Objectives of specific health checkups and specific health guidance

Until now, the goals of health checkups and health guidance have been early identification and treatment of sickness.

By focusing on visceral-fat obesity, specific health checkups and specific health guidance are intended to decrease the numbers of those who suffer from, or are at risk for, lifestyle-related conditions such as diabetes, through providing health guidance to help them improve the living habits that cause visceral-fat obesity (i.e., disease prevention). Since lifestyle-related conditions progress with no visible symptoms, specific health checkups is considered to be an excellent opportunity to review the individual's living habits, then health guidance is provided to help the individual change his or her behavior.

Specific health checkups

Specific health checkups comprises health screenings intended to identify those who require health guidance to prevent lifestyle-related conditions, by focusing on visceral-fat obesity. It employs checkup items intended to identify accurately people eligible for specific health guidance, for example by adding abdominal girth measurement to identify the state of buildup of visceral fat.

Specific health checkups is available for all members aged 40-74 (including those turning 75 during the fiscal year), both insured persons and dependents.

Based on the results of specific health checkups, persons eligible for specific health guidance are identified by level (i.e., those eligible for motivational support and those eligible for active support) in accordance with their risk levels, by focusing on the degree of visceral fat buildup and numbers of risk factors. (This is called ranking.)

All those who have undergone specific health checkups are provided with information suited to their own individual circumstances, based on the results of the checkups. This information is provided at the same time they are notified of the results.

Ranking steps

Specific health guidance

Specific health guidance is provided for people eligible for motivational support or active support as a result of ranking.

The goals of specific health guidance are to enable eligible persons to be aware of their own health conditions and make voluntary efforts, on a continual basis, to improve their own living habits. People eligible are provided with a variety of motivational information and advice to help them live healthier lifestyles on their own.

Motivational support: Provides support to encourage improvements in living habits, in principle one time.

An action plan is prepared with the guidance of doctors, health nurses, and a senior nutritionists, and specialists provide motivational support for efforts to improve living habits, in principle one time. Evaluations are performed to determine whether results have been achieved as planned.

[Examples: individual support, group support, etc.]

Active support: Provides continual support in multiple sessions, over three months or longer.

An action plan is prepared with the guidance of doctors, health nurses, and a senior nutritionists. Specialists provide regular, continual support for efforts to improve living habits, over a period of three months or longer. Evaluations are performed to determine whether results have been achieved as planned.

[Examples: individual support, group support, telephone support, email support, etc.]

If you are eligible for active support for two consecutive years and your health conditions have improved from the first year* after completing the first year of active support, you may switch to support equivalent to motivational support as specific health guidance for the second year.

• *BMI of less than 30: abdominal girth improved by 1 cm or more and weight by 1 kg or more; BMI of 30 or more: abdominal girth improved by 2 cm or more and weight by 2 kg or more

Outcome evaluation to assess whether specific health guidance has led to positive results has been introduced in Phase Four beginning in FY2024.
The main targets of outcome evaluation are reductions of 2 cm in abdominal girth and 2 kg in body weight. Specific health guidance will end once these targets have been achieved in evaluation of results no earlier than three months after the first session.
(Even if the results fall short of reductions of 2 cm in abdominal girth and 2 kg in body weight, the results will still be recognized as positive if reductions of 1 cm in abdominal girth and 1 kg in body weight are achieved or if the subject demonstrates changes in behavior that address lifestyle-related conditions.)