Disabilities and Lifestyle of Junior and Senior High School Students Attending Special-needs Schools for the Physically Disabled

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  • Noda Tomoko
    School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Gunma Paz College
  • Kamata Hisako
    Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Care, Kiryu University

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Other Title
  • 特別支援学校肢体不自由部門に通学する中高等部生の障害と生活習慣の実態
  • トクベツ シエン ガッコウ シタイ フジユウ ブモン ニ ツウガク スル チュウ コウトウブセイ ノ ショウガイ ト セイカツ シュウカン ノ ジッタイ

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Abstract

Objective : The present study aimed to clarify the current state of disabilities and lifestyle of junior and senior high school students (12-17 years old) attending special-needs schools for the physically disabled, and to investigate related issues. Subjects and Methods : A questionnaire survey was conducted on the parents, school nurses and homeroom teachers of junior and senior high school students attending four special-needs schools for the physically disabled in A Prefecture. Results were analyzed using simple tabulation. Results : Among the 104 respondents, cranial nerve disorders were the most commonly reported causative condition (76.9%), while 49.0% and 85.6% reported the presence of students who were bedridden and following a non-standard curriculum, respectively. Furthermore, 76.9% reported students with myotonic disorders, 73.1% had scoliosis and 62.5% had a body mass index below the 5th percentile. The findings indicated the importance of nutritional management, relieving factors that may exacerbate myotonia, and preventing scoliosis progression in order to improve the quality of life of these students after puberty. Three lifestyle-related issues were also identified. The first lifestyle-related issue was ‘a long school day spent mainly in the same posture’, which promotes myotonia exacerbation and scoliosis progression. The second issue comprised ‘insufficient snacks’. The third issue was ‘minimal use of social services. Conclusion : Compensatory strategies such as reducing the capacity of the school bus and shortening the commuting time are required. Then, it is important to plan for the nutritional management including the provision of snacks in addition to three main daily meals. Moreover, it is important to accustom children and their families to using social services from school age to ensure that they receive sufficient lifestyle support post-graduation.

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