Health and longevity in Okinawa: challenges and new approaches towards health promotion

Abstract

Background: In Okinawa, health promoting programs have been conducted to extend healthy life expectancy and reduce health disparities in collaboration with universities, municipality offices, board of education and communities. This article described the background of the program, current situations and future directions of health and longevity in Okinawa.
Contents: Okinawa faces the challenges of increasing incidence rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially among the middle-aged population. To extend healthy life expectancy, health promoting environment must be improved as it can help prevent NCDs. To improve such environment, Okinawa has strengthened dietary education in schools and initiated health-promoting programs in communities using available resources (e.g. social capital). Specifically, Department of Public Health and Medical Care, Okinawa Prefecture and Okinawa Prefectural Education Bureau have performed a cross-cutting project; providing students with a supplementary textbook to inspire them for their healthier lifestyle. “Yui Health Project” by the University of the Ryukyus has also conducted a health-promoting intervention program such as creating supportive environment for health promoting behaviors by conducting dietary education and mobilizing community resources such as social capital and networks.
Conclusion: Health promoting programs based on collaboration with schools and communities may contribute to reduce the incidence of and mortality from NCDs among Okinawan people as they can improve health-related literacy. These programs also can be a foothold to extend healthy longevity and diseases in younger ages.