Abstract
Objective : In Thailand, there were 36,327 (2005) Japanese nationals living in the country mainly for business reasons. This study 1) investigated their environment and level of physical exercise, 2) analyzed the relationship between physical exercise and health-related factors, and 3) obtained useful data for the health promotion among Japanese people living abroad for prolonged periods.
Material and Methods : In Dec. 2005, Japanese companies and schools in Thailand were asked to be sampling units, and cluster sampling was performed to obtain data from Japanese subjects over 20 years of age who were living in Thailand for a prolonged period. One hundred eighteen subjects (84 male and 58 female) responded to our questionnaire asking about their personal characteristics and level of physical exercise. Of these 118, 60 consented to blood pressure measurement and 58 consented to visceral fat examination. As a scale of mental stress, GHQ (General Health Questionnaire) 12 was utilized.
Results and Discussion : It was demonstrated that accessibility to sports clubs was good among Japanese in Thailand and many of the respondents participated in regular physical exercise. Subjects expected to live in an environment where regular physical exercise could be obtained in excellent sports clubs similar to those in industrialized countries. There were no significant differences in physical factors between the group obtaining regular physical exercise and the group without regular exercise. Although there was no significant difference, diastolic blood pressure was lower among the group with regular physical exercise. About satisfaction with daily life, the group with regular physical exercise showed more positive results. Structure equation model analysis was performed to clarify the relationship among factors, and showed that regular physical exercise influenced health life style more strongly than nutrition and mental stress.
