JP7516732B2 - Lifestyle improvement support device, computer program, and lifestyle improvement support method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a lifestyle habit improvement support device , a computer program, and a lifestyle habit improvement support method.

Adult diseases such as diabetes and strokes are known to be caused not only by aging, but also by lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking, and drinking. Corporate health insurance associations and other organizations are under pressure to reduce medical expenses for these adult diseases, as well as medical expenses for the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related diseases caused by lifestyle habits such as exercise habits, diet, smoking, and drinking.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that estimates a user's condition stage level by comparing changes in vital information measured from the user with changes in vital information previously acquired from multiple subjects and the corresponding condition stage levels (stages of change in the condition of lifestyle-related diseases), and provides the user with health care information (health management information) corresponding to the estimated condition stage level.

Patent No. 4585219

Lifestyle-related diseases are greatly influenced by lifestyle habits specific to each individual, such as exercise habits, diet, smoking, and drinking. For example, such lifestyle habits are thought to be influenced by various factors, such as an individual's awareness and attitude toward health, and the way of thinking and feelings when taking action. Therefore, even if a system such as that described in Patent Document 1 is used to provide uniform health care information using only vital signs, it may not be possible to promote behavioral change in users.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and discloses a lifestyle habit improvement support device , a computer program, and a lifestyle habit improvement support method that can encourage behavioral change in subjects such as lifestyle disease patients and those at risk of developing such diseases.

The present application includes multiple means for solving the above problems, and as one example, a lifestyle habit improvement support device includes an interest level determination unit that determines the subject's level of interest in each of multiple health behaviors, a behavioral characteristic determination unit that determines behavioral characteristics that characterize the subject's behavior, and a provision unit that provides support information to the subject's device for supporting the subject's lifestyle habit improvement based on the determination results of the interest level determination unit and the behavioral characteristic determination unit.

This disclosure can encourage behavioral change in subjects.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lifestyle habit improvement support system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a subject device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an instructor device. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a health behavior category. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a questionnaire regarding health behavior. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a weighting coefficient for each behavioral characteristic. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of questionnaire information in which the degree of awareness is described. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a distribution schedule of support information when the health behavior category is "exercise." FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a distribution schedule of support information when the health behavior category is "diet." FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of chat topics classified by behavioral characteristics when the health behavior category is "exercise." FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of chat topics by behavioral characteristic when the health behavior category is "food." 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the degree of behavioral change and the content format of support information. FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for determining a degree of behavioral change. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a download screen 101 displayed by a subject device. FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of a chat screen displayed by a target device. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of a chat screen displayed by the target device. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a lifestyle habit improvement support method performed by a server. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of the lifestyle habit improvement supporting device according to the present embodiment.

The embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lifestyle habit improvement support system. The lifestyle habit improvement support system includes a server 50 as a lifestyle habit improvement support device, a subject device 10 used by a subject, and an instructor device 20 used by an instructor. The subjects include not only patients with lifestyle-related diseases, but also those who are said to be at risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases and healthy people who want to prevent lifestyle-related diseases before they occur. The subject device 10, the instructor device 20, and the server 50 are connected to each other via a communication network 1 such as the Internet. The server 50 has a function of controlling and managing the exchange of information between the subject device 10 and the instructor device 20. Note that, for convenience, only one subject device 10 and one instructor device 20 are shown in FIG. 1, but there may be multiple subject devices 10 and instructor devices 20. In addition, the server 50 can distribute its functions using multiple servers.

The subject device 10 includes a display unit 11 and is configured, for example, as a smartphone, tablet, or notebook personal computer. The subject device 10 can be connected to the measuring device 40 by a short-range communication function between the subject device 10 and the measuring device 40. The measuring device 40 is a measuring device that can measure vital data, and includes, for example, a weight scale, a blood pressure monitor, and an activity monitor. The vital data can include, for example, blood pressure, pulse, pulse pressure, weight, abdominal circumference, body fat percentage, internal fat, muscle mass, water content, BMI, blood glucose level, number of steps, and images of dietary content. The subject can upload and record his/her own vital data measured by the measuring device 40 to the server 50 using the subject device 10. The subject may read the values measured by the measuring device 40 and input them into the subject device 10.

The instructor device 20 includes a display unit 21 and is configured as an information processing device such as a personal computer or a tablet. Chat (exchange of chat messages) can be performed between the instructor device 20 and the subject device 10 using the functions of the server 50. A video call (TV phone) function may also be performed. Instructors include, for example, medical professionals such as public health nurses, registered dietitians, exercise instructors, nurses, and psychological counselors. The instructor is not limited to one person, and may be a training team of multiple people.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 50. The server 50 includes a control unit 51 that controls the entire server 50, a communication unit 52, an interest level determination unit 53, a behavioral characteristic determination unit 54, a chat function provision unit 55, a delivery schedule management unit 56, a subject information DB 57, a support information DB 58, a weighting coefficient setting unit 59, and a behavior change determination unit 60. The control unit 51 can be composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

The communication unit 52 has the functions of a first survey information acquisition unit, a second survey information acquisition unit, and a vital data acquisition unit. The communication unit 52 provides a communication function between the subject device 10 and the instructor device 20 via the communication network 1.

The interest level determination unit 53 determines the subject's level of interest in each of a plurality of health behaviors. Health behaviors are various activities related to the subject's health, including various behaviors related to the treatment and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Various health behaviors may be classified into a plurality of types of health behaviors. The interest level can also be referred to as the interest level, and can be said to be an index representing the subject's will for the future, i.e., "what do I want to do in the future" with respect to a particular health behavior, or the will when deciding on a future goal, i.e., "what do I want to be in the future" with respect to a particular health behavior. Details of the interest level determination unit 53 will be described later.

The behavioral characteristic determination unit 54 determines the behavioral characteristics that characterize the behavior of the subject. The behavioral characteristics of the subject can be said to be the type of the subject, and can be used to classify the subject according to the values and consciousness that influence the subject's behavioral decisions. Subjects classified into the same behavioral characteristics have similar values and consciousness when deciding on their behavior, and are therefore likely to behave in a similar manner. Details of the behavioral characteristic determination unit 54 will be described later.

The chat function providing unit 55 provides a function for exchanging chat messages between the subject device 10 and the instructor device 20. Although not shown, a function for making a video call (TV phone call) between the subject device 10 and the instructor device 20 may also be provided.

The distribution schedule management unit 56 functions as a provider and provides the subject device 10 with support information for supporting the subject in improving his/her lifestyle habits based on the results of the determinations made by the interest level determination unit 53 and the behavioral characteristic determination unit 54. Details of the distribution schedule management unit 56 will be described later.

The weighting coefficient setting unit 59 sets a weighting coefficient for each of a plurality of question items that identify the awareness of a behavior for each behavioral characteristic that characterizes the behavior. The weighting coefficient indicates the degree of influence that a question item has on a behavioral characteristic, and it can be said that the larger the weighting coefficient of a certain question item, the greater the degree to which that question item influences the behavioral characteristic. The weighting coefficient setting unit 59 will be described in detail later.

The behavior change determination unit 60 determines the degree of behavior change of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response from the subject to the support information provided by the distribution schedule management unit 56, or the timing of the response. The degree of behavior change indicates the degree to which the subject's health behavior is changed by the support information provided to the subject, and can include a direct reaction to the provided support information as well as a change in the subject's vital data due to the subject performing some health behavior based on the provided support information. The behavior change determination unit 60 will be described in detail later.

The subject information DB57 includes information such as the subject's ID, name, the subject's behavioral characteristics (type), the degree of behavioral change, vital data (time of acquisition, acquired values, etc.), dietary data (including date and time, meal menu, images of meals, etc.), lifestyle improvement goals for the subject, instruction plan, instruction content, and a chat log showing the history of chat messages exchanged between the subject and the instructor.

The support information DB58 stores support information that has been appropriately categorized in advance according to a combination of the genre of health behavior, behavioral characteristics, duration of lifestyle improvement guidance, time point at which vital data was acquired, and planned time for distributing the support information (which may be categorized by season, for example).

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the subject device 10. The subject device 10 includes a control unit 12 that controls the entire device, a communication unit 13, an input unit 14, a memory unit 15, an interface unit 16, a display unit 11, a display control unit 17, and a chat message processing unit 18. The control unit 12 can be configured, for example, with a CPU, ROM, and RAM.

The communication unit 13 provides communication functions with the server 50 via the communication network 1.

The input unit 14 is configured with a touch panel or the like, and can input characters and operate icons, buttons, menu bars, windows, cursors, etc. on the display unit 11. The input unit 14 may also be provided with a voice input function so as to receive the subject's voice. The input unit 14 also includes a camera, and can obtain images by photographing the contents of the meal the subject is eating.

The memory unit 15 can store information acquired from the server 50, information input from the input unit 14, and the like. The memory unit 15 can also store a lifestyle habit improvement support app (application).

The interface unit 16 provides an interface function with the measuring instrument 40.

The display control unit 17 performs processing to display specified information on the display unit 11.

The chat message processing unit 18 executes processing to send and receive chat messages with the instructor device 20.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the instructor device 20. The instructor device 20 includes a control unit 22 that controls the entire device, a communication unit 23, an input unit 24, a memory unit 25, a display unit 21, a display control unit 26, and a chat message processing unit 27. The control unit 22 can be composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

The communication unit 23 provides communication functions with the server 50 via the communication network 1.

The input unit 24 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch panel, etc. The input unit 24 can input characters and operate icons, buttons, menu bars, windows, cursors, etc. on the display unit 21. The input unit 24 may also be provided with a voice input function so as to receive the voice of the instructor.

The memory unit 25 can store information obtained from the server 50, information input from the input unit 24, etc.

The display control unit 26 performs processing to display specified information on the display unit 21.

The chat message processing unit 27 executes processing to send and receive chat messages with the target device 10.

Next, we will explain how to provide support information to help improve lifestyle habits.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a category of health behavior. As described above, the interest level determination unit 53 determines the subject's level of interest in each of a plurality of health behaviors. As shown in Figure 5, different categories of health behavior include, for example, physical activity (including both exercise and daily activities such as maintaining posture, housework, commuting, and leisure activities), diet (food and nutrition), sleep and rest, health checkups, collecting health-related information, alcohol and tobacco, etc. Lifestyle improvement is an approach to transform such health behaviors and bring the subject into a healthy state and maintain that state of health.

The communication unit 52 can acquire survey information from the subject device 10, which contains the subject's responses to questions regarding each of a number of health behaviors.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a questionnaire on health behavior. As shown in Figure 6, when the category of health behavior is "exercise", the question in the questionnaire can be, for example, "Do you intend to improve your physical activity (exercise, daily activity) habits?" When the category of health behavior is "food", the question in the questionnaire can be, for example, "Do you intend to improve your eating habits?" The answer column of the questionnaire can use, for example, a phrase that can quantify the level of interest (for example, "No chance of improvement", "Intending to improve (within about 6 months)", "Intending to improve in the near future (within about 1 month)", "Already working on improvement (less than 6 months)", "Already working on improvement (more than 6 months)", etc.). Note that the number of options for the question is not limited to 5, and the level of interest is not limited to the values 1 to 5.

The interest level determination unit 53 determines the subject's level of interest in health behavior based on the questionnaire information acquired by the communication unit 52. For example, if the level of interest in the answer to the question about "exercise" is "4" and the level of interest in the answer to the question about "diet" is "2", the subject's level of interest in "exercise" is higher than that in "diet", so the subject's health behavior category can be determined to be "exercise". Note that in the example of Figure 6, one question is illustrated for each category of health behavior, but multiple questions may be set for each category and the interest levels of the answers to each question may be averaged. Also, the answer to each of the multiple questions may be weighted to determine the level of interest for each category.

By using the questionnaire information, it is possible to extract the categories of health behaviors in which the subject is most interested, and thus to provide support information related to the health behaviors of interest to the subject, thereby further encouraging behavioral change.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a weighting coefficient for each behavioral characteristic. As described above, the weighting coefficient setting unit 59 sets a weighting coefficient for each of a number of question items that specify the attitude toward a behavior for each behavioral characteristic that characterizes the behavior. For example, when evaluating behavioral characteristics based on the evaluation axis of rational thinking and emotional thinking (or self-management ability), they can be classified by keywords such as "at my own pace," "try anything," and "effort type."

As shown in FIG. 7, the weighting coefficients of questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn with the behavioral characteristic "at my own pace" can be a1, a2, ..., an, respectively, the weighting coefficients of questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn with the behavioral characteristic "try anything" can be b1, b2, ..., bn, respectively, and the weighting coefficients of questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn with the behavioral characteristic "effort type" can be c1, c2, ..., cn, respectively. The questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn can have content that relatively better represents one of the multiple behavioral characteristics than the other behavioral characteristics.

The communication unit 52 can acquire survey information from the subject device 10, which describes the subject's level of awareness for each of a number of question items.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of questionnaire information in which the degree of awareness is recorded. As shown in Figure 8, the subject's degree of awareness for questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn is denoted as x1, x2, ..., xn. The degree of awareness can be categorized, for example, using numbers 1 to 7, with 1 being very applicable, 2 being applicable, 3 being somewhat applicable, 4 being neutral, 5 being not very applicable, 6 being not applicable, and 7 being not applicable at all.

The behavioral characteristic determination unit 54 can determine the behavioral characteristics of the subject based on the subject's level of awareness and weighting coefficient for each of the multiple question items. For example, when the subject's behavioral characteristic is "at my own pace," the cluster value V1 can be calculated as V1 = a1 x1 + a2 x2 + ... + an xn. When the subject's behavioral characteristic is "try anything," the cluster value V2 can be calculated as V2 = b1 x1 + b2 x2 + ... + bn xn. When the subject's behavioral characteristic is "effort type," the cluster value V3 can be calculated as V2 = c1 x1 + c2 x2 + ... + cn xn. The subject's behavioral characteristic can be the behavioral characteristic that has the largest value among the calculated cluster values V1, V2, and V3.

This makes it possible to extract behavioral characteristics that embody the values and attitudes of the subject when taking action, and to provide support information that makes it easier for the subject to take action, further encouraging behavioral change.

The distribution schedule management unit 56 can select support information from pre-prepared support information that is appropriate for the genre in which the subject has been determined to have a high level of interest (degree of curiosity) and the subject's determined type, and provide the selected support information.

With the above-mentioned configuration, rather than providing uniform support information based only on the subject's vital signs, it is possible to provide each subject with optimal support information according to their level of interest in health behavior and the differences in the behavioral characteristics that characterize their behavior, thereby encouraging behavioral changes in the subject.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a delivery schedule of support information when the genre of health behavior is "exercise". In the example of Figure 9, the lifestyle improvement guidance period is set to three months, and the support information (content) to be delivered each week can be different. For example, in the case of cluster 1 (behavioral characteristic is "my pace"), "exercise/seasonal content" is delivered in the first week of the first month, and the contents "exercise 1CL1", "exercise 2CL1", and "exercise 3CL1" are delivered in the second to fourth weeks. A "support message based on records" is delivered in the first week of the second month, and the contents "exercise 4CL1", "exercise 5CL1", and "exercise 6CL1" are delivered in the second to fourth weeks. The "support message based on records" can be, for example, a message according to the increase or decrease in the vital data of the subject. For example, if the vital data is changing in a negative direction, a message that calls attention and encourages the subject to change his/her behavior can be used. Also, if the vital data is changing in a positive direction or is maintained, a message that encourages the subject to maintain the current situation without letting his/her guard down can be used. Seasonal content includes images and text that evoke a sense of the season.

In addition, the content of the "encouragement message based on records" may be determined, for example, according to the increase or decrease in vital data from four weeks ago to the present. Which vital data to focus on may be determined by a prior questionnaire or the like. If the subject does not have a preference, attention may be paid to all vital data that has increased or decreased. For example, if the subject is engaged in a health behavior category of "exercise" and has lost 1 kg, an encouragement message such as "You have lost 1 kg of weight. It seems that your daily exercise is paying off. Keep walking." can be delivered.

In the first week of the third month, "Exercise/Seasonal Content" is delivered, and from the second to fourth week, the contents "Exercise 7 CL1", "Exercise 8 CL1", and "Exercise 9 CL1" are delivered. At the end, a "record-based evaluation message" is delivered. The "record-based evaluation message" can be, for example, a message based on changes in the subject's vital data over the three months. For example, if the vital data has not improved, a message can be used that recommends receiving further guidance on improvement activities. Also, if the vital data has improved, a message can be used that indicates that the improvement activities have been effective. The same applies to the other clusters.

The "record-based evaluation message" may, for example, change the display mode of the character depending on the degree of achievement relative to the target value, and may also express the degree of achievement numerically. For example, if 100% of the target is achieved, a number of 100% and a character with a smiling face may be displayed. If only 80% of the target is achieved, a number of 80% and a character with a normal face may be displayed. If only 60% of the target is achieved, a number of 60% and a character with a crying face may be displayed.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a delivery schedule for support information when the health behavior category is "food." The delivery schedule is similar to that in Figure 9, but differs from that in Figure 9 in that the content to be delivered is related to "food."

The communication unit 52 can acquire the subject's vital data from the subject device 10.

The distribution schedule management unit 56 can provide support information to support the subject in improving his/her lifestyle habits based on the vital data acquired by the communication unit 52. This makes it possible to provide support information based on the vital data as objective data that can be used to determine the subject's lifestyle-related disease status that has emerged as a result of the subject's behavioral changes, thereby encouraging further behavioral changes in the subject.

As shown in FIG. 10, the distribution schedule management unit 56 can provide support information with different contents according to at least one of the duration of the lifestyle habit improvement support for the subject, the time when the subject's vital data was acquired, and the time when the support information is scheduled to be provided (e.g., divided into four seasons). This allows the support information to be provided in accordance with the timing of the subject's lifestyle habit improvement activities, thereby encouraging the subject to change his or her behavior.

Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing examples of chat subject lines for each behavioral characteristic when the health behavior genre is "exercise." In the example of Figure 11, when the behavioral characteristic is "at your own pace" (cluster 1), the chat subject line can be "For those who want to improve their health with a little exercise every day." When the behavioral characteristic is "try anything" (cluster 2), the chat subject line can be "Surprising! What are effective exercise methods?" When the behavioral characteristic is "effort type" (cluster 3), the chat subject line can be "Tips for those who want to start walking."

Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing examples of chat subject lines by behavioral characteristic when the health behavior category is "food." In the example of Figure 12, when the behavioral characteristic is "go at your own pace" (cluster 1), the chat subject line can be "Your common sense about food may be wrong." When the behavioral characteristic is "try anything" (cluster 2), the chat subject line can be "If you know, you can eat deliciously and be healthier." When the behavioral characteristic is "make an effort" (cluster 3), the chat subject line can be "For those of you who choose your meals with health in mind."

In this way, the distribution schedule management unit 56 can provide support information in chat format with different subjects depending on the behavioral characteristics of the subject determined by the behavioral characteristic determination unit 54. In addition, the subject of the support information in chat format can be changed depending on the genre of health behavior.

In this way, by changing the subject of the support information provided in chat format to one that is appropriate to the behavioral characteristics of the target person, depending on the differences in the behavioral characteristics that characterize the target person's behavior, the target person will be attracted to the chat subject and will also want to read the content of the chat, thereby increasing the degree of behavioral change in the target person.

Next, we will explain how to determine how a subject who has been provided with support information responded to the support information.

Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the degree of behavioral change and the content format of the support information. The degree of behavioral change can be expressed in a step-by-step manner, for example, as a "poor degree of behavioral change (number: 1)", "slightly good degree of behavioral change (number: 2)", "good degree of behavioral change (number: 3)", etc. The initial value of the degree of behavioral change can be set, for example, by a questionnaire. The content format of the support information can be, for example, a column format (support information is transmitted in one direction from the server 50 to the subject device 10) or a quiz format (support information is transmitted in two directions between the server 50 and the subject device 10, where the subject's answer is also considered to be part of the support information). Note that the content format is not limited to these formats.

If the degree of behavioral change is "1", the format of the content to be distributed can be a change in genre. That is, the genre is changed and support information of a different genre is distributed in the form of a quiz. If the degree of behavioral change is "2", the format of the content to be distributed can be a quiz format. If the degree of behavioral change is "3", the format of the content to be distributed can be a column format.

Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for determining the degree of behavioral change.

After the distribution schedule management unit 56 distributes support information, the behavior change determination unit 60 can determine the degree of behavior change of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response from the subject or the response timing. The presence or absence of a response indicates whether the subject reads the provided support information, and the response timing indicates, for example, whether the subject reads the provided support information within a specified day. The response timing may be the response interval to the provided support information (the time from the time of provision to the time of response), or may be the time when the response was made or information representing the time (for example, the season, month (which month from January to December it is), etc.).

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, when the support information is in column format, if the subject's response is that they have read it within one day or that they have read it more than once, +1 is added to the current degree of behavioral change, and if they have not read it, -1 is added (+1 is subtracted) to the current degree of behavioral change. Also, when the support information is in quiz format, if the subject's response is that they have read it within one day, +1 is added to the current degree of behavioral change, and if they have not read it, -1 is added to the current degree of behavioral change.

The delivery schedule management unit 56 can change the content format of the support information provided to the subject based on the degree of behavioral change determined by the behavioral change determination unit 60. For example, when the degree of behavioral change is large (e.g., 3), it is considered that the subject is using the provided support information to engage in healthy behavior, so by providing the support information in a column format, the content of the support information can be enriched and the subject's behavior change can be encouraged. When the degree of behavioral change is somewhat large (e.g., 2), it is considered that the subject is using the provided support information to some extent to engage in healthy behavior, so by providing the support information in a quiz format, it is possible to provide support information to which the subject is more likely to respond by answering the quiz, and thus encourage the subject's behavior change.

The distribution schedule management unit 56 can provide support information in which the genre of health behavior is changed based on the degree of behavior change determined by the behavior change determination unit 60. For example, when the degree of behavior change is small (e.g., 1), it is considered that the subject is not making use of the support information provided, so by providing support information in which the genre of health behavior is changed, it is possible to provide support information that is considered to be of greater interest to the subject, and to encourage behavior change in the subject.

Next, we will explain examples of display on the display unit 11 of the subject device 10.

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a download screen 101 displayed by the subject device 10. The download screen 101 is a screen for downloading a lifestyle habit improvement support app, and various processes for the lifestyle habit improvement support service can be performed by downloading the lifestyle habit improvement support app and installing it on the subject device 10. The lifestyle habit improvement support app can display the download screen 101 by accessing a specific URL of the server 50 from the subject device 10. On the download screen 101, the subject can download the lifestyle habit improvement support app and install it on the subject device 10 by operating the download icon 102. The subject can return to the screen before the operation by operating the back icon 103.

Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of a chat screen displayed by the subject device 10. The communication unit 13 has a function as a receiving unit, and can receive support information transmitted by the server 50. The support information may be in a quiz format, a column format, or another format. In the example of Figure 16, the support information is provided in a quiz format. The display control unit 17 can display the support information received by the communication unit 13 on the display unit 11.

As shown in FIG. 16, when displaying support information on the display unit 11, the display control unit 17 displays the support information including the identification information of the recipient of lifestyle improvement support and the lifestyle improvement goal in a predetermined area of the display unit 11 (the upper rectangular area 110 in the example of FIG. 16). Note that only one of the identification information of the recipient and the lifestyle improvement goal may be displayed. The timing of displaying the identification information of the recipient of lifestyle improvement support and/or the lifestyle improvement goal may be when the display of the support information starts, may be displayed for a predetermined time from the start of the display of the support information, or may be continued until the display of the support information ends.

When displaying support information on the display unit 11, at least one of the subject's identification information (e.g., name) and the subject's lifestyle improvement goal is displayed in a specified area of the display unit 11, preventing instructors (healthcare professionals) such as public health nurses, registered dietitians, exercise instructors, nurses, and psychological counselors from mistaking the subject for the subject or the instruction goal when they begin instructing the subject. Also, by continuously displaying at least one of the subject's identification information and the subject's lifestyle improvement goal for a specified period of time, the subject and the instruction goal can be confirmed at any time, preventing instruction from being given to the wrong subject or with the wrong instruction goal.

17 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of a chat screen displayed by the subject device 10. In the example of FIG. 17, the display control unit 17 displays a first portion 111 of the received support information. The first portion 111 can be the subject of the chat, but is not limited to the subject of the chat, and may be a summary or a predetermined character portion at the beginning of the content. When the input unit 14 receives an operation 112 on the subject (for convenience, an arrow is illustrated in the figure, but for example, an operation of touching the area of the first portion 111, etc.), other support information 113 other than the first portion 111 is displayed. The other support information 113 can be the entire support information including the details of the support information. In this way, only the first portion (for example, the subject) 111 is displayed to the subject, which can arouse the subject's interest, and the subject is attracted to the subject of the chat and tries to read the contents of the chat, thereby increasing the degree of behavioral change of the subject.

Although not shown in the figure, the trainer may provide advice to the subject via chat or video call at regular intervals or whenever necessary. The trainer can also provide advice when necessary while checking the subject's vital data status.

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the lifestyle habit improvement support method by the server 50. In the following, for convenience, the processing will be described as being performed by the control unit 51. The control unit 51 acquires questionnaire information (S11), determines the subject's level of interest in health behavior (and, as a result, the genre of health behavior) (S12), and determines the subject's behavioral characteristics (type) (S13).

The control unit 51 selects support information based on the determined genre and behavioral characteristics of the health behavior (S14), and distributes the selected support information based on a distribution schedule (S15). The control unit 51 determines whether or not the subject has responded to the distributed support information, and when the subject will respond (S16).

The control unit 51 determines the degree of behavioral change of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response or the timing of the response (S17), and changes the genre or communication format of the support information according to the determined degree of behavioral change (S18). The control unit 51 determines whether or not to end the process (S19), and if the process is not to be ended (NO in S19), continues the process from step S15 onwards, and if the process is to be ended (YES in S19), ends the process.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of a lifestyle habit improvement support device according to this embodiment. In Fig. 19, reference numeral 100 denotes a computer. The computer 100 includes a control unit 101, an input unit 106, an output unit 107, an external I/F (interface) unit 108, etc. The control unit 101 includes a CPU 102, a ROM 103, a RAM 104, an I/F (interface) 105, etc.

The input unit 106 acquires data such as questionnaire information. The output unit 107 outputs support information. The I/F 105 has an interface function between the control unit 101 and each of the input unit 106, output unit 107, and external I/F unit 108.

The external I/F unit 108 is a recording medium reading device such as a DVD reader, and is capable of reading a computer program (such as the processing procedure shown in FIG. 18) from a recording medium M (such as a medium such as a DVD) on which a computer program is recorded. The external I/F unit 108 may also have a communication function that allows the computer program to be downloaded.

Although not shown, the computer program recorded on the recording medium M is not limited to a program recorded on a medium that is easily portable, but can also include a computer program transmitted via the Internet or other communication lines.

The lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment includes an interest level determination unit that determines the subject's level of interest in each of a plurality of health behaviors, a behavioral characteristic determination unit that determines behavioral characteristics that characterize the subject's behavior, and a provision unit that provides support information to the subject's device for supporting the subject's lifestyle habit improvement based on the determination results of the interest level determination unit and the behavioral characteristic determination unit.

The computer program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute a process of determining the subject's level of interest in each of a plurality of health behaviors, a process of determining behavioral characteristics that characterize the subject's behavior, and a process of providing support information to the subject's device for supporting the subject in improving the subject's lifestyle habits based on the results of the process of determining the level of interest and the process of determining the behavioral characteristics.

The interest level determination unit determines the interest level of each of the plurality of health behaviors of the subject. The subjects include not only patients with lifestyle-related diseases, but also those who are said to be at risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases and healthy people who want to prevent lifestyle-related diseases before they occur. Health behaviors are various activities related to the health of the subject, including various behaviors related to the treatment and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Various health behaviors may be classified into multiple types of health behaviors. The multiple health behaviors include, for example, physical activity (including both exercise and daily activities such as maintaining posture, housework, commuting, and leisure activities), diet (food and nutrition), sleep and rest, health checkups, collecting information on health, alcohol and tobacco, etc. The interest level can also be called the interest level, and can be said to be an index that represents the subject's will for the future, such as "what do you want to do in the future" regarding a specific health behavior, or the will when deciding on a future goal, such as "what do you want to be in the future" regarding a specific health behavior.

The behavioral characteristic determination unit determines the behavioral characteristics that characterize the behavior of the subject. The behavioral characteristics of a subject can be said to be the type of the subject, and can be used to classify the subject according to the values and consciousness that influence the subject's behavioral decisions. Subjects classified into the same behavioral characteristics are thought to be prone to similar behavior, since they have similar values and consciousness when deciding on their actions. For example, when evaluating behavioral characteristics based on the evaluation axis of rational thinking and emotional thinking (or self-management ability), they can be classified using keywords such as "going at your own pace," "trying anything," and "effort-oriented."

The providing unit provides support information to the subject's device for supporting improvement of the subject's lifestyle habits based on the determination results of the interest level determination unit and the behavioral characteristic determination unit. For example, when the health behavior genres are "exercise" and "diet" and the behavioral characteristics (types) are "own pace," "try anything," and "effort type," support information suitable for each genre and type is prepared in advance. From the support information prepared in advance, support information suitable for the genre in which the subject has a high determined interest (degree of interest) and the subject's determined type can be selected, and the selected support information can be provided.

With the above-mentioned configuration, rather than providing uniform support information based only on the subject's vital signs, it is possible to provide each subject with optimal support information according to their level of interest in health behavior and the differences in the behavioral characteristics that characterize their behavior, thereby encouraging behavioral changes in the subject.

The lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment includes a first questionnaire information acquisition unit that acquires questionnaire information in which the subject's answers to questions regarding each of a plurality of health behaviors are recorded, and the interest level determination unit determines the subject's interest level in health behaviors based on the questionnaire information acquired by the first questionnaire information acquisition unit.

The lifestyle habit improvement support method of this embodiment acquires questionnaire information that contains the subject's answers to questions regarding each of a plurality of health behaviors, determines the subject's level of interest in each of the plurality of health behaviors based on the acquired questionnaire information, determines behavioral characteristics that characterize the subject's behavior, and provides support information to the subject's device that supports the subject's lifestyle habit improvement based on the determination results of the subject's level of interest and behavioral characteristics.

The first questionnaire information acquisition unit acquires questionnaire information that contains the subject's answers to questions regarding each of a plurality of health behaviors. If the health behavior category is "exercise", the questionnaire question can be, for example, "Do you intend to improve your physical activity (exercise, daily activities) habits?" If the health behavior category is "diet", the questionnaire question can be, for example, "Do you intend to improve your eating habits?" The questionnaire answer section can use, for example, wording that can quantify the level of interest (for example, "No chance of improvement", "Intending to improve in the near future", "Already working on improvement", etc.).

The interest level determination unit determines the subject's level of interest in health behavior based on the questionnaire information acquired by the first questionnaire information acquisition unit. This makes it possible to extract the category of health behavior in which the subject is most interested, and therefore to provide the subject with support information related to the health behavior of interest, thereby further encouraging behavioral change.

The lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment includes a weighting factor setting unit in which a weighting factor is set for each of a plurality of question items that specify awareness of a behavior for each behavioral characteristic that characterizes the behavior, and a second questionnaire information acquisition unit that acquires questionnaire information that describes the subject's level of awareness for each of the plurality of question items, and the behavioral characteristic determination unit determines the behavioral characteristic of the subject based on the subject's level of awareness for each of the plurality of question items and the weighting factor.

The weighting coefficient setting unit sets a weighting coefficient for each of a plurality of question items that specify the attitude toward the behavior for each behavioral characteristic that characterizes the behavior. The weighting coefficient indicates the degree of influence that the question item has on the behavioral characteristic, and the larger the weighting coefficient of a certain question item, the greater the degree to which that question item influences the behavioral characteristic. For example, the weighting coefficients of questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn for the behavioral characteristic "at my own pace" can be a1, a2, ..., an, and the weighting coefficients of questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn for the behavioral characteristic "try anything" can be b1, b2, ..., bn. The same applies to other behavioral characteristics. The weighting coefficients may be recorded in advance in a memory or the like, or may be configured to be weighted by calculation.

The second questionnaire information acquisition unit acquires questionnaire information that describes the subject's level of awareness for each of a number of question items. The level of awareness can be categorized, for example, using numbers 1 to 7, with 1 being very applicable, 2 being applicable, 3 being somewhat applicable, 4 being neutral, 5 being not very applicable, 6 being not applicable, and 7 being not applicable at all. The subject's levels of awareness for questions Q1, Q2, ..., Qn, respectively, are denoted as x1, x2, ..., xn.

The behavioral characteristic determination unit determines the subject's behavioral characteristics based on the subject's level of awareness and weighting coefficient for each of the multiple question items. For example, when the subject's behavioral characteristic is "at my own pace," the cluster value V1 can be calculated as V1 = a1 x1 + a2 x2 + ... + an xn. When the subject's behavioral characteristic is "try anything," the cluster value V2 can be calculated as V2 = b1 x1 + b2 x2 + ... + bn xn. The same applies to other behavioral characteristics. The subject's behavioral characteristic can be the behavioral characteristic that has the largest value among the calculated cluster values V1, V2, ....

This makes it possible to extract behavioral characteristics that embody the values and attitudes of the subject when taking action, and to provide support information that makes it easier for the subject to take action, further encouraging behavioral change.

The lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment includes a vital data acquisition unit that acquires vital data of the subject, and the provision unit provides support information that supports the subject in improving their lifestyle habits based on the vital data acquired by the vital data acquisition unit.

The vital data acquisition unit acquires vital data of the subject. The vital data includes, for example, blood pressure, pulse rate, pulse pressure, weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, internal fat, muscle mass, water content, BMI, blood glucose level, and number of steps. The vital data may be transmitted from a specified measuring device to the subject's subject device using short-range wireless communication, or the subject may read the value displayed by the measuring device and input it into the subject device.

The providing unit provides support information to support the subject in improving his/her lifestyle habits based on the vital data acquired by the vital data acquiring unit. This makes it possible to provide support information based on objective data that can determine the subject's lifestyle-related disease status as a result of the subject's behavioral changes, thereby encouraging further behavioral changes in the subject.

In the lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment, the providing unit provides support information with different content depending on at least one of the duration of the lifestyle habit improvement support for the subject, the time when the vital data of the subject is acquired, and the time when the support information is planned to be provided.

The provision unit provides support information with different content according to at least one of the period of time that the subject has received lifestyle improvement support, the time when the subject's vital data was acquired, and the time when the support information is planned to be provided (e.g., divided into four seasons). For example, support information appropriate for the period of time that has passed (e.g., each week over three months), the time of acquisition (e.g., during and at the end of the support period), and the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) is prepared in advance. From the support information prepared in advance, support information appropriate to the subject's period of lifestyle improvement can be selected, and the selected support information can be provided.

This allows support information to be provided to subjects at the time they begin activities to improve their lifestyle habits, encouraging them to change their behavior.

The lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment includes a behavior change determination unit that determines the degree of behavior change of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response from the subject to the support information provided by the providing unit or the timing of the response, and the providing unit changes the transmission of the support information to be provided to the subject to one-way or two-way based on the degree of behavior change determined by the behavior change determination unit.

The behavior change assessment unit assesses the degree of behavior change of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response from the subject to the support information provided by the provision unit, or the timing of the response. The degree of behavior change indicates the degree to which the subject's health behavior is changed by providing the support information to the subject, and can include a direct response to the provided support information as well as a change in the subject's vital data as a result of the subject engaging in some health behavior based on the provided support information.

The degree of behavioral change can be expressed in a graded numerical scale, for example, as "poor degree of behavioral change (numerical value: 1)", "slightly good degree of behavioral change (numerical value: 2)", "good degree of behavioral change (numerical value: 3)", etc. The presence or absence of a response indicates whether or not the subject reads the provided support information, and the time of response indicates, for example, whether or not the subject reads the provided support information within a specified day. For example, if the subject reads the support information, the degree of behavioral change can be +1, and if the subject does not read the support information, the degree of behavioral change can be -1.

The providing unit changes the transmission of the support information provided to the subject to one-way or two-way transmission based on the degree of behavioral change determined by the behavioral change determining unit. For example, when the degree of behavioral change is large (e.g., 3), it is considered that the subject is using the provided support information to engage in healthy behavior, so the support information can be transmitted to the subject one-way (e.g., in column format) to make the content of the support information more detailed and encourage the subject's behavioral change. When the degree of behavioral change is somewhat large (e.g., 2), it is considered that the subject is using the provided support information to some extent to engage in healthy behavior, so the support information can be transmitted to the subject two-way (e.g., in quiz format) to allow the subject to answer the quiz, providing support information that is easy to respond to and encouraging the subject's behavioral change.

In the lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment, the providing unit provides support information in which the type of health behavior is changed based on the degree of behavior change determined by the behavior change determining unit.

The providing unit provides support information in which the type of health behavior is changed based on the degree of behavior change determined by the behavior change determining unit. For example, when the degree of behavior change is small (e.g., 1), it is considered that the subject is not making use of the support information provided, so by providing support information in which the genre of health behavior is changed, it is possible to provide support information that is considered to be of greater interest to the subject, and to encourage behavior change in the subject.

In the lifestyle habit improvement support device of this embodiment, the providing unit provides support information in a chat format having a different subject depending on the behavioral characteristics of the subject determined by the behavioral characteristic determining unit.

The providing unit provides support information in the form of chats with different subjects according to the behavioral characteristics of the target person determined by the behavioral characteristic determining unit. For example, if the behavioral characteristic is "at your own pace," the chat subject can be "For those who want to improve their health with a little exercise every day," "Your common sense about food may be wrong," etc. If the behavioral characteristic is "try anything," the chat subject can be "Surprising!? What are effective exercise methods?", "If you know, you can eat deliciously and be healthier," etc. If the behavioral characteristic is "effort type," the chat subject can be "Trivia for those who want to start walking," "For those who choose their meals with health in mind," etc.

As mentioned above, by changing the subject of support information provided in chat format to something that is appropriate for the behavioral characteristics that characterize the target person's behavior, the target person will be attracted to the chat subject and will also want to read the content of the chat, thereby increasing the degree of behavioral change in the target person.

The terminal device of this embodiment includes a receiving unit that receives support information transmitted by the lifestyle habit improvement support device, and a display control unit that displays the support information received by the receiving unit on a display unit, and when the support information is displayed on the display unit, the display control unit displays identification information of a person receiving lifestyle habit improvement support and a lifestyle habit improvement goal in a specified area of the display unit.

The receiving unit receives the support information transmitted by the lifestyle improvement support device. When the display control unit displays the support information on the display unit, it displays the support information including identification information of the person receiving lifestyle improvement support and the lifestyle improvement goal in a specified area of the display unit. Since the identification information of the person (e.g., name) and the lifestyle improvement goal of the person are displayed in a specified area of the display unit, it is possible to prevent an instructor (medical professional) such as a public health nurse, registered dietitian, exercise instructor, nurse, or psychological counselor from mistaking the person for the instruction or the instruction goal when starting or providing instruction to the person.

The terminal device of this embodiment includes a receiving unit that receives support information transmitted by the lifestyle habit improvement support device, a display control unit that displays the support information received by the receiving unit on a display unit, and a reception unit that receives an operation by a subject, and the display control unit displays a first part of the support information, and when the reception unit receives an operation on the first part, displays other support information other than the first part.

The receiving unit receives the support information transmitted by the lifestyle habit improvement support device. The display control unit displays a first portion (e.g., the subject, summary, a predetermined character portion at the beginning of the content, etc.) of the received support information. When an operation on the first portion (e.g., an operation of touching the display unit on which the first portion is displayed) is received by an accepting unit that accepts an operation from the subject, other support information other than the first portion is displayed. The other support information can be the entire support information including the details of the support information. In this way, only the subject, summary, etc. are displayed to the subject, which can pique the subject's interest, and the subject will be attracted by the subject, summary, etc. of the support information and will try to read the contents of the support information, thereby increasing the degree of behavioral change of the subject.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication network 10 Subject device 11 Display unit 12 Control unit 13 Communication unit 14 Input unit 15 Memory unit 16 Interface unit 17 Display control unit 18 Chat message processing unit 20 Instructor device 21 Display unit 22 Control unit 23 Communication unit 24 Input unit 25 Memory unit 26 Display control unit 27 Chat message processing unit 40 Measuring device 50 Server 51 Control unit 52 Communication unit 53 Interest level determination unit 54 Behavioral characteristic determination unit 55 Chat function provision unit 56 Distribution schedule management unit 57 Subject DB
58 Support Information DB
59 Weighting coefficient setting unit 60 Behavioral change determination unit 100 Computer 101 Control unit 102 CPU
103 ROM
104 RAM
105 I/F
106 Input section 107 Output section 108 External I/F section

Claims (10)

an interest level determination unit that determines a subject's interest level for each of a plurality of health behaviors;
A behavioral characteristic determination unit that determines a behavioral characteristic that can classify the subject based on a value or consciousness that influences the subject's decision to act;
a providing unit that provides, to a subject device of the subject, support information for supporting improvement of the subject's lifestyle habits based on the determination results of the interest level determination unit and the behavioral characteristic determination unit. a first questionnaire information acquisition unit that acquires questionnaire information including answers of the subject to questions regarding each of a plurality of health behaviors;
The interest level determination unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement supporting device according to claim 1 , wherein the subject's level of interest in health behavior is determined based on the questionnaire information acquired by the first questionnaire information acquiring unit. a weighting coefficient setting unit in which a weighting coefficient is set for each of a plurality of question items for identifying an awareness of a behavior for each behavioral characteristic that characterizes the behavior;
a second questionnaire information acquisition unit that acquires questionnaire information in which the subject's level of awareness for each of the plurality of question items is described,
The behavioral characteristic determination unit is
3. The lifestyle habit improvement supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a weighting coefficient and a degree of awareness of the subject with respect to each of the plurality of question items, the weighting coefficient being used to determine a behavioral characteristic of the subject. A vital data acquisition unit that acquires vital data of the subject,
The providing unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement supporting device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a vital data acquisition unit that acquires vital data from the subject, and that provides support information for supporting the subject in improving his/her lifestyle habits based on the vital data acquired by the vital data acquisition unit. The providing unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement support device according to claim 4, which provides support information with different content depending on at least one of the elapsed period of lifestyle habit improvement support for the subject, the time when the subject's vital data was obtained, and the time when the support information is planned to be provided. a behavior change determination unit that determines a behavior change level of the subject based on the presence or absence of a response of the subject to the support information provided by the providing unit or a response timing,
The providing unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement support device according to claim 1 , wherein transmission of support information to be provided to the subject is changed to one-way or two-way based on the degree of behavioral change determined by the behavioral change determination unit. The providing unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement supporting device according to claim 6 , further comprising: providing support information in which a type of health behavior is changed based on a degree of behavior change determined by the behavior change determining unit. The providing unit is
The lifestyle habit improvement support device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a chat-style support information unit that provides support information having a different subject depending on the behavioral characteristic of the subject determined by the behavioral characteristic determination unit. On the computer,
A process of determining a level of interest of a subject with respect to each of a plurality of health behaviors;
A process of determining behavioral characteristics that can classify the subject according to values or attitudes that influence the subject's behavioral decisions ;
and a process of providing, to a subject device of the subject, support information for supporting improvement of the subject's lifestyle habits based on results of the process of determining the interest level and the process of determining the behavioral characteristics. Obtaining questionnaire information that contains the subjects' responses to questions regarding each of a number of health behaviors;
determining a level of interest of the subject in each of a plurality of health behaviors based on the acquired questionnaire information;
Determining behavioral characteristics that allow the subject to be classified according to values or attitudes that influence the subject's behavioral decisions ;
A lifestyle habit improvement support method for providing support information for supporting improvement of the lifestyle habits of the subject to a subject device of the subject based on the determination results of the subject's interest level and behavioral characteristics.

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