Abstract. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a health promotion program consisting of simple exercises among healthy elderly people in a community. The participants were healthy and elderly people, who were picked out from the users of a sports recreation facility. We carried out physical fitness measurements and instructed on exercises to participants. The evaluations were grip strength, knee extensor strength, sitting trunk flexion, falling-stick reaction time, one leg stance, Functional Reach Test, Timed "Up and Go" Test (TUG), 10-m walking time, 6 minutes distance (6MD), Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence, Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), and Profile of Mood States (POMS). All the exercises we instructed were those which can be easily performed at home. As resistance exercise, rubber tube and subject's body weight were used. In the intervention group, the improvements of leg strength, TUG, 6MD, physical function item of SF-36 and vigor item of POMS were significant. Exercise instruction with simple exercise programs in this study improved not only physical abilities but also the social and psychological attitudes of the participants.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to validate the efficacy of group exercises for frail elderly people.[Subjects] We examined 41 persons, who needed support or care and were using day rehabilitation services.[Methods] Subjects were divided into two groups: one implemented individualized exercises after group exercises and the other implemented only individualized exercises. All the exercises were easy to perform, and individualized exercises were prescribed by a physiotherapist for each subject. We evaluated height, weight, body fat percentage, grip strength, knee extensor strength, sitting trunk flexion, one-leg stance, fanctional reach test (FRT), timed "up and go" test (TUG), 10-m walking time, TMIG, SF-36, and life-space assessment (LSA). [Results] In the group which implemented individualized exercises after group exercises, significant improvements of knee extensor strength and scores of SF-36 were observed.[Conclusion] The results suggest that group exercise before individualized exercises for frail elderly people were effective for vitality and motivation.

Abstract.[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to validate the characteristic of an exercise program consisting of simple exercise methods under the instruction of physiotherapists for general elderly people living in a community (general elderly group) and a frail elderly group.[Subjects] The general elderly group consisted of 44 persons (74.2 ± 4.38 years old: 6 men, 38 women) and the frail elderly group, 30 persons (80.6 ± 6.12 years old: 10 men, 20 women).[Methods] The measurement items were weight, body fat percentage, grip strength, knee extensor strength, sitting trunk flexion, one leg standing, functional reach test, timed "up and go" test, 10-m walking time, TMIG Index of Competence, MOS Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey, and the Life-Space Assessment. In each group, group and individual exercises were provided by physiotherapists. All the exercises were easy to perform.[Results] Knee extensor strength of the frail elderly group improved to almost the same level of the general elderly group. There were significant improvements in balance, gait ability, social and psychological attitudes in both groups.[Conclusion] We think that muscle strengthening exercises without exercise tools as resistance under the instruction of physiotherapists would be effective for improving the muscle strength of frail elderly persons.

BackgroundIn Japan, few community-based approaches have been adopted in health-care professional education, and the appropriate content for such approaches has not been clarified. In establishing community-based education for health-care professionals, clarification of its learning effects is required. A community-based educational program was started in 2009 in the health sciences course at Gunma University, and one of the main elements in this program is conducting classes outside school. The purpose of this study was to investigate using text-analysis methods how the off-campus program affects students.MethodsIn all, 116 self-assessment worksheets submitted by students after participating in the off-campus classes were decomposed into words. The extracted words were carefully selected from the perspective of contained meaning or content. With the selected terms, the relations to each word were analyzed by means of cluster analysis.ResultsCluster analysis was used to select and divide 32 extracted words into four clusters: cluster 1—“actually/direct,” “learn/watch/hear,” “how,” “experience/participation,” “local residents,” “atmosphere in community-based clinical care settings,” “favorable,” “communication/conversation,” and “study”; cluster 2—“work of staff member” and “role”; cluster 3—“interaction/communication,” “understanding,” “feel,” “significant/important/necessity,” and “think”; and cluster 4—“community,” “confusing,” “enjoyable,” “proactive,” “knowledge,” “academic knowledge,” and “class.”ConclusionsThe students who participated in the program achieved different types of learning through the off-campus classes. They also had a positive impression of the community-based experience and interaction with the local residents, which is considered a favorable outcome. Off-campus programs could be a useful educational approach for students in health sciences.