#Japan #Toyota #digital health #Eisai #Lotte

Eisai and Lotte's Collaborative Health Initiative

Eisai Co., Ltd. and Lotte Co., Ltd. have recently completed a successful trial project in Toyota City, aimed at preventing frailty among the elderly, as part of the Aichi Digital Health Project. This project is particularly significant given the increasing concerns over frailty in Japan’s aging society.

Frailty, a condition characterized by a decline in physical and mental functions due to aging, places individuals at a higher risk of requiring care. It represents a critical point between health and dependency, making intervention efforts essential. The Aichi Digital Health Project addresses this issue by promoting early detection and appropriate interventions to mitigate risks associated with frailty.

As part of this initiative, Eisai utilized health examination data to identify high-risk individuals for frailty in Toyota City. The company performed a risk evaluation for individuals participating in a three-month oral exercise program aimed at combating both oral frailty and overall frailty. The results were promising, showcasing significant improvements among participants. Out of 34 individuals identified at high risk for oral frailty, a staggering 32 were confirmed to have progressing frailty before the intervention. Following the program, many demonstrated improvements in their oral and physical health status.

Lotte's role in this collaborative effort involved implementing a comprehensive preventive intervention program that included gum chewing exercises and facilitated social gatherings for participants. This three-month program directly involved 32 Toyota residents, leading to notable behavior changes. Before the intervention, oral frailty was prevalent at 16% within the group; however, this figure dramatically decreased to just 3% post-intervention. Similarly, the percentage of individuals classified as healthy improved from 37% to 47%. In terms of overall frailty, the incidence decreased from 19% to 12%, with individuals recognized as healthy increasing from 36% to 44%. These findings underline the effectiveness of Lotte's intervention program and displayed a high satisfaction rate among participants, indicating a strong intention to continue exercising.

According to Shimizu Tomoya, the head of the Planning Policy Department's Future City Promotion Division in Toyota City, this success indicated that leveraging digital technologies to extract high-risk individuals from data collected through municipal health initiatives and providing preventative care services can be effective. The insights gathered from this trial will be explored for their application in future health promotion efforts.

Eisai and Lotte are committed to strengthening their collaboration and incorporating various preventive intervention programs to further contribute to the prevention of frailty among Toyota's citizens. By doing so, they aim not only to improve individual health outcomes but also to address broader public health challenges associated with Japan's aging population.

Conclusion

This collaboration between Eisai and Lotte not only serves to combat frailty but also sets a precedent for how health data and technology can intersect to promote well-being in an increasingly aged society. The outcomes of this project may influence future health policies and easy access to preventative care, establishing a model that could be replicated across other regions facing similar demographic challenges.