Abstract
The proportion of overweight individuals living in the evacuation zone of Fukushima increased after the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, the change in the prevalence of abdominal obesity has not been reported. Lifestyle habits and changes in these habits after the disaster might have affected the onset of abdominal obesity; however, the association between the two is unclear. This study evaluated 19,673 Japanese participants of the Fukushima Health Management Survey. We used data from general health check-ups conducted in 13 municipalities between 2008 and 2010. Follow-up examinations were performed from June 2011 to March 2013. Changes in the proportion of individuals with abdominal obesity before and after the disaster were compared. Then, lifestyle habits affecting these changes were assessed. We found that 34.2% and 36.6% of participants (P < 0.001), both evacuees (37.0% and 42.1% [P < 0.001]) and non-evacuees (32.8% and 34.0% [P < 0.001]), had abdominal obesity before and after the disaster, respectively. Abdominal obesity was positively associated with smoking cessation, snacking after dinner, and non-breakfast skipping after the disaster and alcohol drinking before and after the disaster (all P < 0.05). Smoking cessation was positively associated with abdominal obesity in both evacuees and non-evacuees and in both men and women (all P < 0.01). The prevalence of abdominal obesity increased among residents in the area affected by nuclear disaster. It might be associated with not only lifestyle habits before the disaster but also changes in these habits after the disaster, especially smoking cessation.
Highlights
The Great East Japan Earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0, occurred on March 11, 2011 in the Pacific coast of the northern area of Japan
The Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) showed that the proportion of overweight individuals increased among residents in the evacuation zone of Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster, and these changes were observed among evacuees.[2]
It has been reported that evacuees and men had greater body mass index (BMI) increase and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure than non-evacuees and women
Summary
The Great East Japan Earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0, occurred on March 11, 2011 in the Pacific coast of the northern area of Japan. The FHMS showed that the proportion of overweight individuals increased among residents in the evacuation zone of Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster, and these changes were observed among evacuees.[2] it has been reported that evacuees and men had greater body mass index (BMI) increase and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure than non-evacuees and women. The proportion of overweight individuals living in the evacuation zone of Fukushima increased after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The change in the prevalence of abdominal obesity has not been reported. Lifestyle habits and changes in these habits after the disaster might have affected the onset of abdominal obesity; the association between the two is unclear
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