JP7699990B2 - health support equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to health support device technology that continuously analyzes the user's daily walking habits and provides advice according to changes in the user's walking ability.

There is a lot of interest in walking as one way to live a healthy life, and there are health support devices that utilize walking, both of which judge the level of the number of steps taken over a certain period of time and provide advice corresponding to that level, and which provide advice based on the amount of change in the number of steps taken over the long term (for example, Patent Document 1). Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 will be discussed later.

JP 2004-121745 A

Author: Yukitoshi Aoyagi, Healthist 221, published on September 10, 2013, Special Features 2: "Become a body that is resistant to motor dysfunction!" P20-P23 Written by Takao Suzuki, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Municipal Seminar, July 18, 2017 Document 2 Health of the elderly - Insurance programs focusing on frailty prevention -

It is known that walking continuously is important, and it is believed that walking more leads to better health, so there are devices that provide advice based on the number of steps taken over a certain period of time and the long-term change in the number of steps, as in Patent Document 1, for example. However, as research progressed, it became clear that simply providing advice focused on the amount of walking placed too much strain on the body, and that it might not be possible to provide advice continuously, leaving room for improvement as a health support device for walking continuously and healthily.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and relates to a technology that can support continuous and healthy walking by providing walking advice that takes into account not only the amount of walking but also other factors.

The present invention relates to a health support device that includes a measuring means for measuring the amount and quality of walking of a user, a determining means for determining the walking level of the user using information related to the measured amount and quality of walking, and an advice presenting means for presenting advice to the user according to the determined walking level, and when the walking level is a first level in which the amount and quality of walking do not reach a given walking amount standard and walking quality standard, respectively, the advice presenting means presents advice to increase the amount of walking rather than improving the quality of walking.

The present invention also relates to a health support method that includes an acquisition step of acquiring the walking amount and walking quality of a user, a determination step of determining the walking level of the user from a plurality of stages using the acquired information on the walking amount and walking quality, and an advice presentation step of presenting advice to the user according to the determined walking level, the advice presentation step presenting advice to increase the walking amount rather than improving the walking quality when the walking level is below a predetermined level when the walking amount and walking quality do not reach a given walking quality standard and walking amount standard, respectively.

The technology provided by the present invention measures the amount and quality of a user's walking, and determines the walking level of the user based on the measurement results. When the walking level is at a first level (below a predetermined level), where the amount and quality of walking do not reach a given standard for walking amount and quality, respectively, advice is presented to increase the amount of walking rather than improving the quality of walking. This advice takes into account not only the amount of walking but also the quality of walking, making it possible to support continuous and healthy walking.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the device. This is a graph showing the amount of walking, the quality of walking, and the walking level. FIG. 1 shows data used as reference for indicators of walking volume. FIG. 1 shows data used as reference for indicators of walking quality. FIG. 13 is a screen image showing the walking level based on the measurement results. 13A is a screen image diagram showing an example of an advice display, and FIG. 13B is another example of a screen image diagram showing an example of an advice display. 13A is another example of a screen image showing a walking level based on a measurement result, and FIG. 13B is another example of a screen image showing a walking level based on a measurement result. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the average, variance, and coefficient of variation calculated from the walking levels shown in FIGS. 7( a ) and 7 ( b ), and advice contents.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, an overview of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The primary users of the health support device 100 of this embodiment (hereinafter sometimes referred to as this device) are people in the so-called "pre-frail" stage, which is an intermediate stage between a healthy state and a state requiring nursing care. People in the pre-frail stage are likely to return to a healthy state by reviewing their walking habits in daily life, and conversely, there is a tendency that they are likely to progress to a state requiring nursing care if they do not review their walking habits. Therefore, the health support device 100 is a device that allows the user to objectively grasp the walking habits in the user's own daily life and supports the review of walking habits by confirming appropriate advice.

As shown in Fig. 1, the health support device 100 is a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal is a computer device small enough to be carried by a user. The mobile terminal used in the implementation of the present invention must be a mobile terminal equipped with at least a posture sensor, and in addition to what are generally called mobile terminals (such as mobile phones, tablet terminals, PDAs, and mobile personal computers), devices specialized in measuring the amount and quality of walking, such as pedometers and physical activity meters, may also be applicable.
Health support device 100 (computer device) includes measuring means 110, determining means 120, storage means 130, calculating means 140, evaluating means 150, and advice presenting means 160. It is also preferable to include display means 190 for displaying advice provided by the advice presenting means. Although not shown, the device also includes input devices such as a keyboard (including a touch keyboard) and a pointing device, an arithmetic processing device, etc.

The measuring means 110 is a means for measuring the amount and quality of walking of the user.
"Amount of walking" refers to the number of steps taken while walking, or the time spent walking at a moderate intensity, such as brisk walking that makes you sweat slightly. Here, walking at a moderate intensity refers to walking at 3 to 4 METs, which is 3 to 4 times the intensity of exercise when the resting state is taken as 1 MET. In addition, walking at a walking speed of about 67 m/min to 85 m/min on flat ground is also referred to as walking at a moderate intensity.
"Gait quality" means the way of walking, that is, the gait, and is a concept that is contrasted with the amount of walking. Specifically, the walking quality can be exemplified by walking speed, METs, which is a unit of the intensity of exercise or physical activity, stride length, which is the length from the tiptoe of the foot that takes a step forward when walking, walking ratio, which is the value obtained by dividing the stride length by the walking rate, walking symmetry, which indicates the degree to which the lengths of the walking cycles of both the left and right feet match each other, Harmonic ratio, or sway of the center of gravity. Other examples of the walking quality include stride, which is the length in the direction of travel from the landing of a specific foot to the landing of the specific foot, the width between the left and right feet, the walking angle, which is the angle between the direction of travel and the stepped foot, the toe angle (bow-legged/knee-legged), which is the angle between the inclination of the foot and the direction of travel, the walking cycle, which is the time from the landing of a specific foot to the landing of the specific foot, the stance phase/swing phase, which is the time during which the foot is on the ground/off the ground in the walking cycle, and the double-leg support phase, which is the period during which both feet are on the ground during the walking period.
In order to measure these, the measuring means 110 may be a well-known sensor such as an acceleration sensor (not shown) that detects vibrations when the foot lands on the ground, a three-axis acceleration sensor (not shown) that captures movement in three-dimensional space, a three-axis gyro (not shown) that captures the rotation of the mobile terminal in three-dimensional space, or a motion sensor (not shown) that detects a person's walking movement, and may be one that is provided in the mobile terminal.

The determination means 120 is a means for determining the walking level of the user using the measured walking amount and walking quality. In this embodiment, the walking level is determined using the walking amount and walking quality in one day (24 hours), but this is not limited to this. Since the purpose of this device is to continuously analyze the daily walking state, the walking amount and walking quality in one day are used as a period that is easy for the user to grasp and be aware of in daily life.

The "walking level" is a level classification based on both the amount of walking and the quality of walking, with given standards set for each. In this embodiment, there are four levels as shown in FIG. 2.
Level 1: walking amount is lower than the walking amount standard, and walking quality is lower than the walking quality standard; Level 2: walking amount is equal to or higher than the walking amount standard, and walking quality is lower than the walking quality standard; Level 3: walking amount is lower than the walking amount standard, and walking quality is equal to or higher than the walking quality standard; Level 4: walking amount is equal to or higher than the walking amount standard, and walking quality is equal to or higher than the walking quality standard. Here, the given walking amount standard and walking quality standard of this embodiment will be described. Since the main users of this embodiment are assumed to be people in the pre-frailty stage, the walking amount standard and walking quality standard were determined based on the standard value of whether or not they are frail.

Figure 3 shows data on which the walking amount standard is based, and is a figure citing data described in Non-Patent Document 1. As shown in Figure 3, the number of steps per day that is effective for preventing dementia, which is a frail state, is 5,000 steps or more, or the duration of moderate-intensity activity per day is 7.5 minutes or more, and the number of steps per day that is effective for preventing osteoporosis, which is a frail state, is 7,000 steps or more, or the duration of moderate-intensity activity per day is 15 minutes or less. In this embodiment, the amount of walking is defined as "number of steps" because it is easy to measure and to make a habit of daily life, and the walking amount standard is "5,000 to 7,000 steps," specifically 6,000 steps.

Figure 4 shows data on which the walking quality standard is based, and is a figure citing data described in Non-Patent Document 2. As shown in Figure 4, a walking speed that is diagnosed as having reduced physical function is less than 0.8 [m/s], a walking speed that is diagnosed as having a frail state is less than 1.0 [m/s], and a walking speed that is diagnosed as having a healthy state is faster than 1.3 [m/s]. In this embodiment, the walking quality is set to "walking speed" and the walking quality standard is set to "0.8 to 1.3 [m/s]" because it is easy to measure and can be easily incorporated into daily life.

The storage means 130 is a means for storing the walking level determined by the determination means 120. Since the purpose of this device is to continuously support walking in daily life, it is preferable to store the determined walking level in the storage means 130. In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing device (not shown) of the health support device 100 (computer device) stores the walking level and the measurement results (amount of walking and quality of walking) in the storage means 130 in association with the date of measurement or determination. In addition, the arithmetic processing device of the health support device 100 (computer device) may store the walking level and the measurement results determined by the determination means 120 in the storage means 130 provided in the health support device 100, and may also store them in an external system (not shown) and access them.
In addition, it is not necessary for both the walking level and the measurement results to be stored in association with the date in the memory means 130 or an external system; only the measurement results (amount of walking and quality of walking) may be stored and the walking level may be determined by the determination means 120 as necessary, or only the walking level may be stored.
Considering that analyses other than the walking level can be performed, it is preferable to store at least the measurement results in association with the date.
When storing in the storage means 130 provided in the health support device 100, it is preferable to store only the walking level in order to save storage capacity.

The calculation means 140 is a means for calculating a time-dependent change index of the walking level based on the stored walking level. A "time-dependent change index" is an index for evaluating how the walking level determined on a daily basis is changing, and is a general statistical index such as the mean value, variance, and coefficient of variation, which will be described in detail later. The calculation means 140 calculates these time-dependent change indexes. The time-dependent change index may be calculated once a week, or may be calculated over a longer period of time. Since the purpose of this device is to continuously analyze the daily walking state, it was decided to calculate it once a week, which is easy for the user to grasp and be aware of in daily life.

The evaluation means 150 is a means for evaluating the change in walking level over time based on the calculated index of change over time. As will be described in detail later, since the purpose of this device is to provide continuous support for walking in daily life, it is important to evaluate changes over time not only in the short term but also in the long term and reflect this in advice.

The advice presentation means 160 is a means for presenting advice according to the walking level. Details of the advice to be presented will be described later, but it may be determined only from the walking level, or the advice may include the walking level as well as the evaluation results of the index of change over time. Considering the purpose of this device, it is preferable to include the evaluation results of the index of change over time. In addition, details will be described later, but when presenting advice, this device weights the advice according to the walking level, so that the advice is either advice to improve the amount of walking or advice to improve the quality of walking. Weighting makes it possible to provide more appropriate advice and support the improvement of reasonable walking habits.

The display means 190 is a means for displaying advice provided by the advice providing means 160, and is a display device provided on the mobile terminal.

Here, the contents of advice according to walking levels presented by the advice presentation means 160 will be described.
When the walking level is the first level (below a predetermined level) where the amount and quality of walking do not reach a standard, the advice presentation means 160 presents advice to increase the amount of walking rather than improving the quality of walking. The walking level is the first level (below a predetermined level), which is a walking level where it is necessary to first acquire a walking habit and a habit of going out, in other words, a walking habit. The advice to increase the amount of walking rather than improving the quality of walking does not prohibit the presentation of advice regarding the improvement of the quality of walking, but only needs to be content that allows the user to be more conscious of improving the amount of walking than improving the quality of walking. Therefore, the advice to improve the amount of walking may include content that improves the quality of walking. By presenting such advice, it becomes easier for the user to understand what item the user should be most conscious of at the moment, and it becomes possible to acquire a reasonable walking habit.

When the walking level is at the second level or higher (predetermined level or higher), where the amount of walking meets the standard but the quality of walking does not, advice is presented to allow the amount of walking to be reduced and to improve the quality of walking. When the walking level is at the second level or higher (predetermined level or higher), it is considered that the user has acquired the habit of walking and going out. However, the quality of walking is considered to be close to a frail state. If a user with such a walking level is advised to improve the quality of walking (walking speed) while maintaining the current amount of walking, it may put a strain on the body and cause physical damage to the knees, etc. Even if the physical damage is not caused, if advice is given to improve the quality of walking while maintaining the amount of walking, there is a risk that even going out will feel like a burden. Therefore, advice is given to users with this score to allow the amount of walking to be reduced and to improve the quality of walking. This is because improving the quality of walking even if it means allowing the amount of walking to be reduced leads to support for continuous and healthy walking. Accepting a reduction in the amount of walking is not an advice to reduce the amount of walking, but rather an advice to prioritize improving the quality of walking, and to say that it is okay to reduce the amount of walking if doing so means the amount of walking decreases (is reduced). In this way, at this stage, it is effective to present advice that aims to improve the quality of walking by acquiring the correct gait.

When the walking level is at level 3, where the amount of walking does not reach the walking amount standard and the walking quality is equal to or exceeds the walking quality standard, advice is presented to increase the amount of walking and maintain the quality of walking. A walking level of level 3 is considered to mean that the person has acquired the habit of walking and going outside, and has also acquired good walking quality (walking speed). The person has the muscle strength to walk with good walking quality (walking speed), but the amount of walking (number of steps) is considered to be insufficient. Since the walking quality is sufficient, increasing the amount of walking is considered unlikely to be a burden on the body, unlike level 2. Therefore, advice is presented to increase the amount of walking and maintain the quality of walking, with the aim of further improving physical strength.

Next, a description will be given of the time-course change index and the advice content provided by the advice providing means 160. In the above, the advice providing means 160 provides advice according to the determined walking level, but by reflecting the evaluation result of the time-course change index in the advice content, it is possible to provide advice that can support walking habits in a continuous and healthy manner.
In this embodiment, the average score per week is calculated from the walking level determined by fitting the walking amount and walking quality per day to the walking amount standard and walking quality standard shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, a calendar display is performed so that the user can easily grasp the walking level for each day and the average score per week. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display displayed on the display means 190. In FIG. 5, A indicates a walking level of the fourth level, B indicates a walking level of the third level, C indicates a walking level of the second level, and D indicates a walking level of the first level. In addition, the score of the fourth level is set to 4 points, the score of the third level is set to 3 points, the score of the second level is set to 2 points, and the score of the first level is set to 1 point, and the average score is calculated. For example, in the week of August 2 to August 8 shown in FIG. 5, D, whose walking level is the first level, was used for 6 days, and A, whose walking level is the fourth level, was used for 1 day, so the average score is 1.4 (rounded off to the second decimal place).

In addition to the daily walking level, the number of steps (amount of walking) and average speed (quality of walking) per day are shown on a weekly basis in Figures 6(a) and 6(b).
Fig. 6(a) shows the period from August 2nd to August 8th, and Fig. 6(b) shows the period from August 23rd to August 28th. Advice provided by the advice providing means 160 is displayed in the lower part of the display area of the display means 190. The advice provided by the advice providing means 160 weights the walking quality and walking amount differently depending on the walking level. An example of advice content is shown below.
If the score is < 1.5, the advice is: "First, don't worry about your gait (quality of walking), get into the habit of going outside, and increase the amount of walking you do." In other words, the goal is to increase the amount of walking you do, rather than the quality of walking, and advice is given to help achieve this.
If the score is 1.5 or less and < 2.5, the advice is "It's okay to reduce the amount of walking you do, but try to develop the correct gait habit of walking faster." In other words, the goal is to improve the quality of walking rather than the amount of walking, and advice is given to help achieve this.
If the score is 2.5 or less and less than 3.5, the advice is "Maintain your current speed and increase the amount of walking you do." In other words, the quality of walking is maintained as it is (no need to improve it further), and the goal is to increase the amount of walking you do, and advice is presented to help achieve this.
Score 3.5 or less "Maintain your current gait and walking volume." In other words, advice is presented to achieve the goal of maintaining or further improving the current amount and quality of walking.

The contents of each piece of advice will be explained below.
In the case of a "score <1.5", the user has been at approximately the first level of walking for one week. In the case of such a user, the amount of walking is small and the quality of walking (walking speed) is slow. A problem of such a user is considered to be a lack of going out habits (walking habits). For such a user, it is more effective to first present advice that helps them to acquire the habit of going out (walking habits) rather than advising them to increase the amount of walking or the quality of walking. Therefore, advice such as "Let's get into the habit of going out and increase the amount of walking" is good as advice to encourage going out and walking. Also, for example, advice such as "Let's go out" may be presented at the beginning of the day, or advice such as "Let's go for a walk in the afternoon" may be presented when there is almost no walking at noon.
In the case of "1.5≦score<2.5", the user has a walking level of about the first and second levels for one week. In the case of such a user, the amount of walking is equal to or greater than the walking amount standard, so it is considered that the user has a habit of going out (walking habit). The problem of such a user is that although the user has a habit of going out and a certain amount of walking, the quality of walking (walking speed) is poor (slow). And, the cause of the poor quality of walking is considered to be weak leg muscle strength, not having acquired the correct way of walking, etc. If such a user is advised to improve the quality of walking (walking speed) while maintaining the current amount of walking, it may put a strain on the body and cause physical damage to the knees, etc. Even if the physical damage is not caused, if the user receives advice to improve the quality of walking while maintaining the amount of walking, there is a risk that even going out will be a burden. Therefore, it is effective to give advice to users with this score that prioritizes the improvement of the quality of walking. Therefore, advice such as "It is okay to reduce the amount of walking, so let's acquire the correct gait habit of walking fast" is good. Also, specific walking techniques that will have an effect on improving the quality of walking may be given, such as "Try walking with large strides."
In the case of "2.5≦score<3.5", the user's walking level was around level 2 and level 3 for one week. In the case of such a user, the walking quality is equal to or higher than the walking quality standard, so it is considered that the user has a walking habit with a correct gait, but since the walking improvement is based on advice that emphasizes the improvement of walking quality, the walking amount may be slightly insufficient to maintain health. In addition, since the walking quality standard is met, it is considered that the user has sufficient muscle strength. Therefore, it is effective to give advice to increase the amount of walking while maintaining the walking speed so that the walking amount standard and walking quality standard required to maintain and improve health can be achieved. Therefore, advice such as "Maintain the current speed and increase the amount of walking" is good.
In the case of "3.5≦score", the user has been in the third and fourth levels for one week. In the case of such a user, the walking amount is equal to or exceeds the walking amount standard and the walking quality is equal to or exceeds the walking quality standard almost every day, so it is effective to advise the user to maintain this state. Therefore, advice such as "Maintain your current gait and walking amount" is good. Also, for example, at the end of the day, advice such as "You achieved it again today!" that makes the user want to maintain the good state may be displayed.

Here, as described above, when performing an evaluation using the average value as a time-dependent change index, in addition to performing an evaluation using the average value for one week, an evaluation may be performed by comparing it with the average value for six months or one year ago. Specifically, the average value for six months ago and the current average value may be compared, and the advice presented may be different between a case where the average value for one week six months ago is the first level and the average value for one week at the current time is the second level, and a case where the average value for one week six months ago is the second level and the average value for one week at the current time is the second level. A user whose walking level was the first level six months ago is likely to have a walking level where they have finally acquired a walking habit, but a user whose walking level was the second level six months ago may be at the second level where they have not been able to improve their walking quality, even though they have already acquired a walking habit (six months ago). In this way, even if the average value for one week at the current time is the same, the meaning may be different. Therefore, the score may be evaluated by comparing it with a past (for example, six months ago) time-dependent change index.

As mentioned above, when the average value is used as an index of change over time, the following problem also occurs. For example, if the weekly average is 2, then a week in which the first level is 5 days, the third level is 1 day, and the fourth level is 1 day will receive the same advice as a week in which the second level is 7 days. However, the former user is likely to have had a week that happened to include a high-level day, and is likely to be a user who has not actually developed a walking habit. To avoid this, in addition to the average value, variance and coefficient of variation may be calculated as an index of change over time.

An example of a calendar display of the walking level for each day and the average score for each week is shown in Fig. 7. The average, variance, and coefficient of variation calculated from the walking levels shown in Figs. 7(a) and (b) and the advice content are shown in Fig. 8.
The level shown in FIG. 8 is the current walking level determined by rounding off the average score. The variance is calculated to obtain the degree of variation in the walking level in one week, and the coefficient of variation is calculated to obtain the relationship between the average value and the variation. In this embodiment, when the coefficient of variation is 0.5 or more, the walking levels included vary, so advice to maintain the current level is presented. This is because, for example, since the walking level may be due to a day with a high level being included by chance, it is determined that the actual walking level of the user is likely not at that level, and advice to maintain the current level is more appropriate. On the other hand, when the coefficient of variation is less than 0.5, the walking levels included have little variation, so it is likely that it is acceptable to determine that the walking level is the actual walking level of the user. In such a case, it is appropriate to present advice to aim for the next walking level.
In this way, the change over time may be evaluated using not only the average value but also the variance or the coefficient of variation as a time-dependent change index, or it is preferable to evaluate the change over time by using a combination of multiple time-dependent change indexes as shown in Figure 8.

Alternatively, the median calculated from a histogram for each week may be used as the index of change over time. By using the median calculated from the histogram to evaluate the change over time, even if there is an outlier in the data for one week, for example, even if the data for one week happens to include a day with a high level, the evaluation can be performed without being influenced by the data, and appropriate advice can be displayed.
Furthermore, as an index of change over time, the time series data of the walking level may be displayed in a graph on the display means 190, a one-week moving average may be calculated from the time series data, and the evaluation may be performed based on the moving average. Since irregular fluctuations are eliminated by combining the values of the moving average, even if the one-week data happens to include a day with a high level, the evaluation can be performed without being influenced by the data, and appropriate advice can be displayed.
In addition, a time series correlation coefficient may be calculated and evaluated as an index of change over time. For example, if the correlation coefficient is positive, it can be understood that a good walking habit has been acquired and that the tendency is good. In addition, the correlation coefficient can also be used to predict future trends, so it can be predicted when and what level the user will reach if the current pace is continued. Understanding future trends can encourage the user to improve their walking habits, so it becomes possible to acquire continuous walking habits. On the other hand, if the correlation coefficient is negative, it can be understood that there is a problem with the current walking habits, so it is possible to present advice for reviewing the walking habits.
In this way, by calculating indices that are effective in smoothing out variations and indices that are effective in capturing and predicting trends, it is possible to evaluate changes over time and reflect this in advice.

<Health support method>
Next, the health support method (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as this method) will be described.
This method includes an acquisition step, a determination step, and an advice presentation step. The acquisition step is a step of acquiring the amount and quality of walking of the user, and is a step of acquiring values measured by a known sensor such as an acceleration sensor, a three-axis acceleration sensor, a three-axis gyro, or a motion sensor. In addition, in the acquisition step, instead of data measured using a sensor to measure the quality of walking, data calculated from the quality of walking such as walking speed, stride length, walking rate, head sway, and trunk sway may be acquired by photographing the walking state and analyzing the photographed image. The acquisition step acquires the measured values via a network or a predetermined medium. The determination step is a step of determining the walking level of the user from a plurality of stages using the acquired information related to the amount and quality of walking. The advice presentation step is a step of presenting advice to the user according to the determined walking level, and when the walking level is below a predetermined level, which is when the amount and quality of walking do not reach a given walking quality standard and walking amount standard, respectively, the advice is presented to increase the amount of walking rather than improving the quality of walking. The method may further include a storage step, a calculation step, and an evaluation step. The storage step is a step of storing the walking level. The calculation step is a step of calculating a time-dependent change index of the walking level based on the stored walking level. The evaluation step is a step of evaluating a time-dependent change in the walking level based on the time-dependent change index. The advice presentation step may present advice according to the evaluation content in the evaluation step. Note that the determination step may involve the processing content of the determination means of the device, the advice presentation step may involve the processing content of the advice presentation means, the storage step may involve the processing content of the storage means, the calculation step may involve the processing content of the calculation means, and the evaluation step may involve the processing content of the evaluation means.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements are possible.

In this embodiment, the walking speed is used as the walking quality standard, but this is not limited to this. For example, an acceleration sensor (mobile terminal) may be installed closely near the user's lower navel to measure the movement of the user's center of gravity, and a standard may be set such that if the movement of the center of gravity is slow, the walking quality is low (low walking level), and if the movement of the center of gravity is fast, the walking quality is high (high walking level). Similarly, the movement (sway) of the center of gravity may be measured and used for the judgment. When the walking quality is low, the vertical sway is large and the horizontal sway is small, while when the walking quality is high, the vertical sway tends to be small and the horizontal sway tends to be large, so this may be used as the walking quality standard. The acceleration sensor is installed near the user's lower navel because the center of gravity of a person is located slightly forward of the sacrum in the pelvis and slightly below the navel, so by installing the acceleration sensor at this position, it is possible to measure the movement of the center of gravity. In this way, by determining the movement of the center of gravity, in addition to being able to make a judgment similar to the walking speed, it is also possible to use the walking style in the judgment, and more appropriate advice can be presented.

Harmonic ratio may also be used as a walking quality criterion. Harmonic ratio is an index that indicates the symmetry of the acceleration waveforms in the walking cycle of the left and right feet. In the ideal gait pattern, the width and swing of the step of the right foot and the step of the left foot are equal (symmetrical walking). However, for example, when there is pain in one of the legs and the user walks while protecting it, the balance between the left and right is poor. Therefore, the balance between the left and right may be used as a walking quality criterion and may be included in the advice to be presented. Harmonic ratio can be calculated, for example, by attaching a three-axis acceleration sensor (mobile terminal) to the third lumbar vertebra on the user's back and measuring the acceleration in the front-back, left-right, and vertical directions and the walking speed when walking. In this way, it is possible to provide advice on problems caused by left-right differences in walking style that the user is not usually aware of, and to support the acquisition of appropriate walking habits.

In this embodiment, the walking level is divided into four stages from the first level to the fourth level, but the number of stages is not limited to this. For example, the walking amount and walking quality may each be divided into three stages, resulting in a total of nine walking levels, or the walking amount may be divided into five stages and the walking quality into three stages, resulting in a total of 15 walking levels. Increasing the number of walking level stages allows the advice provided to be more detailed, making it possible to provide more attentive advice. It is sufficient to determine the walking level so that it is possible to identify users whose walking quality level exceeds the walking quantity level, and to provide advice to such users to maintain or lower the quality and increase the quantity.

In this embodiment, the walking amount standard and the walking quality standard are only one type, but are not limited to this. For example, the walking amount standard and the walking quality standard may be changed depending on the age and gender of the user. A plurality of walking amount standards and walking quality standards may be stored in advance, and the walking level may be determined based on the walking amount standard and the walking quality standard according to the data input by the user of the age and gender.
Furthermore, when there are multiple types of walking amount standard and walking quality standard, the standard "when the walking level is below a predetermined level when the walking amount and walking quality do not reach the standard" can be applied with the corresponding standard. For example, when the walking amount standard is a first standard and a second standard, the first standard or the second standard can be applied to the walking amount standard. When the walking quality standard is a first standard and a second standard, the first standard or the second standard can be applied to the walking quality standard. The same applies to "when the walking level is equal to or above a predetermined level when the walking amount reaches the standard and the walking quality does not reach the standard".

In this embodiment, the contents displayed on the display unit 190 are not limited to those described above. For example, a graph showing daily walking levels may be displayed on a coordinate system with the first axis representing days and the second axis representing walking levels. By displaying such a graph, the user can easily grasp the daily achievement status and changes.
Also, a line graph showing the number of steps and walking speed (average) each day may be displayed on a coordinate system with the first axis representing days and the second axis representing the number of steps and walking speed. By displaying such a graph, the user can easily grasp the daily progress and changes.
In addition, when displaying a calendar on the display means 190 as shown in Fig. 5, the average value per week is displayed, but this is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a week from Monday to Sunday, the predicted average value for the week may be displayed on Wednesday using the walking level from Monday to Wednesday, and the confirmed average value for the week may be displayed at the time when the walking level on Sunday is determined. In this way, by displaying the predicted average value until the confirmed average value is calculated, the user can easily grasp the daily achievement status and the amount of walking required to maintain (or improve) the average value.

In this embodiment, the advice contents displayed on the display means 190 are not limited to those described above. The advice contents may be registered in a database, and the target advice contents may be displayed on the display means 190 according to the walking level and the evaluation result. In addition, the user's attributes such as gender and occupation, and life patterns (commuting on weekdays, not commuting on weekends, etc.) may be registered in advance and taken into consideration when extracting advice contents from the database. For example, in the case of women, it is considered possible to increase the amount of walking when shopping for daily necessities, so it is possible to support the improvement of walking habits by adding "It may be good to go to a store one store further away" to advice to increase the amount of walking. In addition, the advice contents may include content that takes the season into consideration. For example, in summer, it is possible to support the improvement of walking habits by adding "Walk while drinking plenty of water."

In this embodiment, the evaluation means 150 performed a time-course evaluation from the calculated time-course change index. In addition to this, for example, a trend for each day of the week may be calculated and included in the evaluation. For example, for a user who is able to maintain a certain walking volume and walking quality due to commuting on weekdays but whose walking volume and walking quality tend to decrease on weekends, an evaluation may be made taking this into consideration. In this way, it is possible to present more appropriate advice. In addition, a monthly trend may be calculated and a comparison result with the same period last year may be included in the evaluation. In this way, an evaluation can be made taking into consideration a decrease in walking level due to seasonal factors, such as the rainy season.

In this embodiment, the evaluation means 150 performs the evaluation by comparing the calculated average value with the average value from the past (for example, six months ago), but the time-course change index to be compared is not limited to the average value and may be another index. It is preferable to determine the time-course change index to be compared depending on the content to be compared.

In this embodiment, the walking volume standard, walking quality standard, and advice content to be presented are determined assuming a user in a pre-frail state, but this is not limited thereto. For example, if a user in a metabolic state is assumed, the walking volume standard and walking quality standard required for improvement by a person in a metabolic state can be determined from data such as FIG. 3, and advice can be presented. In this case, too, it is preferable to present advice weighted on walking quality and walking volume. In addition, the user may be able to select (for example, whether to use the health support device 100 to improve pre-frailty or metabolic condition) depending on what kind of health condition the user desires to improve. In this way, for example, a user who has improved their pre-frail condition can then use the health support device 100 to improve their metabolic condition.

100 Health support equipment (computer equipment)
110 Measuring means 120 Determining means 130 Storage means 140 Calculating means 150 Evaluating means 160 Advice presenting means 190 Display means

Claims (5)

A measuring means for measuring the amount and quality of walking of a user;
A determination means for determining the walking level of the user using information related to the measured walking amount and walking quality;
an advice providing means for providing advice to the user in accordance with the determined walking level;
The advice presentation means includes:
When the walking level is a first level in which the walking amount and the walking quality do not reach a given walking amount standard and a walking quality standard, respectively, an advice is presented to increase the walking amount rather than improving the walking quality;
When the walking level is a second level, in which the amount of walking reaches the walking amount standard and the quality of walking does not reach the walking quality standard, advice is presented to the effect that it is permissible to reduce the amount of walking and to improve the quality of walking . The advice presentation means includes:
2. The health support device according to claim 1, wherein when the amount of walking does not reach the walking amount standard and the quality of walking is at a third level where the quality of walking is equal to or higher than the walking quality standard, advice is presented to increase the amount of walking and to maintain the quality of walking. there is another walking level determined by the determination means using information related to the walking amount and the walking quality of the user measured at a timing different from the information related to the walking amount and the walking quality used to determine the walking level,
The advice presentation means includes:
3. The health support device according to claim 1, wherein advice is differentiated by comparing the walking level with the other walking levels. The amount of walking is the number of steps or the time spent walking at a moderate intensity,
4. The health support device according to claim 1, wherein the walking quality is any one of walking speed, METs, stride length, walking ratio, walking symmetry, harmonic ratio, and sway of the center of gravity. An acquisition step of acquiring the amount and quality of walking of a user;
a determining step of determining a walking level of the user based on the acquired information on the walking amount and the walking quality;
an advice providing step of providing advice to the user according to the determined walking level;
The advice presentation step includes:
When the walking level is below a predetermined level, which is a level when the walking amount and the walking quality do not reach a given walking quality standard and a walking amount standard, respectively, presenting advice to increase the walking amount rather than improving the walking quality ;
A health support method characterized in that, when the walking level is a second level, in which the amount of walking reaches the walking amount standard but the quality of walking does not reach the walking quality standard, advice is presented to the effect that it is permissible to reduce the amount of walking and to improve the quality of walking .

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