Abstract
Objective: We have been organizing “Health Run®”, the name of participatory classes for ningen dock customers with lifestyle-related diseases, since 2000. Many improvements have been made since then. The purpose of these classes is to review participants’ lifestyles to promote healthy habits. Health care professionals, such as doctors, public health nurses, nationally registered dietitians, and exercise instructors together support customers in changing their lifestyle habits. We report the latest results of the classes.
Methods: We investigated 34 customers (15 males and 19 females, mean age 57.6 years old) who had completed 6 months of Health Run®. The curriculum consisted of 4 sessions of lectures, group work, individual counseling, exercise instruction, blood sampling, and body measurements. We measured visceral fat area twice for all participants (before starting and after 3 months) and three times for 17 of them (before starting and after 3 and 6 months).
Results: After 6 months, mean body weight had decreased from 67.4±14.3 kg to 64.2±14.4 kg, and after 3 months, waist circumference and visceral fat area had decreased from 97.0±12.7 cm to 93.0±11.9 cm and 117±50 cm2 to 94±40 cm2, respectively (p<0.01). Subcutaneous fat area had decreased by 12.4% at 3 months, and 16.7% at 6 months. Blood pressure, blood glucose, HbA1c, γ-GT and cholinesterase decreased, and HDL cholesterol increased.
Conclusion: The most important issue in the program has been how to motivate participants to change their dietary and exercise habits and we found that instruction should be supportive and interactive. Further, making measurements has been effective, especially those of visceral fat area. We are now planning to develop a new cost-effective program for specified health guidance.
