Nowon-gu Lifelong Health Management Project Receives Applause from Residents

From Free Health and Fitness Assessments to Personalized Consultations and Management... Choose from 5 Convenient Locations, Night Hours Available for Office Workers

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is receiving great responses from residents for its lifelong health management project.

The Lifelong Health Management Center, first established nationwide in 2011, provides personalized health consultation services and has expanded from the initial 3 centers to 5 centers currently in operation.

The centers by region are Nowon (4th floor of Nowon-gu Office Health Center), Junggye (2nd floor of Junggye 2·3-dong Community Center), Wolgye (2nd floor of Wolgye Healthcare Center), Gongneung (2nd floor of Gongneung Health Branch), and Sanggye (Sanggye 2-dong Community Center).

Each center employs 28 staff members, including 12 nurses, 1 clinical pathologist, 8 exercise prescription specialists, and 7 nutritionists. The screening target age has been lowered from 30 to 20 years old, allowing 82% of the district residents to receive the service.

Any resident can use the service free of charge, and reservations can be made by visiting the nearest center to their residence or applying via phone or internet. To accommodate workers who find it difficult to visit during daytime, the Nowon Center operates until 9 PM every Wednesday.

The screening consists of personalized lifestyle counseling, physical fitness measurement, and basic tests. The physical fitness measurements include seven types: grip strength (measured by machine), flexibility (sit and reach), muscular endurance (sit-ups), explosive power (standing high jump), agility (rapid leg spread), balance (one-leg stand with eyes closed), and cardiopulmonary endurance (oxygen intake).

The basic tests include 'Metabolic Syndrome Screening' measuring blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference, triglycerides, and high-density cholesterol, and 'Body Composition Measurement' assessing muscle mass, obesity level, and basal metabolic rate.

Based on the screening results, individuals are classified into 'Metabolic Syndrome group,' 'Health Caution group,' 'Medication Treatment group,' or 'Normal group.' Nutritional and exercise program prescriptions, smoking cessation, and alcohol moderation health prescriptions are provided through dietary habit analysis.

If desired, individuals can use nutrition and exercise programs operated at each center according to their situation.

Additionally, information on local community sports classes, community center program status, and usage methods is provided, and those registered at the center can receive re-screening notifications every 6 or 12 months.

Since 2011, 130,531 people have registered at the centers, accounting for about 30% of Nowon-gu’s population aged 20 and over. Among them, 43,313 people received screenings annually, and 112,050 people received health, nutrition, and exercise management consultations.

The district also operates a separate 'Visiting Health Counseling Room' to reduce health disparities. It mainly targets vulnerable groups such as users of facilities for the disabled, including the Hagae Disabled Day Activity Center, Nowon 50 Plus Center, and Peace Social Welfare Center.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “There is a saying ‘99881234.’ It means ‘live healthily until 99, be sick for a day or two, and die on the third day.’ In the era of 100 years of age, we will strive to provide proactive and future-oriented diverse health management services for the health of our residents.”

Nowon-gu Office Health Promotion Division, Healthy City Team (2116-0743)