Specific health checkups and specific health guidance

Specific health checkups services are provided for all insured persons and dependents aged 40-74. Specific health checkups is intended to identify persons requiring specific health guidance to decrease the numbers of people having, or at risk for, metabolic syndrome.

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TIPS
  • You become eligible for specific health checkups on reaching 40 years of age.
  • People eligible for specific health guidance are provided with a variety of motivational information and advice to help them live healthier lifestyles on their own.

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

STEP
1

Assessing risk of visceral-fat buildup based on abdominal girth and BMI

Abdominal girth:85cm or more for males, 90cm or more for females →(1)
Abdominal girth:less than 85cm for males, less than 90cm for females, and a body mass index (BMI) →(2)

*BMI = weight (kg) / height (m) / height (m)

 
STEP
2

Identifying additional risks based on inspection results and questionnaires

Criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome (visceral fat syndrome)

①Blood sugar

a:Fasting blood sugar 100㎎/㎗ or above, or 5.6% or above
b:HbA1c(NGSP) 5.6% or above

  • * Casual blood sugar of 100㎎/㎗ or above if measuring HbA1C without fasting or between 3.5 and 10 hours after meal.

②Lipids

a:Neutral lipids 150㎎/㎗ or above, or
b:HDL cholesterol less than 40㎎/㎗

③Blood pressure

a:Systolic 130㎜Hg or above, or
b:Diastolic 85㎜Hg or above

Other related risks (counted only if one or more of risks ①-③ applies)

④Questionnaire

  • past or present smoker
 
STEP
3

Assignment to health-maintenance guidance levels based on results of Steps 1-2

Cases of risk(1)of visceral fat buildup

Among risks ①-④

  • Two or more additional risks:proactive support level
  • One additional risk:motivational support level
  • No additional risks:information provision level

Cases of risk(2)of visceral fat buildup

Among risks ①-④

  • Threeor more additional risks:proactive support level
  • One or Two additional risks:motivational support level
  • No additional risks: information provision level
 
STEP
4

Finalization of health-maintenance guidance levels based on the following conditions

  • Motivational support will be provided to persons in the earlier stages of old age (age 65 or above but younger than 75), even if they qualify for proactive support.
  • Those taking medication are not eligible for special health-maintenance guidance provided by health insurers.

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

Provision of specific health checkup information through the system for online confirmation of eligibility etc.

The Health Insurance Society has adopted the system for online confirmation of eligibility etc. A function of this system allows the Society to obtain information on specific health checkups conducted by other insurers (previous insurers) before its members join the Society.
Although specific health checkup information may be provided without obtaining the member's consent only when it is received using the system for online confirmation of eligibility etc., if you would prefer not to have information on specific health checkups conducted by your previous insurer provided to the Society, please submit a Notice of Refusing Consent.

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Column
  • Start with a health examination

Each insurer makes support payments to the medical care system for the advanced elderly for people aged 75 and above. These support payments may rise or fall depending on assessment of multiple indicators, such as the decrease in the percentage of persons eligible for specific health guidance, as well as the rates of providing specific health checkups and specific health guidance. (The legal limit for the rate of addition and subtraction is 10%)

Since routine health exams can have long-term consequences for the financial status of a health insurance society, all insured persons and dependents are reminded to undergo annual health screenings, in addition to practicing healthy living habits on a daily basis.

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