Promoting Preconception Care Through Occupational Health Checkups: Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Digital Tool for Japanese Women

BACKGROUND: Digital approaches to preconception care (PCC) may help increase reproductive health awareness among women of reproductive age. This pilot study evaluated the usability, acceptability, and perceived impact of a digital PCC tool delivered during workplace health checkups in Japan. METHODS: A quick response (QR) code linking to a digital PCC tool was distributed during routine workplace health checkups for women aged 18-40 years. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived usefulness, ease of understanding, relevance to personal health, intention to seek medical consultation, and understanding of PCC. Because not all participants answered every item, denominators varied across outcomes. Age-group differences were examined using chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 277 participants completed at least one questionnaire item and were included in the analysis. Perceived usefulness was high overall (92.8%) with a significant age-group difference (p = 0.001). Ease of understanding also showed a significant difference, with lower ratings in the 35-40 years group (p < 0.001). No significant age-group differences were observed for relevance to personal health (p = 0.795), intention to seek consultation (p = 0.748), or understanding of PCC (p = 0.444). PCC understanding remained high across all age groups (93.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The digital PCC tool was well accepted by women of reproductive age in a workplace setting. Although usefulness and ease of understanding varied by age, other outcomes were consistent across age groups. Further research with larger samples and longitudinal designs is needed to determine whether digital PCC tools influence real-world healthcare engagement.