Meiji and Fujitsu launch world's first rRAFU™ pilot to assess future malnutrition and frailty risk

Target participants: Approximately 240 people aged 60 and over residing in Kawasaki City.
Period: February 2026 to June 2026

In this pilot project, after registering for the self-care support app, participants will undergo a future malnutrition and frailty risk assessment using rRAFU, and the results will be provided to them. Based on the assessment results, participants will select lifestyle improvement plans, such as diet and exercise, that they find manageable. Fujitsu's AI technology will encourage the implementation of these plans via email, tailored to each participant's activity characteristics, thereby supporting their consistent engagement in daily life.

After approximately three months, the project will evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of the actions taken and the resulting changes. Through this pilot project, participants are expected to deepen their understanding of future malnutrition and frailty risks, which were previously difficult to perceive, and to find motivation to initiate and sustain lifestyle improvements.

This app was built by Meiji and Fujitsu, building upon Fujitsu's AI-driven behavioral change support service and incorporating Meiji's rRAFU indicator for assessing future malnutrition and frailty risk.

Participants answer the simple 13 questions of rRAFU to understand their future risks and then select and implement lifestyle improvement plans, including diet and exercise, in their daily lives. The app utilizes Fujitsu's AI technology to support participants in recording and reviewing their actions, enabling them to engage in self-care without undue burden.

rRAFU is an indicator that allows individuals to understand their future (approximately two years ahead) risk of malnutrition and frailty by answering 13 simple questions across four domains closely related to malnutrition and frailty risk: "nutrition-related," "eating habits," "physical activity," and "food-related quality of life (QOL)." A total score based on the answers evaluates the presence of potential malnutrition and frailty risks. This indicator was developed through research led by Professor Shoji Shinkai of Kagawa Nutrition University, together with collaborating institutions.

In Japan, the aging population has made frailty and malnutrition significant societal challenges, and both can often lead to a need for long-term care. Malnutrition is difficult to self-diagnose, and by the time it is recognized, frailty may have already progressed.

Previous long-term care prevention measures have largely focused on interventions after physical decline becomes apparent. There has been a lack of mechanisms to identify future risks early and connect individuals to personalized improvement actions. Furthermore, merely presenting risks often fails to sustain behavioral change.

Meiji, through its long-standing research in food and nutrition, has focused on the importance of self-care that can be easily incorporated into daily life. Meiji and Fujitsu initiated this pilot project with the goal of visualizing the risk of future malnutrition and frailty and enabling individuals to choose and commit to actions that prevent frailty at an early stage, thereby contributing to a healthier aging society.