345 Respondents from 47 Prefectures Respond to Survey on Travel Conditions for Children Requiring Medical Care

Try Angle (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Mayuko Suda) conducted a nationwide survey on travel for families of children requiring medical care, receiving 345 valid responses from all 47 prefectures.

The results show that approximately 80% of respondents have experienced overnight travel, and even among families with no such experience, about 80% expressed a desire to take their children out. However, 94.2% of those with travel experience handle all arrangements for transportation and accommodation themselves, revealing the reality that they shoulder everything from choosing destinations to inquiries and scheduling on the day of the trip.

The number one difficulty during travel was 'not knowing where to change diapers' (62.4%). This highlighted a unique challenge for these families, as common infant diaper-changing spaces are often difficult for them to use. Additionally, it was shown that besides a shortage of equipment, the difficulty in accessing necessary information is a major barrier to travel.

Background: There are approximately 20,000 children requiring medical care in Japan. With the use of large wheelchairs (buggies) and the need for constant power for medical equipment, travel is often highly challenging. Try Angle conducted this first nationwide survey aiming for a society where everyone can enjoy traveling.

For those who have not experienced overnight travel, the most common reason for hesitation was 'fear of deterioration in physical condition during or after the trip' (60.3%), followed by 'time required for inquiries and confirmation' (38.2%) and 'insufficient information about the destination' (35.3%).