A Case Study of Health Education from Nagano Prefecture in Japan: The Relationship between Health Education and Medical Expenses

Background: Health promotion is not only the responsibility of the health sector, but extends from healthy lifestyles to wellbeing. We developed an active health program acquired ISO9001 (the International Organization for Standardization) in 2014. This health education program desired to Asian countries in cooperation with Asian Universities with the aim of increasing the health longevity of their populations. Methods: The authors implemented a 10-month health program from May 2010 to Feb 2011 in Minowa town, Nagano prefecture, Japan. Participants of a health education group (HEG) in Minowa town included 41 elderly (age: 63.4 ± 5.9) individuals; 6 residents of Nagano city (aged 59.4 ± 7.9) acted as a control group (CG). Results: The HEG participants showed significant improvement in weight, BMI, anthropometric measurements, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, physical fitness factors including sit-ups, sit-and-reach flexibility, eyes-open single-leg stance, 10 m obstacle walk and 6 min walk, LDL, and brain function as reflected in response time and error rates for go/no-go tasks. In contrast, CG had no significant differences in any items before and after the health education program period. Systolic blood pressure, sit-and-reach flexibility and 10 m obstacle walk of HEG participants showed a significant improvement compared to those of the CG. Medical expenses of HEG participants were significantly reduced for the 1st year and 2nd year after the health education program compared to those of the non-participants. Conclusion: The systolic blood pressure, sit-and-reach flexibility and 10 m obstacle walk of HEG participants showed a significant improvement compared to those of the CG. Medical expenses of HEG participants were significantly reduced during health education and 1st and 2nd years after the health education program compared to those of non-participants.