Development and evaluation of an electromagnetic hypersensitivity questionnaire for Japanese people

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Japanese version of an electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) questionnaire, originally developed by Eltiti et al. in the United Kingdom. Using this Japanese EHS questionnaire, surveys were conducted on 1306 controls and 127 self‐selected EHS subjects in Japan. Principal component analysis of controls revealed eight principal symptom groups, namely, nervous, skin‐related, head‐related, auditory and vestibular, musculoskeletal, allergy‐related, sensory, and heart/chest‐related. The reliability of the Japanese EHS questionnaire was confirmed by high to moderate intraclass correlation coefficients in a test–retest analysis, and high Cronbach's α coefficients (0.853–0.953) from each subscale. A comparison of scores of each subscale between self‐selected EHS subjects and age‐ and sex‐matched controls using bivariate logistic regression analysis, Mann–Whitney U‐ and χ 2 tests, verified the validity of the questionnaire. This study demonstrated that the Japanese EHS questionnaire is reliable and valid, and can be used for surveillance of EHS individuals in Japan. Furthermore, based on multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses, we propose specific preliminary criteria for screening EHS individuals in Japan. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:353–372, 2016. © 2016 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence and correlation of multiple chemical sensitivity and electromagnetic hypersensitivity with age, sex, and depression in the Japanese population: a retrospective study

“…Further, their symptoms largely overlap with those of other functional syndromes. Rea et al [ 20 ] reported that > 80% of patients with EHS present with MCS, which is consistent with the report by Hojo et al [ 13 ]. Belpomme and Irigaray reported that 30% of the patients with MCS have EHS.…”

“…Hojo et al [ 13 ] developed a Japanese translation of the questionnaire originally published by Eltiti et al [ 11 ], modified it to fit the Japanese lifestyle, and confirmed its reliability and validity. The EHS questionnaire comprises the following sections: Demographics, II-1 Symptoms (57 items, q1–q57), and II-2 EMF-producing objects (nine items, q58–q66) considered to cause the symptoms.…”

“…The screening criteria for EHS established by Hojo et al [ 13 ] are II-1 Symptoms total score ≥ 47 points, q67 Sensitive to EMFs ≥ 1 point, and entries of two or more q68 items. We used II-1 Symptoms (57 items, q1–q57) and II-2 EMF-producing objects (9 items, q58–q66) to assess EMF symptoms and EMF-producing objects.…”

“…Population-based surveys have estimated the prevalence of EHS to be 2.7% in Sweden, 7.2% in Finland [ 16 ], 3.2% in California [ 17 ], 3.5% in Austria [ 18 ], 4% in the UK [ 11 ], and 13.3% in Taiwan [ 19 ]. Further, 3.0–4.6% of Japanese individuals in the general population may have EHS [ 13 ].…”

Epidemiological association between multiple chemical sensitivity and birth by caesarean section: a nationwide case-control study

“…We used the QEESI to define patients with MCS as this tool has been internationally validated [9, 11–13]. Third, we may have overlooked individuals who do not typically access the web; we note that most MCS patients have electromagnetic hypersensitivity [54], which prevents them from using a personal computer. However, some MCS patients have difficulties visiting healthcare facilities owing to potential exposure to chemical substances (such as perfumes and exhaust gases) while on route.…”