Sport Program Service study and Setagaya-Aoba study

Abstract

Physical fitness comprises motor ability and health-related factors. The concept of healthrelated physical fitness is well known and established through abundant evidence, such as the Tokyo Gas study and Hisayama study. Although the Active Guide Japanese Official Physical Activity Guidelines for Health Promotion were published in 2013, there were gaps in physical fitness criteria because of the lack of high-quality epidemiological evidence based on Japanese participants. Moreover, from the viewpoint of sample representativeness, it is necessary to introduce and publish other studies that measure health-related physical fitness in addition to the existing cohort studies. Therefore, we introduced a unique cohort study targeting people in the Setagaya and Yokohama cities in Japan. The Sport Program Service and Setagaya-Aoba studies are conducted in Yokohama City and Setagaya-ku, famous in Japan for their governmental health promotion policies, high life expectancy, and high income. The results from these cohorts have revealed an association between health-related physical fitness and lifestyle-related diseases and genetic polymorphisms. These studies may contribute to the development of the concept of precision exercise medicine that matches one's characteristics. Additionally, to publish epidemiological studies with such unique participants, we need to collaborate closely with the industry, government, and academia. It is essential to establish a system that allows external epidemiologists and scientists to participate in the studies stated in this paper and closely collaborate with industry, government, and academia.