Influence of Post-disaster Evacuation on Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Aim: After the Great East Japan Earthquake, over 160,000 residents near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were forced to evacuate due to a nuclear accident. Health problems in these evacuees have since become major issues. We examined the association between evacuation and incidence of metabolic syndrome (METS) among residents in Fukushima.Methods: We conducted a cohort study among residents aged 40–74 years without METS at the time of the disaster in Fukushima. Among 20,269 residents who met the inclusion criteria before the disaster, 8,547 residents (3,697 men and 4,850 women; follow-up proportion: 42.2%) remained available for follow-up examinations after the disaster by the end of March 2013. The main outcome was incidence of METS, defined by guidelines from the Japanese committee, using data from the Comprehensive Health Check before and after the disaster. We divided participants by evacuation status and compared outcomes between groups. Using a logistic regression model, we estimated the odds ratio for incidence of METS, adjusting for potential confounders, age, gender, waist circumference, exercise habit, and alcohol consumption.Results: Incidence of METS was higher in evacuees (men 19.2%, women 6.6%) than in non-evacuees (men 11.0%, women 4.6%). Evacuees had higher body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose after the disaster than non-evacuees. We found a significant association between evacuation and incidence of METS (adjusted odds ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval; 1.46–2.02).Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate that evacuation after a disaster is associated with increased incidence of METS.

Effects of Psychological and Lifestyle Factors on Metabolic Syndrome Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey

“…However, residents tended to avoid going out because of fears of radioactive exposure after Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. In fact, the proportion of residents who exercised was lower following the accident, especially for residents in the evacuation zone 11) . Therefore, fear of radioactive exposure can potentially increase the risk for MetS by decreased physical activity.…”

“…Moreover, mental status is also associated with MetS [2][3][4] . In the Comprehensive Health Check of Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS), we showed that evacuation was associated with various health problems, including MetS [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] . Moreover, the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey in FHMS reported changes in mental status and lifestyle factors following the disaster 12) .…”

“…Previous studies in the FHMS [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] were evaluated independently, and thus lifestyle factors associated with MetS were limited to items assessed during an ordinary health check-up. Consequently, the association between MetS and disaster-related factors has not been estimated.…”

Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Young Japanese Adults in a 6-Year Cohort Study: The Uguisudani Preventive Health Large-Scale Cohort Study (UPHLS)

“…[1][2][3] Many prior studies reported different incidences in MS from 3.1 to 22.9 per 1,000 person-years using different definition criteria for adults aged 40 years or older. [4][5][6][7] Regarding the incidence of MS per 1,000 person-years in young adults aged younger than 40, values of 11.7 for men and women aged 18-30 years 8 ; 13.3 for men and women aged 20-32 years 9 ; 12.0 for women aged 18-30 years 10 ; and 20.4 for black men and 24.9 for white men, and 27.9 for black women and 12.5 for white women aged 18-30 years 11 were reported in the United States using NCEP-ATP III criteria. In addition, Dreyfus et al reported a cumulative incidence of 24.8% in 2,534 African-American and white women aged 18-30 years during a 25-year follow-up.…”

Association between post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and bone fractures after the Great East Japan Earthquake in older adults: a prospective cohort study from the Fukushima Health Management Survey

“…Previous studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of diseases, such as obesity and lifestylerelated diseases, in residents of evacuation areas within Fukushima prefecture. [12][13][14][15] This increase in disease prevalence could be partly attributed to the increase in stress due to environmental changes caused by moving into temporary housing, living in an evacuation site outside the local area, or disturbance in eating habits. [16][17][18][19] Thus, psychological stress has been considered to be associated with adverse health effects among residents of evacuation areas throughout Fukushima prefecture.…”