Health Promotion and Long-Term Care for the Elderly in Rural Areas of Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

There is a pressing necessity to find an effective means of health promotion, especially, in rural areas of Hokkaido Prefecture, in which local residents themselves can be actively involved. Several epidemiological studies have thus been conducted to grasp a feasible way of promoting health in the area. We found, from the time-series study measured with an accelerometer in Hokkaido, that the average number of step counts, the averages of total energy consumption per day and energy consumption by physical activity per day, and the average duration of moderate and vigorous physical activity were all significantly less in the snowfall season than the non-snowfall season. Therefore, a light-burden and indoor physical exercise program called "Fumanet" exercise, or net-step exercise (NSE), has been developed. From the result of a longitudinal study conducted in Hokkaido, the elderly who participated in NSE classes once a month or more had a significantly lower risk of poor self-rated health 2 years after their participation, compared with nonparticipants. Furthermore, from a result of an 8-week intervention study in Hokkaido, we found that cognitive function assessed by the Touch-M test and gait performance assessed by the Timed Up and Go test were significantly improved by participation in NSE classes among healthy older adults. Our results indicate that NSE offers an option for the older population whose maintenance of cognitive health and gait function require easier methods. In other words, such NSE classes are a feasible method for older people's health promotion in lesser populated municipalities.