2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT IN HOUSES OF ELDERLY IN NIIGATA
| Project/Area Number |
12680098
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
家政学一般(含衣・住環境)
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| Research Institution | Niigata University |
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Principal Investigator |
IGARASHI Yuriko Faculty of Education and Human Sciences, Niigata University, Professor, 教育人間科学部, 教授 (80018655)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAMAGISHI Akihiro Niigata Women's College, Associate Professor, 助教授 (80230340)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2001
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| Keywords | ELDERLY / HOUSES / HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT / ABSOLUTE HUMIDITY / NIIGATA / HUMIDITY SENSATION / THERMAL ENVIRONMENT / THERMAL SENSATION |
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| Research Abstract |
The indoor humidity environment influences residents' health. Proper humidity condition prevents influenza and dry skin, especially for people of advanced age. This study reports the humidity environment measured in houses of elderly people in Niigata prefecture. The measurement was conducted in 12 houses in every season and the residents were interviewed on their hygrothermal environment. The purpose of this study is to assess contributing factors of indoor thermal environment and to improve low-humidity environment.
1) There was the biggest difference of indoor thermal environment in winter influenced by insulations, structures of houses, and the ways of heating.
2) The humidity environment in living rooms was different in each season influenced by structures and thermal performance of houses and the ways of heating. The difference between houses was most notable in winter when the humidity was the lowest in the year.
3) The difference of humidity environment between indoor and outdoor was different in each season. There was the smallest difference in summer and the biggest in winter.
4) Indoor relative humidity tended to drop to undesirable percentage in winter, around 30 % in some cases. The absolute humidity was around 8g/kg in most cases.
5) There was more "very dry" or "neutral" in winter in terms of the skin surface hydration and the sense of humidity, which indicates the influence of low humidity.
6) A measurement survey was conducted in winter in three houses with different humidity environment to examine the change of humidity environment by using humidifiers. Since each house had different conditions of hygroscopicity of walls and other factors to change thermal environment, the absolute humidity and its changes before and after humidification was varied between houses. The sense of humidity indoors, thirstiness and skin surface hydration, however, reflected the effect of humidification.
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Research Products
(8 results)
