title: [Relationship between utilization of health notebooks and the elderly population rate among Japanese municipal governments].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health conditions are changing rapidly in aging societies and an essential health service by municipal governments is to promote the utilization of health notebooks in support of the health of individuals. The objective of this study was to clarify the relationship between utilization of health notebooks and rates for elderly among Japanese municipal governments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires on the utilization of health notebooks were mailed to all 3,255 municipal governments in Japan. The 2,445 that filled in all items on the questionnaire were enrolled in this study. Questions concerned opportunities for utilizing health notebooks when residents received health education/guidance, health examinations, home visits, or welfare service. If they answered "Frequent use" for these opportunities, one point was given. Furthermore, if they answered that they filled in the results of residents' health examination into health notebooks, one point was given. If a municipal government got 4 points or more, this municipality was classified as "health notebooks frequently used".
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of municipalities defined as "health notebooks frequently used" was higher among municipal governments with a high rate of elderly residents than with a lower rate. The odds ratio for being classified as "health notebooks frequently used" was higher among municipal government with high rates for the elderly and public health nurses per elderly person than with low rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With increase in the percentage of elderly residents, municipal governments need to promote their health services in support of residents' health. To improve the utilization of health notebooks, municipalities should increase the number of public health nurses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shinsho
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takatorige
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tatara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009111:Local Government; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance