The intergenerational exchange program for the children in a child welfare institution offered by the senior volunteers and its influence on their mental and physical health

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24500828
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: University of Hyogo
• Principal Investigator: UCHIDA Hayato 兵庫県立大学, 環境人間学部, 教授 (50213442)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): EGUCHI Yoshiaki 兵庫県立大学, 環境人間学部, 教授 (10249469) ; NISHIGAKI Toshio 兵庫県立大学, 環境人間学部, 教授 (20057376) ; KURODA Jiro 近畿大学, 産業理工学部, 講師 (20597992)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 児童 / 高齢者 / 健康 / 児童養護施設 / イメージ / ボランティア / 世代間交流

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We discussed the intergenerational exchange program supported by the senior volunteers for the children living in a child welfare institution and clarified its influence on their mental and physical health. twenty-two children (age range 6-12) who live in a child welfare institution in Hyogo Prefecture, the western part of Japan. In a survey that we performed at the beginning of November 2012, we inquired children about the effects of the program (environmental learning program) and their images of the elderly. The images of the elderly in the items such as “strong”, “kind” and “reliable” significantly improved (P<0.05, respectively). The image score of “right” was higher in children living in the institution (P<0.01), compared with the one of the control group. These findings suggested that the implementation of the program supported by the elderly possibly improves the institutionalized children’s images of the elderly including strength, kindness and reliability.

Free Research Field

健康教育学