Compatibility between Independent Activities in the Course of Study for Schools for Special Needs Education and ICF Categories

In the 2009 amendment to the course of study for schools for special needs education, the new teaching guideline "independent activities" was introduced to teach skills that ease difficulties in learning and daily living. The present study aimed to clarify compatibility between the independent activities and ICF categories by conducting a survey of teaching staff in schools for special needs education. The independent activities consist of 6 major items accompanied by a total of 26 sub-items. The ICF involves 4 components: body functions and structures, activities and participation, environmental factors and personal factors. Thirty items at the first level of classification were employed for the present investigation, excluding personal factors. The independent activities were linked not only to activities and participation in the ICF, but also body functions and structures and environmental factors. Amongst the independent activities "psychological stability" had the largest degree of compatibility with ICF items (15 items); while "health care" and "understanding situations" had the smallest number (6 items). The results suggest that a combined use of independent activities and ICF categories provides a more useful and quantitative foundation to assess the independent activities and to facilitate individual teaching plans

Associations between Mobility Restriction and Motor and Intellectual Impairments, and the Impact of Environmental Factors in Children with Disabilities

The present study was conducted to clarify associations between motor and intellectual impairments and mobility restriction, and the impact of environmental factors on the mobility of children in residential institutions for children with motor impairments. Mobility restriction was assessed using the 1^st and 4^th qualifiers defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Motor and intellectual impairments were characterized by gross motor function and intelligent quotient, respectively. The relationship between mobility restriction and the two impairments was examined using Spearman\u27s rank correlation analysis. The 1^st and 4^th qualifiers in mobility were moderately correlated to both motor and intellectual impairments. The correlation coefficient for the 1^st qualifier was somewhat smaller than that for the 4^th qualifier. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the 1^st qualifier was significantly smaller than the 4^th qualifier in mobility (p<0.001). The present results suggest that mobility restriction is influenced not only by motor impairments, but also by intellectual impairments. The contextual assistances are considered to play an important role in reducing the impact of motor and intellectual impairments and improving mobility

Is “less calories and more exercise” enough to prevent hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in individuals undergoing health checkups? A 5-year retrospective cohort study

　Medical professionals generally use “less calories and more exercise” as advice to patients with lifestyle-related diseases. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine suitable lifestyle modification strategies to prevent hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in individuals who participated in a medical health check. Health check data of 24, 244 individuals who underwent a specific health check at a health service organization in Fukuyama, Japan from 2011 to 2015 were compared and the association between current lifestyle and onset of hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia in the next 5 years was assessed via Cox proportional hazard model. Current daily alcohol consumption was associated with the onset of hypertension in the next 5 years. Onset of diabetes was related to current smoking. In addition, “eating quickly” was related to diabetes onset in the next 5 years. Given that these lifestyle habits were associated with the onset of the diseases after adjustment with BMI, more appropriate recommendations for lifestyle modification should be considered at health guidance