Mobility Management for Health Promotion in Cooperation with Local Government Urban Transport Planning and Public Health Departments

Abstract

Background Due to recent progress in motorization, transport has become much more convenient. However, the reductions in physical activity caused by car- dependent lifestyles have led to deteriorations in people's health. Mobility management programs have been introduced to Japan and some European countries to address social problems caused by car overuse. Mobility management is a transport measure targeted at households and individuals, which is being applied in companies and schools. It is aimed at promoting voluntary behavior modification, encouraging people to switch from cars to sustainable modes of transport. Although mobility management is a helpful way to improve health by increasing physical activity, it has only been used as an urban transport measure since its introduction to Japan. Urban transport and public health departments have not collaborated to improve public health through mobility management. Methods In this study, we implemented a mobility management program as part of an existing local government health-counseling program. The health instruction program is based on the national health insurance system (2008). This article discusses the introduction of a mobility management program in Yamato-city, Kanagawa, Japan. Well-designed tools for the mobility management program are: a motivational leaflet, behavioral planning sheet, bus-route map, bus and rail timetable, weight and pedometer record, pedometer, town guide for active travel, and a reflector for night walks. Previously, counseling guidance was mainly composed of two lectures. One lecture was about healthy eating habits, the participants ate a 500 kcal lunch cooked by a dietician for 300 yen. The other lecture consisted of a simple stretching and strength-building workout, which can be conducted at home. We encouraged participants to increase their physical activity levels by distributing our mobility management tools during the both lectures. Results We collected before and after questionnaires from 41 people, and compared them to determine the impact of the mobility management experiment. Bus and bicycle use increased significantly as a whole purpose. As purposes of a social or recreational activity, car use decreased significantly and walking and bus use increased significantly. Conclusions The results show that mobility management is an effective urban transport and public health measure, as physical activity increased and car use decreased. The program developed for this study can easily be used in other cities. Next summer, mobility management, we will evaluate health indicators by collecting medical examination data before and after this program.