COMPLETION REPORT
Social Engagement and the General Health and Well-being of the Naoshima Onna Bunraku
Dr.Amparo Adelina C. Umali, III (+5)
Associate Professor
Center for International Studies,
University of the Philippines

Social Engagement and the General Health and Well-being of the Naoshima Onna Bunraku is a study that looks
into the effect of active social engagement in social/community activities which is associated to better healthoutcome in later life (Heaven et al, 2013). Specifically, the study focuses on the members of Naoshima Onna
Bunraku, a community puppet theatre group in Naoshima island in Kagawa prefecture, and the contribution of
their engagement in the Bunraku troupe to their well-being.
The researchers participated in the training-rehearsals of the members which allowed us to experience first-hand
how they conduct their practices and teach bunraku. This was followed by an interview where the members wereasked to share how they were introduced and eventually became members of the Naoshima Onna Bunraku.
Finally, a survey/questionnaire in two parts was created where the first part determined the members’ personalevaluation of their general life-satisfaction and well-being and the second part asked the members to evaluate theirmembership in the group and its contribution to their physical and mental well-being; their relationship with familyand community; and their sense of identity and purpose.

Findings of the Study
Nine (9) active members of the Naoshima Onna Bunraku aged 54-77 years old answered our interview questions
regarding their recruitment, number of annual performances and training-rehearsal schedule and the two-partquestionnaire.
In general, the respondents are moderately satisfied with their lives. However, they appear to be particularly lesssatisfied with aspects such as their financial situation and the free time they have in doing activities that they like.
In connection with their social engagement as members of Naoshima Onna Bunraku, the respondents highly enjoy
performing Bunraku and perceive their activities to be worthwhile. The data also showed that being members of
the group have positively contributed to their physical health, mental health, and their relationship with their family
members, friends, and their community. This also led the respondents to feel a personal sense of accomplishment,
sense of identity, and sense of purpose from doing activities as members of Naoshima Onna Bunraku. They alsofeel that their activities greatly contribute to the promotion of Bunraku to the community as well as the preservationof the practice of Bunraku.

The findings of the study provide evidence of the positive impact of social engagement to the health and wellbeing of the elderly, particularly to the members Naoshima Onna Bunraku. It is thus recommended that local andnational support for these kinds of groups should be enhanced. Moreover, further research should also beconducted to look into the structure and positive qualities of similar groups. Through this, a potential model for thecreation of community-based groups that promote good health and well-being can be created. It is hoped that moregroups like this would further encourage participation by a larger population of elder adults and they too shall
benefit from its positive effect to their health and well-being.

References:
Heaven, B., Brow, L.J.E., White, M.,Errington, L., Mathers, J.C., & Moffatt, S. (2013) Supporting Well- Being inRetirement through Meaningful Social Roles: Systematic Review of Intervention Studies.

TheMilbank

Quarterly, 9, 222-287
World Health Organization. (2014) Constitution of the World Health Organization. Basic Documents 48thed., World Health Organization. 1. Retrieved from: http:// www.who.int
Portal site of official statistics of Japan. 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2015. From http://www.estat.go.jp/SG1/estat/ListE.do?lid=000001132435

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
Proposed round table discussion on the observations, experiences and findings of the researchcollaborators. (Proceedings to be published). July 11, 2017
Proposed Presentation of the results of the research to a Local conference: 39th Annual Conference of theUgnayang Pang-Aghamtao (UGAT/Anthropological Association of the Philippines) 9-11 November
2017
Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
Proposed Presentation of the results of the research paper to an International conference: The 6th
Biennial International Conference of the Japanese Studies Association in Southeast Asia onDecember 2018 in Indonesia
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
Publication of the papers/articles in a local university journal (expected publication: Academic Year2017-2018)