Incheon’s Yeongjong-gu District (Mayor Son Hwa-jeong) has taken its health services into the apartment complexes where residents live. The district will run a “Visiting Apartment Obesity Prevention Program” from Oct. 13 to Dec. 17 to help apartment residents build healthy lifestyle habits.
 [The Korean Today] Exercise class of the Visiting Apartment Obesity Prevention Program © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The program is organized by the Yeongjong-gu Public Health Center. It will be held in the GX program room of the Unseo Station Prugio The Sky apartment complex (277 Huinbawi-ro), with one-hour exercise sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. It is open to residents who want to reduce body fat and build muscle strength.
The program’s most notable feature is how it is run. Instead of residents having to visit the health center or a separate fitness facility, the health center comes directly to the apartment complex. The approach is intended to lower barriers for residents who want to start exercising but find time and distance a burden, allowing them to work out regularly close to where they live.
Classes are led by a professional Zumba instructor. The sessions consist of various group exercises, including circuit training, which helps burn fat, as well as strength training, stretching and Zumba dance. According to the health center, the program is designed so that residents can stay physically active by exercising together with their neighbors in an enjoyable setting, rather than working out alone.
Participants will also undergo tests that allow them to measure the effects of their exercise. These include a metabolic syndrome screening measuring blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and waist circumference; a body composition (BMI) analysis; and a flexibility test. Participants’ health conditions before and after the program will be compared to assess how much their lifestyle changes have made a difference.
 [The Korean Today] Residents taking part in the Visiting Apartment Obesity Prevention Program © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Because obesity is linked to a range of chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, building exercise habits is important. By combining exercise instruction with health measurements, the program is significant in that it allows residents to check their own physical condition and gives them the motivation to keep exercising.
“Through this program, residents will be able to experience the joy of physical activity and the benefits of improved health in their daily lives,” said Jeong Han-suk, director of the public health center. “We will continue to operate a variety of programs promoting healthy habits close to residents’ living areas and do our best to improve their health.”
If community-based health programs expand as the health center suggests, they could become a model of public health services suited to the residential character of Yeongjong International City, where apartment complexes are densely concentrated.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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