ABSTRACT
Since 1995, Matsukawa Town in Nagano Prefecture has started regular visits by health workers to the homes of persons with hyperglycemia found in annual health examinations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of the visits by health workers. Of those persons with hyperglycemia found in 1994 or 1995 who had undergone health examinations every year from 1992 through 1997, 30 persons were visited by health workers and 35 were not. In 1997, laboratory findings showed that blood sugar levels returned to nomal in a significant 90% of those persons visited by health workers compared with 69% of those who were not. Positive rates in urine sugar test among those visited decreased from 20% to 10%. Additionally, those receiving the home care service tended to lose weight, while those not visited were likely to gain weight. These findings suggested that visits by health workers for health care of persons with hyperglycemia were effective in leading them to maintain a healthy daily life. Such home health care measures for persons with hyperglycemia are important for the prevention of diabetes in a community.
