title: Health education "Hokenshido" program reduced metabolic syndrome in the Amagasaki visceral fat study. Three-year follow-up study of 3,174 Japanese employees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of health checkup and the health education "Hokenshido" program based on the concept that visceral fat accumulation causes metabolic syndrome (MetS), leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the Japanese definition of metabolic syndrome, in the annual health checkup for general subjects, the measurement of waist circumference and use of "Where am I?" chart on the way to develop atherosclerosis were introduced. The study group comprised 3,174 Japanese employees [2,440 males (46±11 years, mean ± SD), 734 females (43±10 years)], who underwent annual health checkup in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The medical staff provided "Hokenshido" for subjects assessed as having MetS and/or at high risk for CVD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of the MetS in 2003, 2004 and 2005 decreased in males (20.8%, 17.2%, 14.4%, p<0.001) and females (3.0%, 2.2%, 1.9%, p=0.359), respectively. Among subjects with MetS at baseline, the number of subjects with MetS significantly decreased in males (508, 287, 247, p<0.0001) and females (22, 8, 6, p<0.0001), respectively. Mean waist loss was 1.6 cm in males (<0.0001) and 1.5 cm in females (<0.001). Among subjects with metabolic syndrome at baseline, the mean waist loss was 2.5 cm in males (<0.0001) and 3.9 cm in females (<0.05). Fatal atherosclerotic vascular events were not recorded in this study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health check-up and the "Hokenshido" program reduced the prevalence of the MetS, which might lead to prevention of CVD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan. ryomw@gaia.eonet.ne.jp
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ryo
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funahashi
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishida
authors.forename: Yukiyoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okauchi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Sumi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okita
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwahashi
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imagawa
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzawa
authors.forename: Iichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimomura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000193:education* / Q000639:trends; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology*; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D055815:Young Adult