A Survey of Digital Content Required for STD Prevention Education Taught by School Nurses

Purpose: In recent years, there has been concern in Japan about the increase in STDs among adolescents aged 15 - 19. In order to prevent STDs and guide adolescents toward desirable sexual behavior, this study’s goal was to examine the actual state of STD prevention education taught by school nurses as part of the school curriculum, as well as the kinds of digital content they wish to have for teaching on the subject. Method: An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was distributed by email and leaflet. Targeting the 100 valid responses received from the surveyed school nurses, descriptive statistics were made for each survey item and comparisons were made between the early- and mid-career groups based on years of experience. Results: 70.0% of respondents reported teaching about STDs in Health & Physical Education classes. School nurses in the early-career group used ready-made materials, while the mid-career group used both ready-made and self-made materials. 95% of respondents reported that they had little or no knowledge of STDs, while 84% reported that they were “good” or “fairly good” at teaching classes on sexuality. Both groups reported difficulty with the topics of “phimosis” and “nocturnal emissions” in the physiological category, “sexual behavior” in the “sex-adjacent” category, and “sexual and reproductive issues” in the psychosocial category. Respondents expressed a need for digital content covering the topics of “sexual violence”, “sexual abuse”, “sexually transmitted diseases”, and “how to turn down sex”. The mid-career group desired digital content for more items than the early-career group, with significant differences in the pathogens involved in sexually transmitted diseases and sex-adjacent items. 32.0% of respondents answered that they had done self-study for sex education classes in the past three years, and both groups desired self-study on “sexually transmitted diseases”, with the mid-career group significantly higher than the early-career group on “cervical cancer & HPV”, “emergency contraceptives”, and “media literacy”. Conclusion: Health & Physical Education is the main subject that covers STDs, and pre-existing materials are commonly used. It is expected that this is due to nurses’ busy schedules and the fact that only one school nurse is assigned to each school. The data collected suggested that nurse teachers want categorized digital content that can be used in the classes they are responsible for, rather than educational content on topics they are not comfortable with. In addition, given the changing environment surrounding sex, it was clear that they wish to understand the realities and needs of the high school students they teach, and desire self-study opportunities to improve their teaching methods.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental-Emotional Wellbeing of Primary Healthcare Professionals: A Descriptive Correlational Study

The present study aimed to examine work environment related factors and frontline primary healthcare profes-sionals’mental-emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in school communities of Hong Kong.A total of 61(20%)school health nurses(frontline primary healthcare professionals)participated in a cross-sec-tional online survey from March to June 2020.Outcomes of mental-emotional health were measured using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form(14-item scale with three subscales related to emotional,social and psychological wellbeing);the Perceived Stress Scale(10-item scale with two subscales related to perceived help-lessness and lack of self-efficacy);and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory(Brief COPE),a 28-item inventory with two subscales related to adaptive and maladaptive strategies.Almost half(42.6%)of par-ticipants experienced mental health problems.Those employed in government subsidized schools had signifi-cantly lower scores in mental health wellbeing than those who worked in private schools.Factors relating to increased mental health problems included lack of emotional support,inadequate training relating to infection prevention and control measures,disengagement and self-blame.A variety of factors influencing school health nurses’social,emotional and psychological wellbeing in their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic were also reported.The mental-emotional wellbeing of school nurses may relate to their subjective feeling of lone-liness as participants were the sole frontline primary healthcare professional working in the school community during the COVID-19 pandemic.Studyfindings provide relevant evidence for management teams to build a cul-ture of psychological and social support into workplace policies and procedures.Continuous staff development and adequate social support are important to promote the mental-emotional wellbeing of primary healthcare pro-fessionals in school communities as they play a significant role in safeguarding resources during pandemics.

A Literature Review on the State of High School Sex Education Implemented by School Nurses

Objective: In recent years, increases in sexually transmitted infections, cervical cancer caused by HPV, and abortions due to unwanted pregnancy among those in their 20s have become serious issues that threaten fertility. This study aims to identify issues in need of attention and the difficulties experienced by school nurses in teaching sex education in high schools preemptively before these students become sexually active in order to promote responsible sexual behaviors for the prevention of STIs. Method: ICHUSHI Web Ver. 5 and CiNii were queried for literature published between 2000 and May 2022. Search terms were “yōgokyōyu” [school nurses], “seikyōiku” [sex education], “seikansenshō” [sexually transmitted infections/diseases], and “kōkōsei” [high school students]. In addition, we limited the search to Japanese literature only, due to differences in cultural background and the roles of school nurses. Results & Observations: Sex education is taught by multiple faculty members and implemented into multiple subjects such as health & physical education and home economics. There are differences in the content taught by school nurses and other faculty. As specialists in health and hygienics, school nurses demonstrate high awareness and positive attitudes toward sex education. Additionally, while they play a central role in sex education, they face difficulties due to having no position in school health plans, differences in awareness among faculty, busy schedules, difficulty securing time, and failure to coordinate with other faculty. It is necessary to consider school-wide policies that systematize sex education as a continuous subject. Furthermore, while they have many opportunities to undertake consulting duties on sexuality, there is uncertainty among school nurses on their ability to meet student needs. Therefore, the development of teaching materials and opportunities for school nurses to improve their teaching skills is absolutely essential.