Practice and Evaluation of a Class on Radiation Conducted for Students in a Public Health Nursing Program

Objectives: Radiation disasters have a significant impact on people’s lives. These disasters are said to have psychological effects due to slander and rumors, and supporters are required to communicate with residents and provide knowledge. We have been providing radiation education in the basic education of public health nurses since 2014 from the perspective of residents’ daily life. This study reports on the contents and evaluation results of a radiation class conducted for students in a public health nursing program in the class of “Public Health Nursing Administration” in 2022. Methods: In a class on “Public Health Nursing Administration” mainly for third-year students in January 2023, we conducted a radiation measurement exercise （90 min） and lecture on basic knowledge （90 min）. Twenty-three students participated in the class. As the evaluation of the class, pre- and post-questionnaire surveys were taken, in which the students were asked about their knowledge of radiation （20 correct/incorrect questions）, as well as their image of radiation, attitude toward radiation and people’s health, and impressions, as free response questions. In addition, students were asked on a Likert scale about their interest in, level of understanding, and appropriateness of the length of time for the class. Results: We obtained consent from 22 （95.7%） of 23 students. Knowledge of radiation （20 points） increased from pre-exercise （mean score, 10.3; range, 6-15） to post-exercise （mean score, 15.9; range, 11-18）. The pre- and post-images of radiation changed from vague images such as［causes various harms to the body］,［invisible, scary, dangerous］, etc. to more specific views such as［there is no need to be overly fearful］,［different doses of radiation have different effects on the body］. In terms of how to deal with radiation and people’s health, the importance of explaining was described, such as the importance of providing explanations that match the residents’ level of understanding and the importance of accurate knowledge to eliminate prejudice. Most students responded positively to the questions about their interest in, level of understanding, and the appropriateness of the length of time; however, two students （9.1%） responded “not so much” to the question “I understood the content of the lecture.” Conclusions: More than 10 years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and most of the target students were elementary school students at that time. Students’ pre-knowledge and pre-image of radiation are not sufficient, and we inferred that this was related to their image of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The content of the accident is an effective teaching tool for students; however, it is also important to understand the background of their experience. Radiation disaster response takes a long time. Public health nurses play an important role in providing health counseling to local residents from the perspective of protecting people’s daily lives.