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Principal Investigator

Objective

1. Visualization of factors related to sports policy

• Collecting data and building a database on sports policy from more than 50 municipalities
• Identification of more than ten factors related to sports policy
• Development of visualization system and feedback to municipalities
• Participation of more than 30 municipalities in workshops
• Identification of more than ten good practices in municipalities and communities
• Utilization of the findings for improving sports policies at national and municipal levels

2. Assessment of health promotion effects of sports-related facilities such as parks and stadiums

• Development of longitudinal database
• Analysis of the health promotion effects of parks and stadiums based on longitudinal data
• Recommendations for improvement of policies at national and municipal levels regarding the use of parks and stadiums
• Proposal of sports policies to promote the use of stadiums by professional sports teams and citizens

3. Behavior change through mobile apps

• Conducting randomized controlled trials
• Demonstrating the effectiveness of individual-level behavior change approaches through apps
• Promoting participation in sports and other activities by increasing the number of app users through collaboration with local governments

Outline

1. Visualization of factors related to sports policy
The objectives are as follows:
(1) identification of communities with high sports participation rates,
(2) analysis of the related factors,
(3) development of a visualization system to share this information with relevant parties,
and (4) the development of a foundation to utilize the data for policy making and evaluation.
To achieve these objectives, we will
(1) construct a database related to sports policies in multiple regions (prefectures, municipalities, and communities) collected through the same survey methods targeting seniors and adults and compare the policies among regions.
Identify regions where sports are thriving, such as those with high participation rates in sports associations.
(2) Analyze their characteristics and factors, and elucidate success factors for sports promotion at the municipal, community, and individual levels.
(3) Develop a system to visualize the results of multi-regional comparisons and regional correlation analysis using a set of indicators related to sports policies.
(4) Hold workshops with prefectural and municipal sports promotion departments and sports promotion volunteers to support policy formation and evaluation.

2. Assessment of health promotion effects of sports-related facilities such as parks and stadiums
The objective is to quantitatively assess the effects of sports-related facilities such as parks and stadiums on sports activities and health among community-dwelling adults.
In addition to collecting new data, we will construct longitudinal data by using existing data. Based on the longitudinal data, we will examine whether older adults who regularly use the sports-related facilities are more likely to engage in sports than those who do not, and whether the risks of needing long-term care and the costs of medical care and long-term care are reduced.

3. Behavior change through mobile apps
The objective is to examine the effectiveness of an approach to change the individual’s behavior by visualizing individual behavior and providing feedback to the individuals using mobile apps. We will examine the effectiveness of a mobile app that automatically measures how older adults participate in social activities using GPS and presents it to the individuals. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to examine whether feedback via the mobile app improves the frequency of social participation and the amount of walking among about 200 older adults.