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 and SubjectsBased 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%, 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. Conclusion Health check-up and the "Hokenshido" program reduced the prevalence of the MetS, which might lead to prevention of CVD.