Effects of Postprandial Body Position on Gastrointestinal Motility, the Autonomic Nervous System and Subjective Comfort

We examined postprandial body positions’ effects on gastrointestinal motility, the autonomic nervous system and subjective comfort, i.e., whether lowering the head after a meal is beneficial for gastrointestinal motility and the prevention of pressure ulcer. We examined 10 healthy subjects and compared 3 body positions: (1) Seated upright. (2) Lying on a bed with the head at 60° and knees up by 20° (60° position). (3) Identical to (2) until post-meal; the head was then lowered to 30° (60°-30° position). Gastrointestinal motility was assessed as gastrointestinal sounds measured by sound-editing software. Digital plethysmography assessed autonomic nerve function as heart rate variability. The pressure ulcer risk was estimated as subjective comfort/discomfort using a visual analog scale. Gastrointestinal sounds increased post-meal. The 60°-30° position showed the highest number of sounds and longest cumulative sound duration. Post-meal, sympathetic activation was suggested in the 60° position, whereas vagal activity was relatively preserved in the 60°-30° position. The 60°-30° position was the most comfortable, and the 60° position was least comfortable. Lowering the head after a meal is beneficial to augment gastrointestinal motility and decrease the pressure ulcer risk. The 60° head-up position increases the pressure ulcer risk

A地区の自主防災力を高める保健師の支援

A地区における防災に関するニーズをもとに開催した防災講習会が住民の意識に与える影響および自主防災力を高めるための保健師の支援について検討した。地域の組織・団体へのインタビュー調査やA地区住民に対するアンケー結果をもとに、ニーズを反映した講習会を開催し、開催後にアンケートを実施した。各地域の組織・団体は「自主防災組織の発展」、「市や消防団との連携体制」を望んでいた。また、住民のニーズや防災講習会をとおして、①平均自立期間延伸のための取り組み、②住民組織間の連携の強化、③人材発掘、④ニーズの把握、⑤継続的かつ体験型の防災活動の実施等の保健師の支援が必要といえた