“evidence is limited as to whether population-level screening programs and accompanied lifestyle interventions for obesity and cardiovascular risk factors reduce mortality or the incidence of cardiovascular diseases.
In 2008, Japan introduced a nationwide screening program to identify individuals with high obesity and cardiovascular risks (known as metabolic syndrome) and to provide health guidance to reduce weight and improve cardiovascular risk. All adults aged 40 to 74 years were required by law to participate every year, and approximately 29 million people in Japan received the screening program in 2017. [..] in addition to screening individuals, it provides lifestyle intervention programs for patients at high cardiovascular risk, which is more intensive than many similar programs in other countries. Given that many other countries, employers, and insurers globally are considering similar lifestyle intervention programs to improve population health and lower health expenditures, it is important to study the impact of this national health guidance intervention using a robust, quasi-experimental design.
[..] The screening program consists of multiple steps to identify high-risk populations and provide counseling for adopting healthy lifestyles and seeking medical treatment (ie, the health guidance intervention) to those participants identified as being at high risk. Participants with waist circumferences greater than the sex-specific thresholds (85 cm for men and 90 cm for women) and had 1 or more cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia) were required to undergo the health guidance intervention (in addition to receiving a summary report of screening results). Those who were taking antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and antihyperlipidemic drugs—individuals who presumably are cared for and given guidance by clinicians—were not required to undergo the health guidance intervention. Participants who did not meet these criteria received a summary report of screening results via mail (did not undergo the health guidance intervention). The insurers used mail or telephone calls to reach out to participants who were assigned to the health guidance intervention (ie, those determined to be at high risk).
Japan’s national health guidance intervention includes content related to exercise, diet, and medical visits. [..] The health guidance intervention was provided through an initial interview by the instructor (individual support ≥20 minutes or group support ≥80 minutes), followed by continuous support for a duration of 3 months or more if determined necessary by the assigned instructor based on the participant’s cardiovascular risk factors. For those participants who still have a waist circumference greater than the threshold (plus 1 or more risk factors) after receiving the health guidance intervention in the prior year, another health guidance intervention would be provided as a de novo intervention (not as a continuation of guidance provided in the first year). The government subsidizes the cost of the guidance conducted by insurers. The estimated cost of the health guidance intervention was $150 million (1 US dollar = 106 Japanese yen) per year.
[..] Our main outcomes were changes in obesity status—body weight, BMI, and waist circumference—1 year after the screening program.
[..] Waist circumference was distributed with a median (interquartile range) of 85.5 (80.3-91.5) cm, and 53.1% of participants (54,548 of 102,764) had waist circumferences above the threshold.
[..] We found that the assignment to health guidance intervention was associated with lower weight (adjusted difference, −0.29 kg; 95% CI, −0.50 to −0.08), BMI (−0.10; 95% CI, −0.17 to −0.03) and waist circumference (−0.34 cm; 95% CI, −0.59 to −0.04) 1 year after screening. The observed weight loss attenuated over time, and it was no longer significant by years 3 to 4.
[..] We found no evidence that the assignment to the health guidance intervention was associated with changes in cardiovascular risk factors in 1 to 4 years.
[..] We found no evidence that health guidance intervention was associated with changes in the rates of drug use, smoking status, and exercise habits.
[..] The observed effect size of a weight reduction of approximately 0.4% (a reduction of 0.29 kg from the baseline mean weight of 71.4 kg) was modest at best. However, it was the intention-to-treat effect [..], and we also found that ToT effect (effect of receipt of the guidance) was 5 to 6 times greater. The observed weight loss (ToT [treatment-on-the-treated] effect) of −2.2% (1.56 kg reduction) in our study was smaller than other lifestyle interventions for obesity, such as the 6.0% weight loss seen with the Diabetes Prevention Program. This is probably because the threshold of waist circumference was relatively low; therefore, the population that received the intervention was relatively healthy. It may also be the case that the influence of an intervention for obesity implemented in the real world (effectiveness) may be smaller than what we find in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) (efficacy) because participants recruited in randomized clinical trials are usually self-selected, highly motivated individuals.”
Full article, Fukuma S, Iizuka T, Ikenoue T et al. JAMA Internal Medicine 2020.10.5