Incheon Citizen Health Promotion Project 'Health Village' Expanded... Walking Challenge and Smoking Cessation Counseling Included

Operation at 6 Apartments in Michuhol and Yeonsu Districts Until Year-End

Walking Event in Nowon-gu
Photo by Seoul Nowon-gu

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City announced on the 18th that it will expand and promote the 'Health Village' project, a community-based citizen health initiative, to improve the health of citizens who lack exercise due to COVID-19.

This project, conducted in collaboration with the Integrated Health Promotion Project Support Group, helps citizens manage their health through walking challenges in daily life and encourages voluntary healthy living by providing various health promotion services such as smoking cessation counseling.

For apartment residents with a strong willingness to practice healthy living, a walking challenge (a non-face-to-face autonomous walking exercise using Incheon City's walking platform 'WalkOn') is held, offering incentives to those who achieve their goals, along with smoking cessation counseling, health information, and exercise programs.

Citizens can participate by downloading and installing 'WalkOn' on their phones and joining the community of their residential apartment complex (apartment complex name) where neighbors participate together.

Last year, the Health Village project was piloted in one apartment complex, receiving high resident response. This year, six apartment complexes in Michuhol-gu and Yeonsu-gu have been selected to operate the project until the end of December.

According to last year's Community Health Survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Incheon City's walking practice rate ranked second nationwide (44.8%). However, Michuhol-gu and Yeonsu-gu were selected as priority project areas in the first half of this year due to low health indicators such as smoking rates and walking practice rates.

For the Health Village project, the city appointed five professional staff hired through a mid-career job recruitment program as managers for each apartment complex. They support the walking challenge, operate exercise programs, discover walking-friendly paths, develop health content, and provide one-on-one customized counseling.

An Incheon City official stated, "In the COVID-19 situation, we will expand the non-face-to-face Health Village project using a mobile walking app so that citizens can safely practice walking exercises and easily access health information. We will especially focus on resolving health disparities between regions and improving citizen health."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.