A lecture on “The Value of Walking” at the Saturday Liberal Arts Program of Sensoku Gakuen Junior and Senior High School
On November 8th, at Sensoku Gakuen Junior and Senior High School (Takatsu Ward, Kawasaki City), we held a class for students in grades 7 through 11 during one session of the Saturday Liberal Arts Program. The class focused on reflecting on the happiness of being able to walk as we normally do. Fourteen students attended. Following a lecture titled “Healthy Longevity and Resilience from the Perspective of the Hip Joint: Building Hip Health to Walk Until Age 100” by Associate Professor Kyoko Yoshioka from the Department of Health Sciences and Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, participants split into two groups to discuss the theme “What if you could no longer walk freely?” Dr. Haruka Yokobori, a Project Researcher from Yoshioka's laboratory, facilitated the junior high school team, while Dr. Yukihiro Kanda, a Project Researcher at iCONM (Sub-theme Leader for CHANGE/Research and Development Project 3), facilitated the high school team. The discussion expanded from personal concerns like “It would be sad not to be able to go to school or play” to broader societal issues such as “systems to support wheelchair users,” “making online shopping more accessible for everyone, including elderly people who find it difficult to go shopping,” and “creating a ‘Little Help Mark’ for those with mild disabilities who are not eligible for the standard Help Mark.” It has been suggested that approximately 70% of cases of degenerative hip joint disease, which can lead to bedridden states, may be caused by acetabular dysplasia (a shallow shape of the acetabulum, the socket where the femoral head fits) present since infancy. Even with acetabular dysplasia, many individuals experience no symptoms for years as the joint bears load. It is only upon reaching middle age or later that they first feel pain or discomfort, seek medical attention, and receive a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hip. As the condition progresses, severe pain during sleep and daily activities significantly diminishes quality of life. Dr. Yoshioka's laboratory is collaborating with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Engineering, pediatric orthopedic surgeons nationwide, and public health nurses to develop prevention and early detection methods using ultrasound examinations. This initiative has also been recognized as a global initiative for World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day.
Students who attended shared thoughts such as “I'll tell my family what I learned today” and “I'll encourage them to go to the hospital immediately if they feel anything unusual.” Alongside considering their own future as seniors, they also expressed concern for the health of not only their parents but also grandparents who do not live with them.
Finally, Researchers Yokobori and Kanda held a career development exchange session. They answered questions about their motivations for pursuing research careers, qualifications like public health nurse certification, the significance of holding a doctorate, and other future-related topics. Both researchers also discussed the importance of interdisciplinary research, a key focus of their work at CHANGE.
Despite the lengthy two-and-a-half-hour session, the students maintained unwavering concentration. They made earnest, future-oriented comments, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the “value of walking.”
Top right: Students discussing “What if you could no longer walk freely?”
Bottom left: Researcher Yukihiro Kanda discussing the appeal of crossing over into nursing as an engineering researcher
Bottom right: Researcher Haruka Yokobori discussing her career path: working as a public health nurse for a municipality before pursuing nursing x engineering research at the University of Tokyo
