Effectiveness of a continuous handwashing education program with multiple activities at a Japanese kindergarten school.

Formation of proper handwashing techniques and habits from childhood is important for disease prevention. However, there are few studies that comprehensively and longitudinally evaluate the effectiveness of handwashing education for kindergarteners. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous handwashing education using multiple activities to improve handwashing practices and skills among first- to third-grade students at a kindergarten in central Japan.

Personal characteristics associated with handwashing behaviour among Japanese university students studying abroad: Prospective observational studies.

Background: Hand hygiene is recommended to travellers to prevent common travel-related illnesses such as diarrhoea and respiratory infection. For effective hygiene promotion interventions, we aimed to identify the personal characteristics associated with handwashing behaviour.

Methods: Prospective observational studies consisting of pre- and post-travel surveys were conducted among Japanese university students studying abroad between 2016 and 2018 (n = 825; 6-38 travel days).

Content analysis of health-related subjects in the K12 school curricula of Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Guam, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, and Fiji.

Background: As a component of health promoting school, a school curriculum for health education was considered a fundamental. This survey aimed to identify the components of health-related topics and in which subjects were they taught.

Methods: Four topics were chosen: (i) hygiene, (ii) mental health, (iii) nutrition-oral Health, and (iv) environmental education related to global warming in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

Status of school health programs in Asia: National policy and implementation.

Background: The WHO's Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework is based on an understanding of the reciprocal relationship between health and education, and the need to take a holistic approach to health promotion in schools. We aim to clarify the degree to which the HPS framework is reflected in the national policies of eight target countries and the issues surrounding its successful implementation.

Methods: Date were collected through two expert workshops with participants from eight Asian countries: Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Factors enabling systematized national school health services in Japan.

Background: Japan has provided nationwide school health services since 1872. However, the system used and the factors enabling this provision have not been fully and systematically explored. This study aimed to provide an overview of the system and identify enabling factors for the provision of school health services in Japan, to support successful implementation in developing countries.

Health screening system to ensure children's health and development in Japan.

Background: The establishment of health screening systems for children is important, however, such systems are not always well-established in developing countries. This study aimed to improve child health screening systems in developing countries by analyzing the factors that contribute to enabling continuous and proper screenings at various governmental levels in Japan.

Methods: We reviewed the history of child health and development screening systems in Japan and examined factors that enabled their regular and nationwide implementation.

Lessons learned from health education in Japanese schools.

Introduction: A qualitative improvement in school health education is required to improve health for school-aged children in developing countries. This study aimed to clarify the factors that enable the provision of comprehensive and consistent health education in Japan.

Methods: We reviewed health education in Japanese schools and the feature of curriculum revision, and clarified the factors that enable the provision of comprehensive and consistent health education.

Effective school-based preventive interventions for alcohol use in Africa: a systematic review.

Background: Despite recognition of the risks of alcohol use and importance of prevention from an early age, the effectiveness of school-based interventions in Africa has not been clarified.

Objective: We aimed to identify effective school-based alcohol use prevention interventions in Africa.

Methods: We searched eight databases for peer-reviewed articles published until February 3, 2019 that reported on randomized controlled trials, cluster randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, pre-post quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies.

Introducing Ecohealth education in a Teacher Training Institute in Lao PDR: a case study.

This paper argues the effectiveness of Ecohealth education for improving the quality of health and environmental education and for achieving sustainable development in developing countries. To illustrate the need for Ecohealth education, we review the transitions in health education, environmental education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in various developing countries. Moreover, we discuss issues relating to these disciplines and consider the possible roles that Ecohealth education can play.

Lessons on health promotion from Japanese early childhood development.

Early childhood development (ECD) has received increasing attention in both developed and developing countries since the 1990s. In Japan, ECD facilities have pursued integrated practices of education and health care to provide appropriate services to promote children's welfare. This ECD approach appears to embody objectives of health promotion in young children.

Participation of children in school health in Japan.

Background: The importance of promoting child participation in school health has been emphasized internationally. This study examined ways in which Japan's school health system involves children, and factors enabling child participation in this system. It also suggests strategies to promote child participation in school health in developing countries.

Examining the appropriateness and reliability of the strategy of the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program.

The Kenyan government established the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program (KCSHP) on the basis of Kenyan National School Health Policy. A KCSHP pilot project was carried out in eight primary schools in Mbita Sub-County of Homa Bay County in the Nyanza Region from 2012 to 2017. This pilot project provided health facilities and support for evaluation with a school health checklist, and organized teacher training on health education, a child health club, and school-based health check-ups.

Sustainable human resource training system for promoting school health in Japan.

Background: It is essential to develop relevant human resources and sustainable training systems to promote school health.

Methods: This paper reviewed the structure of human resources and relevant training systems for school health in Japan and identified current strengths and challenges.

Results: Our review identified seven key points: (i) a legal basis for the allocation of human resources to schools; (ii) established training systems for school health human resources; (iii) uniformity and quality of teacher training curricula; (iv) establishment of teacher-training institutions; (v) education centers in every prefecture; (vi) allocation of supervisors for Yogo teachers to every prefectural and municipal education board; and (vii) various study group activities at the district and school levels.

School health promotion in South-East Asia by Japan and partners.

School health promotion in South-East Asia has developed rapidly in recent years, and Japan has been one of the significant contributors to the reinforcement of school health promotion in the region. Starting from the Hashimoto Initiative on global parasite control, Japan advocated for international partnerships with several agencies for the development of school health programs in South-East Asia. Through a strengthened collaboration with international organizations, countries such as the Lao PDR, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand have created and implemented school health programs on nutrition, sanitation, and deworming, among others.

School-based interventions to promote adolescent health: A systematic review in low- and middle-income countries of WHO Western Pacific Region.

Background: In the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WHO WPRO), most adolescents enroll in secondary school. Safe, healthy and nurturing school environments are critical for adolescent health and development. Yet, there were no systematic reviews found on the efficacy of school-based interventions among adolescents living in low and middle income countries (LMIC) in the Region.

Implementation of Kenyan comprehensive school health program: improvement and association with students' academic attainment.

There is growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of a comprehensive school health program. However, implementation in developing countries is a challenge. Furthermore, the available information on the association between a comprehensive school health program and students' academic attainment is limited.

Key factors for school health policy implementation in Thailand.

Thailand formulated a National School Health Policy (NSHP) in 1998, and it has been widely implemented but has not been evaluated. This case study aimed to identify factors that have influenced the implementation of NSHP in Thailand. For this purpose, we conducted a document review and key informant interviews.

Systematic review of school tobacco prevention programs in African countries from 2000 to 2016.

Background: The World Bank has reported that global smoking rates declined from 2000 to 2012, with the only exception found in males in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is considered to be in stage one of the tobacco epidemic continuum. To address this problem, school-based programs for smoking prevention are considered cost-effective and promising.

The ecosystem approach to health is a promising strategy in international development: lessons from Japan and Laos.

Background: An ecological perspective was prominently present in the health promotion movement in the 1980s, but this seems to have faded. The burden of disease the developing world is facing cannot be addressed solely by reductionist approaches. Holistic approaches are called for that recognize the fundamentally interdependent nature of health and other societal, developmental, and ecosystem related factors in human communities.

Factors influencing the National School Health Policy implementation in Lao PDR: a multi-level case study.

In the last decade, a National School Health Policy (NSHP) has been formulated in several developing countries following the recommendations of the Global School Health Initiative. However, NSHP implementations across the country have not been fully shared. This study aimed to identify factors that have influenced implementation of the NSHP in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).

Risk factors for Opisthorchis viverrini infection among schoolchildren in Lao PDR.

A matched-pair case-control study was conducted to identify factors associated with Opisthorchis viverrini infection among primary schoolchildren to develop preventive education. A house-to-house interview of the guardians of 118 children (59 cases and 59 controls) was conducted to collect information about theirs and their children's fish eating habits of 10 locally available fish species. The guardians' knowledge and attitudes about Opisthorchis viverrini infection and socio-economic status were asked about.

Pleomorphic adenoma of the breast: report of a case.

We present herein the case of a 74-year-old woman found to have a pleomorphic adenoma, or so-called mixed tumor, of the breast. The patient presented with a hard mass, 3 cm in diameter, located just beneath the left areola. Physical examination suggested a diagnosis of breast carcinoma; however, the findings of both ultrasonography and mammography indicated a benign neoplasm.