Health support device, health support system, and health support method

Abstract

To provide a device, a system, and a method for supporting the health that can evaluate the state of the stress of a user.SOLUTION: A health supporting device for supporting the health of a user includes: a subjective information acquisition unit for acquiring subjective information about answers that the user gave to questions; a biological information acquisition unit for acquiring biological information about a material in a structure mainly containing protein, which is generated in the surface of the body of the user; and an evaluation unit for evaluating the subjective stress that the user is feeling subjectively on the basis of the subjective information, evaluating an objective stress showing the objective state of the stress of the user on the basis of the biological information, and evaluating the health state of the user according to the degree of separation between the subjective stress and the objective stress.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a health support device, a health support system, and a health support method.

Background Art

[0002] Psychological or mental stress has a great impact on people's health. It is also known that continuous stress not only causes physical discomfort but also increases the risk of developing mental illnesses (such as depression).

[0003] As a technique for measuring stress, for example, a method of measuring a stress (depression) state from changes in the concentration of specific amino acids in the blood has been proposed (Patent Document 1). In addition, a subjective stress check method using a questionnaire created by the Stress Measurement Research Group of the "Research Group on the Prevention of Work-Related Diseases" of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has been proposed (Non-Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, although the method described in Patent Document 1 can obtain objective data, since it is the stress state at the time of blood collection, only short-term situations can be grasped, and if continuous measurement is attempted, it is necessary to continue blood collection, which places a heavy burden on the user. In addition, it is also a problem that the measurement results are likely to fluctuate due to many interfering factors such as external factors and physical conditions. Regarding Patent Document 2, although it can be easily evaluated at low cost, it becomes possible to manipulate the stress level by controlling intentional responses.

[0007] Therefore, by giving advice for stress relief based on the stress state evaluated based on these technologies, the effect may be limited, or there may be a possibility of bringing unintended negative effects to the user.

[0008] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a health support device, a health support system, and a health support method capable of evaluating the stress state of a user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a health support device for supporting the health of a user, comprising: a subjective information acquisition unit that acquires subjective information in which the user has answered questions; a biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information regarding substances contained in a structure mainly composed of proteins that occurs on the body surface of the user; and an evaluation unit that evaluates the subjective stress that the user subjectively feels based on the subjective information, evaluates the objective stress indicating the objective stress state of the user based on the biological information, and evaluates the health state of the user according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress.

[0010] Regarding other problems disclosed in the present application and methods for solving them, they will be clarified by the embodiments of the invention and the drawings.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appeal and evaluate a medium- to long-term stress state over time, accurately grasp the medium- to long-term stress state of a user, and provide optimal advice leading to improvement of mental health.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The content of the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. One embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] A health support device for supporting the health of a user, a subjective information acquisition unit that acquires subjective information answered by the user to a question; a biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information regarding substances contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the body surface of the user; an evaluation unit that evaluates the subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluates the objective stress indicating the objective stress state of the user based on the biological information, and evaluates the health state of the user according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support device characterized by comprising: [Item 2] The structure is hair or a hair; The health support device according to Item 1, characterized in that: [Item 3] The biological information includes information regarding substances contained in a plurality of parts of the structure, The part is a part at a certain distance from a part close to the hair root of the hair or the hair; The health support device according to Item 2, characterized in that: [Item 4] The substance is a hormone; The health support device according to any one of Items 1 to 3, characterized in that: [Item 5] a life information storage unit that stores a history of life information including information related to the user's work, private life, etc.; a stress cause estimation unit that estimates the past life information as a cause of the user's stress from the time when the objective stress satisfies a predetermined condition; The health support device according to any one of Items 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises: [Item 6] A health support system for supporting a user's health, a subjective information acquisition function for acquiring subjective information answered by the user to a question, a biological information acquisition function for acquiring information on substances contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the user's body surface, an evaluation function for evaluating subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluating objective stress indicating the user's objective stress state based on the biological information, and evaluating the user's health state according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support system characterized by comprising the above. [Item 7] A health support method for supporting a user's health, wherein a processor performs a subjective information acquisition step of acquiring subjective information answered by the user to a question, a biological information acquisition step of acquiring information on substances contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the user's body surface, an evaluation step of evaluating subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluating objective stress indicating the user's objective stress state based on the biological information, and evaluating the user's health state according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support method characterized by comprising the above. <Details of Embodiment>

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[0015] ==Overview== Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the health support system. As shown in Figure 1, the health support system includes a server device 1, a user terminal 3, an organization terminal 4, a supporter terminal 5, a business operator terminal 6, and an expert terminal 7. The server device 1 is connected to the user terminal 3, the organization terminal 4, the supporter terminal 5, the business operator terminal 6, and the expert terminal 7 via a network 2. Although only one user terminal 3, organization terminal 4, supporter terminal 5, business operator terminal 6, and expert terminal 7 are shown, it goes without saying that there may be more than one.

[0016] ==User Terminal 3== The user terminal 3 is a computer operated by a user who is the target of health support. The user terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc., but is not limited thereto and may be other electronic devices. The user can access the server device 1, for example, via an application executed on the user terminal 3 or a web browser.

[0017] ==Organization Terminal 4== The organization terminal 4 is a computer operated by a person in charge of the organization to which the user belongs. The organization terminal 4 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc. The person in charge of the organization can access the server device 1, for example, via an application executed on the organization terminal 4 or a web browser. When the user does not belong to an organization, the information input from the organization terminal 4 may be input by the user from the user terminal 3.

[0018] ==Supporter Terminal 5== The supporter terminal 5 is a computer operated by a supporter who performs analysis and interpretation of subjective information and biological samples. The supporter terminal 5 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc. The supporter can access the server device 1, for example, via an application executed on the supporter terminal 5 or a web browser.

[0019] ==Business Operator Terminal 6== The operator terminal 6 is a computer operated by an operator who returns analysis results and advice to the user by using the functions of the server device 1. The operator terminal 6 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or the like. The operator can access the server device 1 through, for example, an application executed on the operator terminal 6 or a web browser. Note that the supporter terminal 5 may also serve as the operator terminal 6.

[0020] ==Expert Terminal 7== The expert terminal 7 is a computer mainly operated by an expert in the medical field who advises the user on methods for improving symptoms, preventive methods, and the like. The expert terminal 7 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or the like. The expert can access the server device 1 through, for example, an application executed on the expert terminal 7 or a web browser. Note that the operator terminal 6 may also serve as the expert terminal 7.

[0021] Hereinafter, the configuration of the server device 1 will be described.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. The server device 1 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, a storage device 103, a communication interface 104, an input device 105, and an output device 106. The storage device 103 stores various data and programs, and is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, a flash memory, or the like. The communication interface 104 is an interface for connecting to the network 2, and is, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone network, a wireless communication device for performing wireless communication, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or an RS232C connector for serial communication, or the like. The input device 105 is a device that receives input of data through, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, or the like. The output device 106 outputs data and includes, for example, a display, a printer, a speaker, or the like.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the server device 1 includes processing units such as a user information acquisition unit 111, a subjective information acquisition unit 112, a life information acquisition unit 113, a biological information acquisition unit 114, an evaluation unit 115, a stress cause estimation unit 116, and an advice transmission unit 117, and a user information storage unit 131, a subjective information storage unit 132, a life information storage unit 133, a biological information storage unit 134, an evaluation information storage unit 135, a stress cause information storage unit 136, and an advice information storage unit 137.

[0024] Note that each of the above functional units is realized by the processor 101 provided in the server device 1 reading a program stored in the storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing it, and each of the above storage units is realized as a part of the storage area provided by the memory 102 and the storage device 103 provided in the server device 1.

[0025] Here, in the present embodiment, the data configurations of the user information storage unit 131, the subjective information storage unit 132, the life information storage unit 133, the biological information storage unit 134, the evaluation information storage unit 135, the stress cause information storage unit 136, and the advice information storage unit 137 are shown.

[0026] The user information storage unit 131 stores the user information received by the user information acquisition unit 111, an example of which is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the user information is composed of information such as name, age, gender, height, weight, occupation, annual income, etc. as an example.

[0027] The subjective information storage unit 132 stores the subjective information received by the subjective information acquisition unit 112, an example of which is shown in FIG. 5. The subjective information includes, as an example, information subjectively answered by the user to questions. As shown in FIG. 5, the subjective information is composed of information such as questions included in a psychological measurement scale, answers to the questions, answer dates, and evaluation methods set for each psychological measurement scale as an example.

[0028] The psychological measurement scale is a method for measuring psychological phenomena. By scoring the answers to several questions, individual differences in psychological phenomena can be grasped. As an example, the psychological measurement scale includes, but is not limited to, mindset scales such as the Occupational Stress Simplified Survey Form, the GHQ Mental Health Survey World Health Organization Edition, the WHO SUBI, the PHRF Stress Check List - Short Form, and stress coping inventories.

[0029] The life information memory unit 133 stores the life information received by the life information acquisition unit 113, as shown by way of example in FIG. 6, together with information on the date and time. The life information mainly includes business information, personal life information, and activity information. The business information includes information on the environment in which the user conducts business and the content of the business being carried out. As shown in FIG. 6, the business information is, for example, composed of information such as the department to which the user belongs (including information on the time of transfer), department members (including information on the time of change), position (including information on the time of promotion, demotion, etc.), years of service, business content (including information on the time), date and time of business conduct, results (including information on the time), evaluation (including information on the time), and so on. The personal life information includes information on events and actions that occurred in personal life. As shown in FIG. 6, the personal life information is, for example, information on events that occurred to the user himself / herself, information on events that occurred to the family such as weddings, funerals, and other family events, information on events that occurred in the region, information on events that occurred in the community to which the user belongs, etc., including information such as the number of times, intensity of impression, and time of occurrence. The activity information includes information on the activities carried out by the user. As shown in FIG. 6, the activity information includes information such as the time and content of sleep, state, etc., information on the content and intensity of exercise such as the number of steps, quality and quantity information such as duration, information on the content and quantity of meals, information mainly obtained from biosensors such as pulse waves and blood pressure, and so on.

[0030] The biological information storage unit 134 stores the biological information received by the biological information acquisition unit 114, an example of which is shown in FIG. 7. As an example, the biological information includes information regarding components obtained by analyzing a sample acquired from the user. As shown in FIG. 7, the biological information is, for example, composed of information such as user ID, sample type, sample acquisition date, analysis site, contained components, component content, content of injury, degree of injury, etc. Note that, for each analysis site, the contained components, component content, standard deviation of the component content, and for each content of injury and degree of injury, the contained components, component content, standard deviation of the component content, etc. for each analysis site may be stored together, or the biological information acquisition unit 114 may calculate and store the average value and standard deviation from the data stored in the biological information storage unit 134.

[0031] The sample is a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the body surface of the user, and includes, for example, but is not limited to, hair, hair, body hair, nails, keratin, etc.

[0032] The components include, for example, but are not limited to, protein, hormone, lipid, steroid, pigment, mineral, nucleic acid, etc.

[0033] The components include, for example, but are not limited to, cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, estradiol, oxytocin, serotonin, etc.

[0034] The analysis site may be defined step by step from a part close to the skin to a part far from it when the sample is present on the body surface, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0035] The analysis site may be defined by the distance from the hair root part of the hair when the sample is hair, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0036] The analysis site may be defined based on, for example, the distance from the hair root of the hair when the sample is hair, considering that the hair grows about 1 cm per month on average, and thus how much time has passed since the site was generated, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] The evaluation information storage unit 135 stores evaluation information shown as an example in FIG. 8. The evaluation information includes subjective responses to stress (which may include the content and degree of depression, feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, uncertainty, etc.), physical responses to stress (which may include the content and degree of autonomic nervous disharmony, fatigue physical responses, etc.), resistance to stress, stress responses (such as the amount of hormones secreted when stressed), anti-stress responses (such as the amount of hormones with the function of alleviating the stress state), resilience, the deviation between subjective and physical responses, one's own values, average values, deviation values, changes in each value over time regarding the above items in this paragraph, and also information such as the type of stress, the degree of stress, mindset, insomnia risk, etc.

[0038] The advice information storage unit 137 stores advice information shown as an example in FIG. 9, which is transmitted by the advice transmission unit 117. The advice information mainly includes cause information and corresponding solution information. The cause information includes the information on the cause of stress determined by the stress cause estimation unit 116, and the solution information stores advice for maintaining, improving health, and recovering from symptoms. As shown in FIG. 9, the cause information includes, for example, information such as overtime work, lack of exercise, changes in the workplace environment, and changes in the private life environment. Also, the solution information includes, for example, information about life such as going to bed early and getting up early, and moderate exercise, skills and mindsets such as communication and ways of thinking that are good to acquire, about the user's personality and characteristics that may cause problems, about the environment to which the user belongs such as the workplace or school, and about the necessity of seeking diagnoses and judgments from doctors, psychological counselors, etc. at hospitals, etc. In addition, in order to define which solution to present according to the user's attributes, the user's attribute information may be associated and stored with each solution.

[0039] The above is the description of the data configuration of the server device 1.

[0040] Here, in the present embodiment, the functions of the user information acquisition unit 111, the subjective information acquisition unit 112, the life information acquisition unit 113, the biological information acquisition unit 114, the evaluation unit 115, the stress cause estimation unit 116, and the advice transmission unit 117 are shown.

[0041] The user information acquisition unit 111 presents an input form related to user information to the user terminal 3 via the network 2 and acquires information about the user. The communication in the transmission and reception may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the mutual communication can be executed. Note that part or all of the user information may be directly input into the server device 1 by the person in charge of the organization to which the user belongs through information collected by interviewing or surveying the user, etc., or may be input from the organization terminal 4 via the network 2. Also, part or all of the user information may be directly input into the server device 1 by the business operator who conducts business using the server device 1 through information collected by interviewing or surveying the user, etc., or may be input from the business operator terminal 6 via the network 2.

[0042] The subjective information acquisition unit 112 presents an input form regarding subjective information to the user terminal 3 via the network 2 and acquires information regarding subjective information. The input form is a form of the questions of the psychological measurement scale. The communication in the transmission and reception may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the mutual communication can be executed. Note that the subjective information may be directly input into the server device 1 by the person in charge of the organization to which the user belongs by conducting an interview with the user, using a questionnaire, etc., or may be input from the organization terminal 4 via the network 2. Further, the subjective information may be directly input into the server device 1 by a supporter who conducts business using the server device 1 by conducting an interview with the user, using a questionnaire, etc., or may be input from the supporter terminal 5 via the network 2, or the subjective information acquisition unit 112 may image the collected questionnaire, etc., and transmit the text information read by OCR technology or the like to the server device 1.

[0043] The life information acquisition unit 113 acquires information regarding life information from the user terminal 3 via the network 2. The communication in the transmission and reception may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the mutual communication can be executed. Note that the life information may be acquired by the life information acquisition unit 113 from information such as a calendar application used by the user, or may be acquired by the life information acquisition unit 113 from a calendar application, a daily report, a weekly report, a monthly report, or other business content reporting tools used in the organization to which the user belongs. When the business content reports such as a calendar, a daily report, a weekly report, and a monthly report are created on a paper medium, the life information acquisition unit 113 may image the scan data of the paper medium and transmit the text information read by OCR technology or the like to the server device 1.

[0044] The biological information acquisition unit 114 acquires information regarding biological information from the supporter terminal 5 via the network 2. The communication in this transmission and reception may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication can be executed. Note that the biological information may be directly input into the server device 1 from the information reported by the supporter to the operator on a paper medium or the like, may be input from the operator terminal 6 via the network 2, or the biological information acquisition unit 114 may read the scan data of the report using OCR technology or the like and transmit the text information to the server device 1.

[0045] The evaluation unit 115 evaluates the health status of the user based on any one or a plurality of the user information, the subjective information, the lifestyle information, and the biological information, generates a screen to be presented to the user, and stores it in the evaluation information storage unit 135. Note that the screen generated by the evaluation unit 115 may be presented to the organization, the supporter, and the expert.

[0046] The evaluation unit 115 evaluates the user's health condition based on the biological information as an example. The evaluation unit 115 evaluates, for example, the reaction to stress based on the information on the amount of hormones included in the biological information. FIG. 10 shows an example of the information on the amount of hormones included in the biological information. Cortisol is a hormone secreted when under stress, has functions such as raising blood sugar levels, and has a function of protecting the body from stress. Therefore, by examining the amount of cortisol, it is possible to evaluate the degree of stress received (stress reaction). Also, DHEA is also secreted when under stress, but DHEA has a function of reducing the side effects of cortisol by suppressing the function of cortisol. Therefore, by examining the amount of DHEA, it is possible to evaluate the degree to which the body changes caused by stress are trying to return to the original state (anti-stress reaction). Furthermore, by examining the ratio of the contents of cortisol and DHEA, the balance between the stress reaction and the anti-stress reaction is evaluated. Note that these evaluations may be performed for each analysis site. Although cortisol and DHEA are described as examples, the stress reaction and the anti-stress reaction may be evaluated by substances such as other hormones known as indicators of the stress reaction and the anti-stress reaction, and the same applies hereinafter.

[0047] The evaluation unit 115, as an example, compares the average value and standard deviation values of the cortisol and DHEA contents contained in the hair samples of general people stored in each biometric information storage unit 134 with the cortisol and DHEA contents obtained from the user's hair sample, and evaluates the stress response and the anti-stress response based on the magnitude of the difference from the average value. The evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the stress response and the anti-stress response based on the fact that the content of cortisol or DHEA obtained from the user's sample is a predetermined amount more or less than the average content in the previous period, and may also evaluate the degree based on the magnitude of the difference from the average value. Specifically, as an example, if the cortisol content obtained from the user's sample is within the difference between the average value and the standard deviation, the evaluation unit 115 may evaluate it as an average stress response (for example, set the evaluation value to 3). If it is greater than the average value by the standard deviation and less than or equal to twice the standard deviation, it may be evaluated as a slightly elevated stress response (for example, set the evaluation value to 4). If it is greater than twice the standard deviation from the average value, it may be evaluated as a high stress response (for example, set the evaluation value to 5). If it is less than the average value by the standard deviation and greater than or equal to negative twice the standard deviation, it may be evaluated as a slightly decreased stress response (for example, set the evaluation value to 2). If it is less than twice the standard deviation from the average value, it may be evaluated as a low stress response (for example, set the evaluation value to 1). Although a five-level evaluation is used as an example, it may be evaluated by dividing it into any number of levels such as three levels or seven levels. In that case, it is only necessary to determine the specified values for how far away from the average value for each level. The evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the anti-stress response based on the same calculation for DHEA as well.

[0048] Furthermore, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the balance between the stress response and the anti-stress response by examining the ratio of the cortisol and DHEA contents, and determines an objective stress state (objective stress value). The evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the reaction balance between the stress response and the anti-stress response based on whether the ratio of the cortisol or DHEA content obtained from the user's sample is a predetermined amount more or less than the ratio of the previous period average value, and may evaluate the degree based on the magnitude of the difference from the average value. Specifically, as an example, the evaluation unit 115 calculates the ratio of the cortisol content to the DHEA content (calculated as cortisol content / DHEA content) obtained from the user's sample. If it is within the difference of the standard deviation from the ratio of the average value, it may be evaluated as an average reaction balance (for example, evaluation value 3). When the value is greater than the ratio of the average value by the standard deviation and less than or equal to the value of the standard deviation × 2, it may be evaluated that the stress response is slightly higher (for example, evaluation value 4). When the value is greater than the ratio of the average value by the value of the standard deviation × 2, it may be evaluated that the stress response is higher (for example, evaluation value 5). When the value is less than the ratio of the average value by the standard deviation and greater than or equal to the value of the standard deviation × (-2), it may be evaluated that the stress response is slightly lower (for example, evaluation value 2). When the value is less than the ratio of the average value by the value of the standard deviation × 2, it may be evaluated that the stress response is lower (for example, evaluation value 1). Although a five-level evaluation is used as an example, it may be evaluated by dividing it into any hierarchy such as three levels or seven levels. In that case, a specified value indicating how far it is from the average value may be determined respectively.

[0049] The evaluation unit 115 conducts an evaluation and shows an example of the generated screen in FIG. 12. In the graph and the like described as objective stress in FIG. 12, as described above, the "stress response" indicates the amount of hormones secreted when stress is applied, and the "anti-stress response" indicates the amount of hormones that have the function of alleviating the stress state. The evaluation unit 115 compares the amounts of both and calculates the value of the reaction balance. A state where the balance of the amounts of both is achieved is a desirable health state. The evaluation unit 115 may evaluate, for example, that a state where the value of the anti-stress response is higher than the value of the stress response is a state of overreacting to stress, and conversely, a state where the value of the anti-stress response is lower than the value of the stress response is a state of underreacting to stress. Further, the evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the degree of the reaction balance from the value of the reaction balance. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 115 may correct the values of the stress response and the anti-stress response based on information such as the content and degree of damage included in the biological information. For example, when there is an impact due to hair dyeing as the content and degree of damage, the evaluation unit 115 may add the value of the hormone that is easily lost from the hair due to hair dyeing, or conversely, subtract the hormone that is easily accumulated due to hair dyeing, but is not limited to these processes.

[0050] In addition, the evaluation unit 115 may perform the above-described evaluation for each analysis site. Since hair grows approximately 1 cm per month on average, evaluations can be performed every 1 cm starting from the part closer to the hair root, that is, every month, and evaluations for several months can be performed by arranging these evaluations in chronological order. Alternatively, evaluations can be performed by dividing at intervals of 0.5 cm, 0.25 cm, etc., and the length of the hair can be arbitrarily changed, and evaluations for the corresponding period can be performed. At this time, the evaluation unit 115 may further evaluate the user's health condition based on, for example, the transition of values such as the "stress response" or "anti-stress response". For example, the evaluation unit 115 may place the axis of the value of the "stress response" on the Y-axis and the time axis on the X-axis, draw an approximate straight line, etc., and evaluate that if the slope is a negative value, it indicates an improving trend, and if it is a positive value, it indicates a deteriorating trend. Also, in FIG. 12, the evaluation unit 115 may set December (such as the month before the sample acquisition date) not described in the figure as X = 0, and evaluate whether the stress state has improved or deteriorated rapidly based on the value of the slope of the approximate straight line.

[0051] Furthermore, as an example, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the user's health condition based on the subjective information. Also, the evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the user's health condition by combining the user information and the subjective information. For example, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the user's mental state based on the information of the answers to various psychological measurement scales included in the subjective information. The evaluation unit 115 uses an evaluation method defined for each psychological measurement scale (where the user's answer to a certain question is scored as 1 point for answering A, 2 points for answering B, etc., and the score associated with the answer may vary depending on gender, age, the user's job content, exercise volume, sleep volume, etc.). Based on this, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the user's mental state and may calculate the total value for each category of the mental state derived from the psychological measurement scale. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the user's mental state based on the difference between the total value obtained from the user's answer and the average value of the total value set in the psychological measurement scale, the degree of the difference, etc.

[0052] As an example, as shown in FIG. 11, the evaluation unit 115 determines scores for each answer based on the information of the answers to the questions of the psychometric scale stored in the subjective information storage unit 132 and the evaluation method (depending on the evaluation method of the psychometric scale, information such as gender and age included in the user information, the position and achievements of the business information included in the life information, the family composition of the private life information and the number of contacts with the local community, the amount of sleep, exercise, diet, and the content of each of the activity information are also used). Further, depending on the type of psychometric scale, since some questions are classified into several categories, the evaluation unit 115 may calculate the total score for each category. Further, the evaluation unit 115 compares the score for the answer, or the total score, with the value determined by the evaluation method, and a value considering the average value and standard deviation value of the answers to the questions of each psychometric scale, and evaluates the score for the answer, or the total score, based on the magnitude of the difference. The evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the answer or the category of the answer based on whether the score (or the total value for each category) obtained by scoring the user's answer based on the evaluation method is a predetermined number higher or lower than the determined value or the average value, and may evaluate the degree based on the magnitude of the difference from the determined value or the average value. Specifically, as an example, if the score (or the total value for each category) obtained from the user's answer is within the difference of the standard deviation from the determined value or the average value, the evaluation unit 115 may give an average evaluation (for example, an evaluation value of 3), and if it is greater than the standard deviation value and less than or equal to the value of standard deviation × 2 from the determined value or the average value, it may give a slightly higher evaluation (for example, an evaluation value of 4), and if it is greater than the value of standard deviation × 2 from the determined value or the average value, it may give a high evaluation (for example, an evaluation value of 5), and if it is less than the standard deviation value and greater than or equal to the value of standard deviation × (-2) from the determined value or the average value, it may give a slightly lower evaluation (for example, an evaluation value of 2), and if it is less than the value of standard deviation × 2 from the determined value or the average value, it may give a low evaluation (for example, an evaluation value of 1).Note that, although a five - level evaluation is used as an example, it may be evaluated by dividing it into any number of levels such as three levels or seven levels. In that case, a specified value indicating how far it is from the average value may be determined respectively.

[0053] Furthermore, the evaluation unit 115 determines a subjective stress state (subjective stress value) by calculating the score for the said answer or the average value of the total score.

[0054] FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen evaluated and generated by the evaluation unit 115. In the graph etc. described as subjective stress in FIG. 12, the evaluation unit 115 calculates values such as autonomic nervous system disharmony, fatigue / physical reaction, depression / sense of inadequacy, anxiety / uncertainty, etc. that can be derived from the answers to the psychological measurement scale, and shows the user's score together with the average value in a graph etc. Needless to say, other items may also be evaluated depending on the psychological measurement scale used.

[0055] Furthermore, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the state of the user with respect to stress by comparing the objective stress value and the subjective stress value. The evaluation unit 115 determines that the subjective stress state is excessive when the subjective stress value is higher than the objective stress value. The evaluation unit 115 determines that the stress state is balanced when the subjective stress value and the objective stress value are about the same. The evaluation unit 115 determines that the objective stress state is excessive when the subjective stress value is lower than the objective stress value.

[0056] FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen evaluated and generated by the evaluation unit 115. In FIG. 12, as an example, a diagram with an unbalanced over - monitoring is shown. The left side shows the objective stress and the right side shows the subjective stress. In this case, although the evaluation unit 115 subjectively feels low stress, since the stress reaction is high as a physical reaction, it is determined that the state is unbalanced.

[0057] Furthermore, as an example, the evaluation unit 115 may evaluate the user's health condition based on the user information and the biological information. For example, the evaluation unit 115 may correct the information calculated as 1 cm per month from the information on the measurement site included in the biological information based on the information on "the growth rate of hair" included in the user information.

[0058] The stress cause estimation unit 116 estimates the cause that has caused or has caused the stress state presented by the user based on any one or several of the user information, the life information, and the evaluation information, and stores it in the stress cause information storage unit 136. The stress cause estimation unit 116 may statistically determine the cause from any one or several of the user information, the life information, and the evaluation information. As types of analysis, correlation analysis, regression, classification, clustering, calculation of feature importance, etc. may be performed. Also, these statistical models may generally use implementations used in statistics, and detailed description is omitted here.

[0059] As an example, when the stress cause estimation unit 116 determines that the subjective stress value or the objective stress value evaluated by the evaluation unit 115 is higher than the average value, the stress cause estimation unit 116 estimates, as the cause of stress, an event that occurred at a time point prior to the time point when the sample was obtained, or an event that can be determined to be different from normal during that period. For example, the stress cause estimation unit 116 calculates the average numerical value of a user over a certain period in the past for quantitatively expressible indicators (working hours, business achievements represented by numerical values, evaluations, sleep hours, exercise volume, etc.) included in the life information, and when there is a certain difference from that numerical value, estimates that indicator as the cause of stress. For example, the stress cause estimation unit 116 calculates the average working hours of a user over a certain period in the past, and when overtime work continues (including cases where it continues intermittently) for a specified period such as 3 days, 1 week, or 1 month longer than that, estimates that overtime work is the cause of stress.

[0060] In addition, when the stress cause estimation unit 116 determines that the subjective stress value or the objective stress value evaluated by the evaluation unit 115 is higher than the average value, for the quantitatively expressible events included in the life information at a time point prior to the time point when the sample was obtained, it may be determined that the difference from the generally recommended time is greater than the specified number, and the event may be estimated as the cause of stress. For example, the stress cause estimation unit 116 reads out general recommended numerical values (for example, the working hours are about 8 hours a day, the sleeping hours are about 6 to 8 hours, the number of steps per day is 10,000 steps, etc.) such as working hours, sleeping hours, and exercise volume stored in the server device 1. The stress cause estimation unit 116 may, for example, compare the recommended time of the working hours (8 hours a day) with the working hours included in the life information, and if the difference is greater than the specified number, estimate that the working hours are the cause of stress.

[0061] For example, when the stress cause estimation unit 116 determines that the subjective stress value or the objective stress value evaluated by the evaluation unit 115 is higher than the average value, it may be determined that an event that can generally cause stress is included in the life information at a time point prior to the time point when the sample was obtained, and the event may be estimated as the cause of stress. In this case, events that can generally cause stress (for example, transfer of department, job change, resignation, change of supervisor, family misfortune, one's own illness, disaster, etc.) are stored in the server device 1. When the stress cause estimation unit 116 determines that the subjective stress value or the objective stress value evaluated by the evaluation unit 115 is higher than the average value, if, for example, information on transfer of department is included in the life information at a time point prior to the time point when the sample was obtained, the transfer of department is estimated as the cause of stress.

[0062] Note that the stress cause estimation unit 116 may estimate a plurality of events as the causes of stress. Further, based on the information of the time when the evaluation unit 115 determines that the objective stress value is high (determined according to the difference in the analysis part), the stress cause estimation unit 116 may narrow down some of the events that are the causes of the estimated plurality of stresses. For example, based on the life information, the stress cause estimation unit 116 estimates that the transfer of the department three months before the sample acquisition time and the continuous long working hours two months before the sample acquisition time are the causes of stress. Further, when the evaluation unit 115 evaluates that the subjective stress value or the objective stress value is higher than the average value two months before the sample acquisition time, the stress cause estimation unit 116 may estimate the long working hours, which is an event that occurred two months before, as the cause of stress.

[0063] The advice transmission unit 117 transmits information such as advice including a method considered to lead to the solution of the stress cause estimated by the stress cause estimation unit 116 to the user terminal 3 via the network 2. The communication in this transmission and reception may be either wired or wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the mutual communication can be executed.

[0064] As an example, the advice transmission unit 117 creates advice based on the life information and the evaluation information and transmits it to the user terminal 3. For example, the advice transmission unit 117 reads out the solution information corresponding to the stress cause estimated by the stress cause estimation unit 116 from the advice information storage unit 137 and presents it to the user.

[0065] In addition, as an example, the advice transmission unit 117 may present a solution according to the user attributes based on the user information. For example, when the stress cause estimation unit 116 determines that the cause is long working hours and further determines from the information on the community situation included in the user information that the user has a family, the advice transmission unit 117 may present to the user a solution such as "Come home at a time when you can communicate with your family." which is stored as advice for users with families among the solutions stored in the advice information storage unit 137.

[0066] Furthermore, the advice transmission unit 117 may determine the stress state presented by the user and the cause thereof based on any one or some of the user information, the life information, and the evaluation information, and transmit information such as advice including the cause and a method considered to lead to the solution thereof to the expert terminal 6 via the network 2. Based on this information, the expert may consider, modify, and add to the advice for the user, and may transmit the advice after consideration, modification, and addition to the user terminal 3.

[0067] Furthermore, the advice transmission unit 117 may select the solution to be presented according to the balance between the subjective stress value and the objective stress value. For example, when the objective stress value is higher than the subjective stress value or conversely when the subjective stress value is higher than the objective stress value, the advice transmission unit 117 may transmit the solution information corresponding to each phenomenon included in the advice information to the user terminal 3 via the network 2.

[0068] Using FIG. 13, the flow of typical processing in this embodiment will be described. First, the user information acquisition unit 111 receives user information (1001). Next, the subjective information acquisition unit 112 receives subjective information (1002). Also, the life information acquisition unit 113 receives life information (1003). Further, the biological information acquisition unit 114 receives biological information (1004). The evaluation unit 115 determines the user's answers included in the subjective information based on the evaluation methods set for each psychological measurement scale, and evaluates the subjective stress state (1005). Further, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the objective stress state from the content of components included in the biological information, etc. (1006). Also, the evaluation unit 115 evaluates the balance between the subjective stress state and the objective stress state (1007). The stress cause estimation unit 116 determines the cause of stress from the evaluation information and the life information (1008). The advice transmission unit 117 transmits advice to the user (1009).

[0069] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] The device described in this specification may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by a plurality of devices (for example, a cloud server) partially or entirely connected by a network. For example, each functional unit and each storage unit of the server device 1 may be realized by different servers connected to each other by a network.

[0071] The series of processes by the apparatus described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and combinations of software and hardware. It is possible to create a computer program for realizing each function of the server device 1 according to this embodiment and install it on a PC or the like. Also, it is possible to provide a computer-readable recording medium storing such a computer program. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. Further, the above computer program may be distributed via a network, for example, without using a recording medium.

[0072] Also, the processes described using flowcharts in this specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown in the figures. Some of the processing steps may be executed in parallel. Also, additional processing steps may be adopted, and some of the processing steps may be omitted.

[0073] Also, the effects described in this specification are merely illustrative or exemplary and not limiting. That is, the technology according to the present disclosure may exhibit other effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description in this specification, together with or instead of the above effects.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0074] 1 Server device 2 Network 3 User terminal 4 Organization terminal 5 Supporter terminal 6 Business operator terminal 7 Specialist terminal 101 Processor 102 Memory 103 Storage device 104 Communication interface 105 Input device 106 Output device 111 User information acquisition unit 112 Subjective information acquisition unit 113 Life information acquisition unit 114 Biological information acquisition unit 115 Evaluation unit 116 Stress cause estimation unit 117 Advice transmission unit 131 User information storage unit 132 Subjective information storage unit 133 Life information storage unit 134 Biological information storage unit 135 Evaluation information storage unit 136 Stress cause information storage unit 137 Advice information storage unit

Claims

1. A health support device for supporting the health of a user, a subjective information acquisition unit that acquires subjective information answered by the user to a question; a biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information regarding a substance contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the body surface of the user; an evaluation unit that evaluates the subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluates the objective stress indicating the objective stress state of the user based on the biological information, and evaluates the health state of the user according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support device characterized by comprising:

2. The structure is hair or fur, The health support device according to claim 1, characterized in that:

3. The biological information includes information regarding substances contained in a plurality of parts of the structure, The part is a part at a certain distance from a part close to the hair root of the hair or the fur, The health support device according to claim 2, characterized in that:

4. The substance is a hormone, The health support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that:

5. a life information storage unit that stores a history of the user's life information; a stress cause estimation unit that estimates the past life information as a cause of the user's stress from the time when the objective stress satisfies a predetermined condition; The health support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises:

6. A health support system for supporting the health of a user, a subjective information acquisition function that acquires subjective information answered by the user to a question; a biological information acquisition function that acquires biological information regarding a substance contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the body surface of the user; an evaluation function that evaluates the subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluates the objective stress indicating the objective stress state of the user based on the biological information, and evaluates the health state of the user according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support system characterized by comprising:

7. A health support method for supporting the health of a user, a processor, a subjective information acquisition step of acquiring subjective information answered by the user to a question; a biological information acquisition step of acquiring biological information regarding a substance contained in a structure mainly composed of protein that occurs on the body surface of the user; An evaluation step of evaluating the subjective stress subjectively felt by the user based on the subjective information, evaluating the objective stress indicating the objective stress state of the user based on the biological information, and evaluating the health state of the user according to the degree of deviation between the subjective stress and the objective stress; A health support method characterized by comprising the above.

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