In Japan, a rapidly aging society, it is considered important for the “extension of healthy life expectancy” to offer health information and advice to the young generation as well as improving nursing care for the elderly. These approaches are expected to maintain or improve the quality of life (QOL) of senior citizens themselves and to reduce the nursing and economic burdens of family members and the medical care costs of regional governments.
Physical exercise has a clear effect on the maintenance and improvement of health. Increased physical activity and acquisition of exercise habits are important for a country with an aging population.
A survey by questionnaire was conducted of inhabitants of the agricultural village to clarify the status of awareness and activities concerning health and physical exercises.
The result showed that 90.0% of the participants were interested in health and that 25.1% were conscious of “physical exercise” as a life habit important for health. In addition,“pleasure of physical exercise”,“adequate physical vigor”, and “friends to talk to about health” rather than “interest in health” were closely related with the amount of physical activity of the regional inhabitants.
In order for the regional inhabitants to increase the amount of physical activity in daily life and advance to actually practice physical exercise and sports, it is necessary to develop a deeper understanding of the effects of physical exercise on the maintenance and improvement of health as well as instill the attitude that “physical exercise is pleasant”.
