Interactive Online Diversity Training for Health and Welfare Professionals and University Faculty in Japan.

Authors

• Shuntaro Aoki, Center for Medical Education and Career Development, Fukushima Medical University, JapanFollow
• Tomoyuki Kobayashi, School of Sociology, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
• Hideki Sato, Department of Disaster Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Japan
• Nahoko Adachi, Independent Researcher, Japan.
• Natsumi Tsuda, Center for Wing of Empirically Supported Treatments (WEST), Doshisha University, Japan
• Koji Otani, Center for Medical Education and Career Development, Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
• Yayoi Shikama, Integrated Center for Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Japan

Abstract

This short report describes an interactive online diversity workshop for health and welfare professionals and university faculty in Japan. The workshop used Zoom and Mentimeter to support anonymous real-time participation and focused on bias related to poverty, mental illness, and LGBTQ+ issues. Forty-five participants attended; questionnaire completion and feedback submission were voluntary. Seventeen participants provided matched pre-post data and were included in the quantitative analysis. Forty-two post-workshop open-ended feedback comments were collected. The evaluation used the Japanese Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Stigma, Feeling Thermometer ratings, and qualitative content analysis of feedback. Linear mixed model analysis showed a statistically significant favorable change in Feeling Thermometer ratings toward people in poverty and trend-level favorable changes in AAQ-S inflexibility and Feeling Thermometer ratings toward people with mental illness and LGBTQ+ individuals. Qualitative findings suggested that participants recognized bias as something to notice and manage and perceived anonymous peer-response sharing as useful for reflection. The findings suggest possible short-term learner-level changes but do not demonstrate bias-related behavior change or patient-care outcomes.

Recommended Citation

Aoki, Shuntaro; Kobayashi, Tomoyuki; Sato, Hideki; Adachi, Nahoko; Tsuda, Natsumi; Otani, Koji; and Shikama, Yayoi (2026) "Interactive Online Diversity Training for Health and Welfare Professionals and University Faculty in Japan.," Health Professions Education: Vol. 12: Iss. 6, Article 1.
DOI: 10.55890/2452-3011.1435
Available at: https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol12/iss6/1