Since 2008, companies and administrations are theoretically required to measure and monitor the waist circumference of their employees aged 40 to 74 during the professional medical examination. And to put in place recommendations on the usefulness of sport, a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle. If the employee does not lose weight before the next visit, he may be penalized.
Men must not have a waist size exceeding 85 centimeters and women 90. The objective of this measure is to reduce the increasing number of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, to lower the cholesterol, blood pressure, and ultimately lower the health care system bill.
Strangely, according to the World Health Organization, the Japanese and Koreans are the slimmest populations in the world.
But a recent study by the Japanese Ministry of Health shows that being overweight and obesity have increased over the past fifteen years, especially among young men. If in 1997, 23.3% of Japanese people aged 20 and over were overweight, in 2007 they were 30.4%.
Companies were to reduce, or face fines, the number of overweight employees by 10% in four years (2012) and by 25% in 2015.
It would appear, according to Dr. Hayashi, that this law is a failure. “According to the Ministry of Health, only 43.3% of the 52 million Japanese affected have taken the annual exam, and in the end 12.3% of people have followed the ‘medical roadmap’ to the end. .
“We are discussing new standards because a recent report showed that the connection between waist circumference and cardiovascular disease is not so obvious“, confides an official of the Ministry of Health. Recently” the test of the belt “can no longer be the absolute criterion.
