A New Health Promotion Program That Includes Wadaiko Rhythm Exercise to Maintain the Health of Persons Excluded from Receiving Specific Health Guidance

This study examined the effectiveness of a new health promotion program, which is a collective intervention program aimed at improving lifestyle habits. It was designed as a one-year prospective cohort study. This program targeted non-obese persons at risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases and participants with hypertension, dyslipidemia, or hyperglycemia who were not included in the specific health guidance system in Japan. The Wadaiko rhythm exercise, which is a traditional performing art, is incorporated into this intervention as an enjoyable routine that can help participants continue the program, preventing them from dropping out. After a one-year follow-up, the effectiveness of the health promotion program was evaluated in 18 participants (2 males, 16 females; mean age 65.2 ± 3.4 years) and 92 controls. The results showed that triglyceride in the intervention group significantly decreased (−24.5 mg/dL; p = 0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], −44.73 to −4.27) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly increased (+6.1 mg/dL; p < 0.01; 95% CI, 2.46 to 9.65), although levels in the control group did not change. These results suggest that the health promotion program could contribute to lifestyle habit improvements in those who are excluded from receiving specific health guidance.