Masako Kaneko, Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care

Ten fourth-year students studied together in FY2006, seeking for the connection between life and health, and realizing the profoundness in science of community health nursing. .

In community health nursing, we study about supporting the well-being of everyone in the community, not only those with illnesses or disabilities, but also who are healthy today. Therefore, we focus on all phenomenon related to people's lives and health, trying to figure out the background and cause of these phenomenon, and seeking a way to support them without disturbing their individual initiative. The themes we are now working on are "Research for preventing child abuse"., "child-care support", a remote child-care supporting service using the internet, and "Supporting dental treatment of autistic people".

In our study group, we try to study "fresh" news on the health section of recent newspapers (refer to below chart). We emphasize on trying to listen directly from the person we are focusing to understand the situation. In order to get the whole point, we study the issue beforehand and study the background of the issue in question. Understanding the society itself (social organizations, systems, people's values and understanding and present situation of services) are indispensable for these studies. Wide knowledge is required, and organizing takes time. However, in our study group, students learn about other students' progress, and this encourages each other. In fall, students go to the field for interviews, where things start to look clear. These findings include facts that we all feel excited to know about. I hope we encounter more of these exciting facts that bring us little happiness.

Project Themes in Community Health Nursing

• Analysis of behaviors of mothers with nursing problems of their first child
• Present situation of how often parents with twins go out, and required support to them
• Analysis of change of eating behavior of parents who care for their children's nutrition
• The mind of women who work fulltime and balance child care and work
• Development of health education programs for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases for late mid-aged men--- from an economical standpoint
• Analysis of websites effective to prevent lifestyle-related diseases
• Ways to support the stay-at -home elderly through participation in community activities

Faculty Profile

Prof. Masako Kaneko, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care


Finished School of Nursing of Chiba University. Finished the Master's program in Medical Sciences of the University of Tsukuba. Doctor of Medical Science (public health). After serving for Chiba University, the Town of Tomisato City, the National Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Nursing, School of Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, she was appointed to professor of Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care of Keio University in 2001.

Specialized in community health nursing, especially in establishing community care system and health promotion.

Student's Voice

Mai Kunitachi, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care
(Graduated Keio University in March, 2007)

Aiming for Improvement of QOL of Community Residents


The theme of our research work is community health nursing. The objective of community health nursing is maintaining and improving health conditions of community residents. Under the common understanding that our objective is to improve QOL of the community, we do research work of a wide variety of people such as mother and child, adults and the elderly. In the projects, we learned about nursing methods, and in the field, we have conducted research work. We had intense discussion about each other's research work to gain better understanding of studies of others. In the summer, we had a summer camp at Hatano-shi, Kanagawa, and learned about the efforts of the public health nurse and dietitian to improve health conditions of community residents.

We are going to join the business world in spring. Some proceed to graduate school, others join local authorities, corporations, or university hospitals. Whatever the new field, I hope we can all keep aiming at improving QOL of people's lives.