Geumcheon-gu Health Promotion Project Wins Minister of Health and Welfare Award for Obesity Prevention

Development and Establishment of a Standardized Health Promotion Model for Obesity Prevention at Geumcheon-type Health Promotion School
Recognized for Continuous Operation of Obesity Clinic and Support for Generation-specific Health Programs

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that it received a commendation from the Minister of Health and Welfare in recognition of its efforts to prevent and manage obesity and promote health among its residents.

Every year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare selects local governments, individuals, and organizations that have contributed to obesity prevention projects and awards them commendations on "Obesity Prevention Day" (March 4).

The district was recognized for operating the "Geumcheon-type Health Promotion School," a childhood and adolescent obesity prevention project that supports healthy growth in children and develops and establishes a standardized health promotion model for obesity prevention.

The "Geumcheon-type Health Promotion School" is a health welfare service in which public health centers, schools, families, and the local community build an organic cooperative system to help children and adolescents prevent obesity and manage their health in daily life.

It supports students' healthy growth by providing morning healthy snacks, morning walking activities, integrated health promotion education (linked nutrition and physical activity classes), creating an environment that promotes physical activity within schools, educating parents and teachers, and training and utilizing community health leaders.

Starting with a pilot operation in two schools in 2019, the project was conducted last year targeting 2,292 students in six elementary schools. This year, it will be expanded to eight schools to manage the health of more students.

Additionally, the district operates an obesity clinic year-round, providing customized intensive management services such as physical fitness measurement, exercise and nutrition counseling, one-on-one exercise management, and dietary therapy guidance.

Moreover, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district operated a non-face-to-face intelligent obesity management service called the "Health Keeper Band." Targeting 450 individuals with obesity and metabolic syndrome, it provided ▲ exercise management (real-time physical activity analysis) ▲ nutrition management (voice recognition-based dietary habit analysis) ▲ consultations with health experts ▲ home exercise programs using an intelligent wearable band and a mobile app.

This year, the district is focusing on the 30s and 40s age groups with the highest obesity rates and the 40s and 60s age groups with the largest population ratios, establishing and operating new health management programs. By selecting high-risk individuals, it has gained great response from residents through various programs such as exercise and nutrition classes and walking challenges.

Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, stated, "Obesity is not an individual's problem but a challenge that society must address together, requiring efforts from families, schools, and the community. We will continue to strive to prevent obesity and create a healthy environment through various programs."