EFFECT OF COMMUNITY SPORTS CLUB DEVELOPMENT TO REDUCTION OF MEDICAL EXPENSES.

2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11800004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Special Purpose.
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Institution: UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA
• Principal Investigator: YATSUSHIRO Tsutomu UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA, INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND SPORT SCIENCES, PROFESSOR., 体育科学系, 教授 (70015866)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAMURA Makoto INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR., 医療福祉学部, 助教授 (50272422) ; MUTO Takashi JUNTENDO UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR., 医学部, 助教授 (30209986) ; NISHIJIMA Takahiko UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA, INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND SPORT SCIENCES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR., 体育科学系, 助教授 (50202239) ; KUROSU Mitsuru FUKUSHIMA UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR., 教育学部, 助教授 (50170121) ; NOGAWA Haruo JUNTENDO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS AND HEALTH SCIENCES, PROFESSOR., スポーツ健康科学部, 教授 (70208312)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2000
• Keywords: Community / Sports club / Medical expenses / Exercise and sports participation / Social benefit

Research Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of community sports club development to reduction of medical expenses in Japanese adults statistically.
The two towns of Fukuno-machi, Toyama Prefecture and Koto-oka-machi, Akita Prefecture in which community sports clubs were established utilizing a subsidy of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports Science and Technology (MEXT) for 3 years from 1997 to 1999 were participated in this study. Whole residents over 20 years old living in the both towns answered the questionnaire on sports club participation, exercise and sports activities, physical fitness and motor performance, ADL, health promotion behavior, and so on, in November, 1999. Medical expenses of the National health insurance for 42 months from April, 1996 to October, 1999 were collected. Number of samples were 4,768 females and 4,272 males for Fukuno, and 1,633 females and 1,456 males for Koto-oka for the questionnaire. For the medical expenses data, number of samples we re 1,463 females and 1,286 males for Fukuno, and 1,234 females and 1,063 males for Koto-oka. For physical activities survey using pedometry, 59 female and 63 males living in Fukuno were participated and answered log questionnaire for 7 days in November, 2000. The documentations on relationship between physical activities and medical economic effects were collected and reviewed.
The main findings were as follows. Medical expenses of the community sports club members had an inclination to decrease from the view point of statistical results of cross-sectional data. Participants rate who did exercise and sports over once a week was over 50% in community sports club members. The club members with weekly activity level above and/or doing them over 30 min and over twice a week tended to have energy consumption enough to promote their health and fitness through to older age. And, the participants over 65 years old with weekly activity level above tended to maintain their physical fitness, function and ability level of around 45 years old. It was indicated that the level of physical and motor ability and ability of ADL in over 40 years old could be maintained by going on with weekly exercise and sports activities in community sports club. Finally, The members of community sports club had a tendency to have some kinds of benefit through daily activities not only individually but also socially.