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Japan town tackles future health: Kids get free checkups
24 Jul
Summary
- Hisayama town and Kyushu University offer free health checkups to sixth graders.
- The program aims to prevent lifestyle-related diseases from childhood.
- This initiative builds on a long-standing adult health checkup program started in 1961.
Hisayama, Fukuoka, has initiated a free health checkup program for sixth graders, collaborating with Kyushu University. This new "children's Hisayama health checkup" aims to foster early awareness of lifestyle-related diseases. It complements the established "Hisayama health checkup," a preventive program for adults running since 1961.
The partnership seeks to gather comparative health data from childhood into adulthood. This information will guide improvements in dietary habits and other lifestyle factors. The program includes urine tests, blood pressure checks, and lifestyle questionnaires, with recent sessions involving dietary guidance for elementary students.
Kyushu University's Professor Toshiharu Ninomiya highlighted the critical link between childhood habits and adult-onset diseases. He emphasized the importance of building health awareness early, as adult habits are harder to change. This initiative is seen as unprecedented in the prefecture.
