How a community-led health program with Japanese roots is helping Winnipeggers
A community-led health program running for decades is looking into why it's effective at helping people stay healthy.
It's called Hans Kai, which translates to 'group meeting' in Japanese.
The program brings neighbours together to learn about wellness and the importance of staying connected long after their education on health is done.
"Instead of going to the doctor and saying, 'oh yeah, you have to eat more of this, or you have to be more active,' it's letting you determine what's important to you, setting your own goals and doing that with the support of a group that's in a similar kind of situation," said Michelle Kirkbride, the community development coordinator at Norwest Community Co-op.
She explained the idea for Hans Kai came from a community health trip to Japan taken by a NorWest director.
Hans Kai starts with a nine-session health school on different wellness pillars like diet, social supports and access to services.
Afterwards, the group stays together, makes its own agenda, and meets up once or twice a month.
The program has been running in Winnipeg for more than a decade, and early research shows Hans kai helps especially with mental health.
"We want to know why the program works, not just does it work," said Kirkbride.
"Investigating participants' experiences is going to tell us how the program works, what are the mechanisms that make the program work," said Margherita Cameranesi, a clinical psychologist & MITACS postdoctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba.
She is running a randomized clinical trial on what makes Hans Kai effective.
Participants are followed for two years. Their physical and mental health are measured. There are also interviews and focus groups at different points along the way.
"So instead of being like, okay, what are the things you're struggling the most with -- now it's like okay, what was your experience in the past six months that you were in the program?" Cameranesi explained.
Hans Kai participant Myrna Evaristo knows about being active. The Zumba instructor has been teaching classes for years at the NorWest Community Co-op.
She later joined Hans Kai, the program she was teaching, because she herself was interested in more ways to be healthy.
"Before attending the Hans Kai program, I [didn't] know about eating healthy," she said.
It's nearly been four years since joining a group and they still meet regularly, and each time they do, they measure their blood sugar and blood pressure.
Evaristo, who is prone to diabetes, says her biggest change since joining Hans Kai is eating less sugar.
"I love to eat sweets but now its in moderation," said Evaristo.
She added she's also fostered new friendships and a support network to help stay healthy.
Kirkbride said NorWest Community Co-op holds the Canadian patent to the Hans Kai program.
It's trained people across Canada, except Newfoundland and PEI, and in the U.S. to deliver it.
The next step is taking it internationally to Kenya.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'