2016 Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages 88-98
Background: Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risks of various chronic diseases; however, the majority of the Japanese population, as well as the populations in many other countries, is inactive. In recent years, multicomponent strategies for promoting PA, such as community-wide campaigns (CWCs), have been recommended; although there is not enough evidence about the effects of the community-wide promotion of PA. The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan published PA guidelines for the health promotion in 2013 called the Active Guide. It is important to examine whether the Active Guide can be utilized in the community.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CWC utilizing the Active Guide for promoting PA in Japanese adults.
Methods: This study was a non-randomized controlled trial, allocating four communities into the intervention group and nine into the control group from Fujisawa city, Kanagawa, Japan. The intervention used a CWC from 2013 until 2015 to promote PA, and was comprised of information, education, and the delivery of community support. The primary outcome was a PA time. The secondary outcomes included awareness of CWC and the Active Guide, and knowledge of Active Guide. To evaluate overall the intervention, the RE-AIM framework was used. Two independent, population-based, random-sample, self-administered questionnaires obtained from 3,000 adults (20 years old or older) living in communities in Fujisawa were used to evaluate the difference between the status at the baseline and at the 2-year follow-up.
