Keiko Ueno

I participated as a chair in Symposium 32, titled "Supporting the Health and Lives of Households Receiving Public Assistance: Evidence, Practical Examples, and Future Prospects," at the 83rd Annual Meeting of Japanese Society of Public Health held in Sapporo from October 29 to 31, 2024. I was deeply impressed by the presentations from the speakers. Additionally, I learned a great deal about chairing from my co-chair, Professor Masashige Saito of Japan Welfare University.

Since 2021, the Health Management Support Program for Public Assistance Recipients (referred to as the “Health Management Support Program”) has become mandated in welfare offices nationwide, promoting the evidence-based policy. Research has shown that the prevalence of diabetes is higher among public assistance recipients than those covered by public health insurance and that there is a particularly vulnerable group among recipients who struggle to maintain their health. While various health management support programs are now being implemented across welfare offices nationwide, knowledge regarding effective implementation systems, methods, and challenges remains insufficient, and each office is exploring how to approach this project.

In this symposium, we aim to share the current state of public assistance recipients' health. Dr. Haruna Kawauchi (Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University) will first report on a review of existing evidence on the health of public assistance recipients. Next, Ms. Noriko Kuboki (Yokohama Soei University) and Ms. Shoko Takemoto (Toyonaka City Welfare Office) will share examples of health support programs for children and caregivers in public assistance households, as well as pioneering cases of the Health Management Support Program, from a public health nurse’s perspective. Finally, Dr. Daisuke Nishioka (Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University) will summarize the possibilities and challenges of health and life support for public assistance recipients, drawing on the outcomes and discussions from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare’s research project for fiscal year 2024 on developing effective health support methods for public assistance recipients. Based on these presentations, a panel discussion will be held to discuss and conclude with future perspectives on the Health Management Support Program.

The objectives of this symposium are to understand and discuss effective implementation of health and life support for households receiving public assistance, clarify the necessary roles of relevant organizations, and make policy recommendations that contribute to program updates. We also aim to foster a network among those involved in the Health Management Support Program nationwide. We warmly invite the participation of all professionals involved in health and life support for public assistance recipients, including public health nurses, nutritionists, caseworkers, and others engaged in these initiatives at welfare offices.