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On 1 January 2024, a large earthquake occurred in Japan's Noto region. Many buildings collapsed as a result of violent shaking. Electricity and water supplies were cut off, and communications were disrupted. On 5 January, four days after the earthquake, we visited Noto and conducted disaster-relief activities. This report integrates and discusses the results of the site visits, information broadcasts by public institutions, and previous research. Evacuation centers lacked water and proper sanitation, leading to health issues, including infectious diseases. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) were delayed in implementing infection control measures. Isolated evacuation centers faced communication and supply challenges. Infrastructure restoration, power supply, and toilet facilities at evacuation centers were delayed because of geographical challenges. It is important to have a team that can determine and carry out the necessary activities on site, even without instructions from the DMAT. It is believed to be effective to decide in advance how volunteer teams and the private sector will conduct their activities, assuming that they will be unable to contact public institutions during a disaster. In large-scale disasters, evacuees must operate evacuation centers autonomously. To achieve this, it is necessary for residents to regularly come together as a community. Systematically recording and accumulating these experiences will contribute to improved disaster prevention and mitigation planning. We hope that the experiences we obtained through the abovementioned disaster will be useful for preparing for future disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food allergy management systems are important for childcare facilities to accept children with food allergies prescribed epinephrine (epinephrine-treated children). The relationship between the food allergy management system of a childcare facility and the willingness of children attending the facility to accept epinephrine is unclear. We believe that childcare facilities that cooperate with local health and medical institutions are more willing to accept children receiving epinephrine., Objective: This study aimed to clarify the actual situation of epinephrine acceptance in children attending childcare facilities across Japan and the factors associated with their willingness to accept them., Methods: Between May and June 2021, 686 childcare facilities across Japan were selected and surveyed. To analyze the factors related to the willingness to accept epinephrine children attending childcare facilities, the facilities were classified into 2 groups, "willingness to accept" and "no willingness to accept," and their attributes and characteristics, food allergy management system, cooperation with relevant organizations and ability to cooperate were compared by univariate analysis., Results: A questionnaire-based survey of 162 centers revealed that 18.2% of the centers had accepted children receiving epinephrine and 74.7% were willing to accept them. There was a significant association between the willingness to accept epinephrine in children and satisfaction with the food allergy management system, availability of childcare consulting agencies, and ability to work with healthcare organizations, which differed., Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of strengthening the management system of facilities and cooperating with relevant institutions for epinephrine children to live safely in the community., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology.)

Background/objectives: There are concerns about the adverse health effects of behavioral changes linked to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a survey to investigate changes in lifestyle habits, including exercise and eating, during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with changes in weight., Subjects/methods: We conducted a survey of 5,000 people in Hakui City, Japan, to assess their lifestyles and diets during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 3,992 complete responses were received. We also obtained pre- and post-pandemic health check-up data for 704 of the respondents. These health data were combined with the results of the questionnaire survey to identify factors associated with weight changes. Data were analyzed for 704 individuals., Results: The mean body mass index was 22.5 ± 3.1 kg/m 2 for respondents whose weight did not change and 25.1 ± 2.7 kg/m 2 for respondents whose weight increased. The pre-pandemic mean values for abdominal circumference in females and for gamma-glutamyl transferase in males tended to be higher in those whose weight increased. Those with decreased weight tended to be older. Respondents who were already overweight were more likely to gain weight because of COVID-19-related changes in their lifestyle. In males, alcohol consumption was directly associated with weight, and in females, abdominal circumference was more important., Conclusion: The study found pre-pandemic overweight individuals likely gained more weight during it, with alcohol consumption being a significant factor for males. Weight loss was more crucial for those over 70, rather than weight gain., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interests., (©2024 The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition.)

Introduction: This study evaluated the detection of monthly human mobility clusters and characteristics of cluster areas before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak using spatial epidemiological methods, namely, spatial scan statistics and geographic information systems (GIS)., Methods: The research area covers approximately 10.3 km 2 , with a population of about 350,000 people. Analysis was conducted using open data, with the exception of one dataset. Human mobility and population data were used on a 1-km mesh scale, and business location data were used to examine the area characteristics. Data from January to December 2019 were utilized to detect human mobility clusters before the COVID-19 pandemic. Spatial scan statistics were performed using SaTScan to calculate relative risk (RR). The detected clusters and other data were visualized in QGIS to explore the features of the cluster areas., Results: Spatial scan statistics identified 33 clusters. The detailed analysis focused on clusters with an RR exceeding 1.5. Meshes with an RR over 1.5 included one with clusters for 1 year which is identified in all months of the year, one with clusters for 9 months, three with clusters for 6 months, three with clusters for 3 months, and four with clusters for 1 month. September had the highest number of clusters (eight), followed by April and November (seven each). The remaining months had five or six clusters. Characteristically, the cluster areas included the vicinity of railway stations, densely populated business areas, ball game fields, and large-scale construction sites., Conclusions: Statistical analysis of human mobility clusters using open data and open-source tools is crucial for the advancement of evidence-based policymaking based on scientific facts, not only for novel infectious diseases but also for existing ones, such as influenza., Competing Interests: None, (Copyright © Japan Medical Association.)

We performed this study with the aim of clarifying the geographical features of areas of difficult-to-access foods in mountainous regions, using GIS, altitude data, and future population projections. With QGIS, we mapped altitude data, future estimates of the old age population(mesh), and retail store data, and we extracted the altitude at the mesh center point. We also draw straight lines connecting the retail stores and the mesh center point. Meshes located in areas with high altitudes had significantly more meshes not occupied by humans than meshes located in low-lyingareas (p<0.01). At least 95% of the retail shops and mesh center points were separated by more than 500 meters, and thus are considered difficult to access. The number of non-residential areas increases in mountainous regions because of the sharp gradient and the long distance to retail stores. By visualizingusingGIS, future resources can be considered more realistically.

In this research, we constructed a prediction model for the number of service providers for home-visit care, home-visit nursing, and home-visit bathing by using the population in the Hokushinetsu region and the current number of providers, and considered the validity of the model. Using the model, we estimated the number of providers in 2025, and subsequently, visually confirmed geographical features using a geographic information system. The adjusted R2 value of the prediction model was 0.93 for home-visit care, 0.87 for home-visit nursing, and 0.63 for home-visit bathing providers. The number of providers for home-visit care, home-visit nursing, and home-visit bathing were estimated to decrease by 67%, 67%, and 28%, respectively. The colored map by the predicted number of providers suggested a significant decrease in home-visit care in Northern Nagano, home-visit nursing in Fukui-Reihoku region, and home-visit bathing in Middle Nagano.

A medical plan reflectsthe current state of a region. The purpose of thisres earch isto analyze medical plansby text mining and examine geographical features using a geographic information system. From the medical plans of 47 prefectures, nationwide, 6 regional divisions', and four age groups' text fileswere prepared. Further, wordswere extracted and subsequently, their relevance wasanalyzed. Additionally, we examined the geographical featuresus ing a color-dividing Japanese map by the word appearance rate of"Mitori"(end-of-life care), which is an important task. In the aggregate nationwide text files, 214,716 words were extracted. The top frequent words were medical care, home, support, nursing care, visit, medical treatment, and cooperation. In the co-occurrence network, medical care- home- nursing care- cooperation were connected with organization- construction. There was a link between human resources- training in Kanto and Kinki."Mitori"frequently occurred in areaswith a high aging rate, and there wasa human resources- training- securing connection in areas with a low aging rate. The frequency of"Mitori"was high in western Japan. The results suggested that collaboration between medical care and nursing care is emphasized in medical planning. Further,"Mitori"was emphasized in western Japan or areas with a high aging rate while human resourcesdevelopment wasemphas ized in areaswith a low aging rate.

In order to clarify the characteristics of the area where the visiting nursing station is located, we conducted a study to identify the regional characteristics of the visiting nursing station in Ishikawa Prefecture, using geographical information system(GIS). We mapped the elderly population, aging rate, and location data for the visiting nursing station using QGIS, and created trade areas(Voronoi diagrams). The aging rate for each trade area is 22.4%(min 8.8% to max 44.6%), about 5 times. The difference in area is about 850 times as large as the central value of 9.2 km2(min 0.5 km2 to max 423.2 km2). In addition, there was a tendency for stations with a large trade area to have a higher aging rate than that of smaller stations. Understanding the characteristics of the area surrounding visiting nursing stations using GIS facilitates the clarification of potential needs and opportunities for providing visiting nursing services that are suitable for each area.

There has been a noticeable population decline in the Noto area. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has determined the population size necessary for the establishment of daily living-related service businesses and, if the population falls below this, there is a possibility of businesses withdrawing from the area. In this research, we examine the number of home visit and daycare businesses established in the Noto area in 2025, using the geographic information system (GIS). The number of sites of businesses established was calculated using data published by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Next, I depicted a buffer with a radius of 15 km from the establishment and confirmed the blank area of the service. Under the condition that the placement of sites is 80%, almost all the municipalities have exceeded the number of home visit care facilities and the number of daycare facilities. In the buffer analysis, blank areas were found in the north. To maintain these services, efforts by groups other than profit-oriented organizations are necessary, especially in the north of Noto. Route analysis by GIS and the consideration of population distribution and location of business establishment will be needed.

It is necessary to include a nurse as staff in"Home Visit Bathing Long-Term Care"because nurses provide medical care such as vital sign measurement. However, the shortage of nurses is serious. A questionnaire survey was administered to nurses of E company, and findings showed that more than 50% of nurses felt physical fatigue. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between"the intentions to continue working"and"good relationship between nurses and staff" (r=0.398, p<0.001), and there was a negative correlation with"low payment"(r=-0.232, p<0.01)and"physical fatigue" (r=-0.272, p<0.01). Although physical fatigue and low payment are factors that inhibit the intentions to continue working, the most important factor is human relationships. It was suggested that maintaining good human relationships enhances the intentions of nurses to continue working.

The number of elderly patients requiring home care is expected to increase as a result of the aging population and a decrease in the average length of hospital stay in Shinjuku Ward. Therefore, cooperation between medical and nursing staff is increasingly important. According to research on care managers conducted by Shinjuku Ward, care managers have little opportunity to discuss plans of care with doctors, which requires improvement. In order to strengthen the cooperation between medical and nursing staff, Shinjuku Ward conducted a collaborative meeting for home care doctors and care managers. In the results of the questionnaire given to participants, all respondents answered"Helpful"when asked if the meeting was useful, and 95% of respondents indicated that"understanding and perspective of each other's area has deepened."Therefore, additional collaborative meetings were suggested to promote cooperation and mutual understanding between doctors and care managers.