the question whether their husbands gave them support in rearing their child, there were significant differences concerning child-rearing anxiety questions in the questionnaire. The attributes showing meaningful differences in child-rearing anxiety questions were: first delivery, having an extended family, unemployment, and delivery at over-30 years of age. CONCLUSION: The mother's idea that her husband is cooperative in raising their children showed a relationship with the mother's child-care anxiety, so it is important for home-visit guidance to find out whether the husband is a partner in raising children. The other necessary questionnaire items were: age, having birth experience, family structure, and being employed or unemployed. As the subjects who accepted neonate home-visit nursing guidance could be said to have some child-rearing anxiety subconsciously, it is concluded that the neonate home-visit nursing guidance program is effective for determination of mother's child rearing anxiety.

Factors associated with late post-partum depression in Japan.

AIM: Postnatal depression is one of the life-threatening events faced by women. As the factors associated with postnatal depression have not been investigated fully in Japan, we studied the factors associated with postnatal depression. METHODS: One-hundred-and-sixty-nine women who visited the health center of a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, at 4 months after childbirth for regular examination fulfilled the selection criteria and completed self-reporting questionnaires on postnatal depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and a life and social events scale. RESULTS: The primiparas showed a significantly higher EPDS score than the multiparas. The EPDS score decreased with the frequency of delivery in the groups of mothers in their twenties and thirties. For the multiparas, the number of participants who suffered obstetric events was lower, the number of participants who went back to their home was higher, and the number of participants who were taken care of by their mother was lower than for the primiparas. General health abnormalities, sociability, and worries about baby care were significantly associated with the EPDS for both the primiparas and multiparas. The cooperation of the husband was associated with a decreased EPDS score, both for the primiparas and multiparas, irrespective of the family structure. CONCLUSION: The EPDS score decreased with an increased frequency of delivery, suggesting that the experience of delivery would impact on postnatal depression, partly because of decreased obstetric events. However, a social assistance system is needed for women with general health abnormalities, less sociability, worries about baby care, and limited cooperation of the husband for both primiparas and multiparas.