Objectives: To reveal the effect of age and other factors on perceived anxiety over radiation exposure among decontamination workers in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Methods: A survey questionnaire was sent to 1505 workers, with questions regarding age, presence of a written employment contract, previous residence, radiation passbook ownership, presence of close persons for consultation, knowledge of how to access public assistance, and a four-point scale of radiation-related anxiety (1= "Very much," 2= "Somewhat," 3= "A little bit," and 4= "None" ). The relationships between the degree of anxiety and variables were analyzed using the chi-square test and residual analysis. Results: In all, 512 participants responded to the questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 46.2 years (SD: 13.1, range: 18-77). Of them, 50, 233, 168, and 61 workers chose "Very much," "Somewhat," "A little bit," and "None," respectively, on the anxiety scale. Chi-square test showed that participants aged 61 years and over had higher degrees of anxiety (p<0.001). Ordinal logistic regression showed that the degree of anxiety increased if they did not have a written contract (p=0.042) or persons to consult (p=0.034) and if they routinely checked the dose rate (p=0.046). Conclusions: Decontamination workers who do not have a written contract or who are in socially isolated situations have greater anxiety over radiation exposure. Thus, it is important to both create supportive human relationships for consultation and enhance labor management in individual companies.
Because the risk of falling is high for residents who at the time of admission have the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia of "wandering" and "agitation," it is necessary to predict the possibility of falling at an early stage, monitor the residents and adjust the environment. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1573-1577.
The aim of this study was to determine what lifestyle changes can predict acute onset hypertension in the normotensive community-dwelling elderly.
This study targeted elderly people enrolled in National Health Insurance in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The subjects were 24,490 people who took all of the specific health examination conducted by National Health Insurance in fiscal years 2013, 2014, and 2015 continuously and had a recorded systolic blood pressure (BP) <130 mm Hg and diastolic BP <85 mm Hg in the first 2 fiscal years. We examined their lifestyle changes for the first 2 fiscal years using the questionnaires given at the health examination. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between new-onset hypertension observed at the last examination and unhealthy lifestyle changes.
The mean age of the subjects was 61.5 ± 8.2 years old at baseline. We observed new-onset hypertension in 1.062 subjects at the last examination. Of the study subjects, 12,027 (49.1%) answered to having at least one of the items of unhealthy lifestyle change in the questionnaire. In the multivariate logistic regression, eating supper before bedtime showed a significant increase in the risk ratio for acute onset hypertension (risk ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.58).
This study indicated that eating before bedtime is a risk factor of new-onset hypertension in the normotensive community-dwelling elderly. Adequate health guidance to avoid unhealthy lifestyle changes is required even in normotensive people as this hypertension is preventable.
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