The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of physical function improvement programs and multipart improvement programs (physical function, nutrition, and oral function) on the health, lifestyle, physical function and nutrition of community-dwelling frail elderly individuals.

  Out of 629 subjects included in this study, 327 participated in the single physical function improvement program and 302 participated in the multipart improvement program. Participants of both programs completed 12 weekly sessions over a period of 3 months. They responded to a series of questions addressing health and lifestyle, physical function and diet before and after the programs.

  In either type of program, health and lifestyle scores became higher after completing the program in both males and females. Physical function also improved regardless of the program; “stand on 1 leg with eyes open” times increased in both men and women, and Timed Up and Go scores increased in women. Diet-related scores were better in both men and women after multipart improvement programs, but not after physical function improvement programs.

  Our results show that both program types effectively improve health, lifestyle and physical function. Multipart programs that target physical function, nutrition and oral function also improved participants' diets, thereby possibly contributing to long-term preventive care.

  We examined bacteria populations in uncooked rice samples from Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan using standard plate counts (SPCs), coliform bacteria counts, and Bacillus cereus counts. A total of 81 samples were collected. SPCs in rice sampled from homes and markets in Japan and from markets in Korea were similar (Log 3.5 – 3.9 SPCs/g). However, SPCs in rice samples from markets in the Philippines and Thailand were significantly lower (Log 2.5 – 2.8 SPCs/g). Coliform bacilli were isolated from samples from Japan and Korea. B. cereus (enterotoxin positive and cereulide biosynthesis gene negative) was isolated from one milled sample from Japan, one milled sample from the Philippines, and four milled samples from Thailand. B. cereus in positive rice samples ranged from Log 2.5 – 2.9 CFUs/g. However, no B. cereus was detected in samples subjected to heat treatment at 98℃ for 20 min. These results suggest that the risk of foodborne illness due to B. cereus in cooked rice is low, but enterotoxin-positive B. cereus was detected in milled samples. To prevent cross-contamination, food hygiene is therefore extremely important during food preparation and storage.

  This study surveyed the state of instruction concerning the housing domain with a focus on home economics teachers in junior and senior high schools. Overall, junior high schools provided a mean of 6.9 hours of lessons in the housing domain and senior high schools provided a mean of 5.3 hours, and the teachers themselves felt that this field was not given adequate time. However, a considerable amount of the actual lesson time was spent on “house safety” and “organizing the indoor environment.” Teachers thought these areas were important and felt that students were very interested in them. When asked to name problems with instruction in the housing domain, teachers pointed to the insufficient lesson time and the difficulty of giving instruction on the topic. Teachers said they hoped to incorporate more practical training and exercises into their lessons and receive teaching and other materials they could use.

  Variability between schools was observed in the content of instruction in the housing domain, the teaching materials used, and the ways that training and practice were incorporated. Furthermore, an instructional gap was observed between teachers. Of particular note, about 40％ of junior high schools had unqualified teachers teaching home economics; consequently, instruction was not adequate. Eliminating the instructional gap between teachers and developing lessons to compensate for deficient instructional abilities are urgent issues.

  The purpose of this study is to interpret applying a phenomenological approach towards how a childcare worker senses feelings which children with special needs cannot express in words. In order to do so, I listened to childcare worker's experiences in non-structured and interactive interviews which are used as part of phenomenological nursing research. I interpreted the circumstantial narrative of impressive experiences focused on the function of corporeality by using the phenomenological approach. As a result, the childcare worker and the child with special needs were on the same wavelength because the childcare worker sympathized with the corporeality of the child. So, the childcare worker sensed feelings the child could not express in words. While the childcare worker wasn't conscious of her corporeality, she sensed feelings the child with special needs could not express in words through the function of inter-corporeality.

  In this study, we investigated the cultural activity, promotion of dietary education, and the use of the stem and leaf of the sweet potato in the kindergartens and nursery schools of Matsue City, using a questionnaire survey. The results of the survey showed that 98％ of the nursery schools have a general dietary education plan, whereas only 67％ of the kindergartens have one. The crops most used for cultivation in the dietary education activity are the sweet potato, eggplant, green pepper, and tomato. Further, the stem and leaf of the sweet potato were utilized in 50％ of the kindergartens. It was found that the stem and leaf of the sweet potato are used for purposes other than eating, including making leashes, jumping ropes, and ropes for tugs-of-war. We measured physical properties of the leafstalk which was harvested in August and November and found that the stalk in November is slightly softer than that of August. Furthermore, we clarified that it is possible to make it soft by boiling or firm by frying. Therefore, it is suggested that applications to dietary education material are related to the digestive power of infants.