The Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance Program: A Strategy for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Japan

Abstract

Japan’s health checkup system has developed over the last four decades as a principal national strategy for preventing cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Early community-based health checkups, implemented under the Health Services for the Elderly Act of 1982, contributed to reductions in CVD mortality and the demand for inpatient care through the improved detection and management of hypertension. As lifestyle-related diseases became increasingly prominent, the government introduced Health Japan 21 and subsequently launched the Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance (SHC/SHG) program in 2008 to strengthen evidence-based population-wide prevention targeting of visceral obesity and the associated cardiometabolic risks. The SHC program provides standardized assessments, including anthropometric measurements, laboratory testing, medical history, and lifestyle questionnaires. Risk stratification is primarily based on abdominal obesity and the accumulation of metabolic risk factors, which determine individualized health guidance through motivational or intensive support. The SHG program offers structured behavioral interventions delivered by trained health professionals to promote sustainable lifestyle modifications. Growing evidence supports the effectiveness of the SHC/SHG program. Health checkup participation has been associated with lower mortality, and health guidance has demonstrated favorable improvements in obesity indicators, metabolic parameters, and pharmacotherapy initiation. Economic evaluations further suggest that the program is cost effective. However, some limitations remain, including modest long-term effects and insufficient risk identification among non-obese individuals with elevated cardiometabolic risk. Improving the participation rates and refining risk stratification beyond obesity-based criteria are ongoing priorities. Continued research and periodic revision of checkup items are essential for enhancing the program’s impact as a nationwide strategy for ASCVD prevention.