Diffusion of Health Education Programs with Reference to Health Behavior Theories in Japanese Workplaces: Present Status and Future Plans

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the characteristics of health education programs and the health behavior theories used to establish more effective programs for Japanese companies. Methods: The study surveyed 1,372 companies with 500 or more employees. In a cross-sectional study, the characteristics of the health education programs were surveyed using a questionnaire, which included items regarding target lifestyle-related diseases and lifestyle areas, and the health behavior theories used to develop the present status and future plans. Results: One hundred ninety companies responded giving a response rate of 13.8%. At the time of the survey, the most common diseases targeted for primary prevention were obesity (27.1%), hypertension (22.7%), hyperlipidemia (22.1%), and diabetes (22.1%). Approximately 60% of the respondents were implementing health education programs that targeted certain lifestyles, and the most frequently reported target lifestyles were diet (41.0%) and exercise (38.2%). At the time of the survey, 40% of respondents had implemented programs that included health behavior theory, and 55.6% were going to implement such program plans in the future, a significantly higher percentage than at the time of the survey. Conclusions: In Japanese workplaces, it has been suggested that programs that include health behavior theories have not been implemented frequently enough, but such programs are expected to become more common in the future. The findings of this survey may be useful for planning health education programs using health behavior theories to establish more effective programs for Japanese companies.