Influence of Multicomponent Healthcare Program of Diet, Art and Biofield Therapy on Quality of Life of People in Japan

摘要

Purpose: Combination of healthcare programs has reportedto improve people’s quality of life (QOL); however, it remainsuncertain to what extent each component improves QOLindependently. The purpose of this study was to investigatewhether healthcare programs improve QOL in combinationmore than a single program, and to analyze whether one hasmore impact on QOL than the others.We employed the OkadaHealth andWellness Program(OHWP), which involved diet, artand biofield-therapy components.Methods: A total of 5,111 individuals participated; allJapanese nationals, aged 16 or older, who agreed to adoptOHWP in their daily lives. Participants kept records for threeconsecutive months of how frequently they practiced eachprogram. They also completed the original QOL questionnaire(MQL-10) at the beginning and end of the study. The Outcomemeasures were as follows: (1) Adjusted odds ratio of thevariables associated with the baseline and term-end MQL-10scores. (2) Relationship between the change of MQL-10 scoresand the type(s) and frequency of OHWP component (s) participantspracticed.Results: Three variables - previous practice of severalOHWP components, older age and absence of illness - wereindependent positive factors for a better baseline score aswell as independent negative factors for the improvementof the scores, considered to be due to a ceiling effect. Frequentpractice of all components was a positive factor for theimprovement of the scores. The baseline scores showed a discrepancybetween those who had regularly received biofieldtherapy and those who mainly practiced the art or diet componentpreviously (p<0.001). However, the term- end scoressignificantly increased regardless of the type(s) of component(s) they practiced during the study period (p<0.001).Conclusion: The healthcare programs contributed to betterQOL more when practiced in combination than by a singleprogram. The term-end QOL significantly improved regardlessof the type(s) of program(s) employed.