[A survey of subjective symptoms and life-style in junior high school students]

A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine a relationship between indefinite complaints and life styles in junior high school students and to apply the results to life guidance.

Twenty nine public junior high schools were selected by random sampling of 13 cities and 3 towns in Kanagawa Prefecture. A self-reported questionnaire was supplied to all subjects, containing 100 life-style related items, including a simplified CMI (Cornel Medical Index) questionnaire.

The number of students who were evaluated as "point medical examination" based on physical symptoms of CMI and "disorder" based on the mental and physical symptom increased with the grade for both males and females. The students who reported "the life rhythm was always irregular" tended to be in the group evaluated as "disorder" or "point medical examination". The life rhythm was related to bedtime, sleeping hours and eating habits. It was observed that the students whose daily habits were always irregular had late bedtime, short sleeping hours and an irregular eating habit. As a result of the quantification method for the second type of analysis, it was found that sleeping time was the most related factor to the life rhythm. Furthermore 90% and more of students reported they did not consider nutritional balance with regard to their eating habits.

It was suggested that those students who had irregular life rhythm needed sufficient sleep and nutrition guidance to maintain their health.