Community Perceptions in Japan

Prospectus: Exploring Good Health: Community Perceptions in Japan

By

Herbert Morehouse Jamieson

PhD Public Health - Community Health

Walden University

A00171537

PROBLEM STATEMENT2

SIGNIFICANCE4

BACKGROUND4

FRAMEWORK5

RESEARCH QUESTIONS6

NATURE OF THE STUDY7

RESEARCH PLAN7

REFERENCES9

Problem Statement

People living in extremely healthy communities appear to overcome risks in their dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors that plague other communities, and several former studies have revealed strategies and methods for healthy living entails a healthy balanced diet , healthy foods , caloric restriction, and increased physical exercise (e.g. brisk walking and other techniques) (International Living, 2010).

Other studies show that positivity and purposefulness, a low stress level, and a dynamic lifestyle are imperative elements of a long and healthy life. It is simple to embrace these factors in a community where people intentionally place great value on strong social and family networks. This engagement of close and deep association keeps people involved in everyday activities that sharpen their intellectual skills and ultimately health. The “locavore” movement in the US suggests that it's healthier to eat foods that are cultivated and grown nearby the place people are living. In this context, intake of organic food is a great example. The communities with clean air and sun shine keep people active, as they remain outside more to gain benefit from natural resources (International Living, 2010). The notion collecting community perceptions on health and healthy living initially emerged approximately three decades ago, when world was developing as segment of movement for social integrity. It was envisioned that fundamental health requirements could be achieved more efficiently and appropriately by the superior engagement of people themselves. There have however , been no studies to date that document perceptions of people living in extremely healthy communities about how to reduce these risk factors for disease (Danael, et.al, 2009).

World health Organization has also recapitulated the advantages of community participation as follows:

It covers more people as compare to non-participatory ventures.

It is an effective project as strategies and objectives are more pertinent, which is illustrated in the end results.

It represents equity and encourages concept of endowing for those in supreme need.

It proofs as a cause of self-reliance and enhances people's management over their living standards (Bandesha & Litva, 2005).

The research will concentrate on sampling individuals from one of the healthiest countries of the world; Japan, as measured by the “IHME” at the University of Washington. The University of Washington compared health data of 187 countries for the last 20 years and measured results from 291 diseases as well as 67 risk factors for a number of groups. The objective of the IHME is to determine each countries' health problems and how best to maximize health improvement through collecting high scientific rigor (www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org) are accepted via scientific research papers, web appendices and other publications with stated intention of improving the quality of the data available to produce the highest quality metrics. According to the study of overall encumber of illness conducted by the IHME in 2010, it compared 15 European Union countries, which include the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Norway, and several ...