Changes in Risk Perception of the Health Effects of Radiation and Mental Health Status: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Yuriko Suzuki,Satomi Nakajima,Mayumi Harigane,Masaharu Maeda,Tetsuya Ohira,Akira Ohtsuru,Michio Murakami,Seiji Yasumura,Hirooki Yabe,Yoshitake Takebayashi

doi:10.3390/ijerph15061219

Abstract

After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, numerous evacuees reported poor mental health status and high-risk perceptions of the health effects of radiation. However, the temporal associations between these variables have not yet been examined. Using data from the Fukushima Health Survey, we examined changes in risk perception of the health effects of radiation over time and assessed the effects of mental health on such changes using logistic regression analysis. Risk perception for delayed effect pertains a brief on health effect in later life (delayed effect), whereas that of genetic effect pertains a brief on health effect of future children and grandchildren (genetic effect). We found that many participants showed consistently high or low-risk perceptions over all three study years (2011–2013) (for delayed effect: 59% and 41% of participants were in the low and high-risk perception groups, respectively; for genetic effect: 47% and 53%, respectively). Stronger traumatic reactions (≥50 on the PTSD Checklist–Specific) significantly affected the odds of being in the high-risk perception group for the delayed and genetic effects, with the associations being strongest soon after the disaster: The adjusted ORs (95%CIs) were 2.05 (1.82–2.31), 1.86 (1.61–2.15), and 1.88 (1.62–2.17) for the delayed effect in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively, and 2.18 (1.92–2.48), 2.05 (1.75–2.40), and 1.82 (1.55–2.15) for the genetic effect. As initial mental health status had the strongest impact on later risk perceptions of radiation, it should be considered in early response and communication efforts.

Highlights

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck the northeastern part of Japan on 11 March 2011, and resulted in a partial meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which in turn compelled local residents to evacuate
This longitudinal study was conducted as part of the Fukushima Health Management Survey, which follows the residents of the evacuation zone in Fukushima to monitor their health status after the Great East Japan Earthquake [17]
The survey was administered to residents in municipalities under the evacuation order designated by the Japanese government following the Fukushima NPP accident, including Hirono, Naraha, Tomioka, Kawauchi, Okuma, Futaba, Namie, Katsurao, Iitate, Minamisoma, Tamura, and part of Date

Summary

Introduction

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck the northeastern part of Japan on 11 March 2011, and resulted in a partial meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which in turn compelled local residents to evacuate. Research using data from this survey revealed that a greater number of people with poor mental health believed that they would experience the health effects of radiation compared to others, and that psychological distress was associated with a higher risk perception one year after the disaster [2]. These findings accord with lessons learnt from the Chernobyl accident—that is, mental health is an important public health issue in the long term after a disaster [3]. A strong initial risk perception can have an strong impact, on how people obtain information related to the risk: If the obtained information is consistent with their original beliefs, people tend to believe in the accuracy of that information, and if not, people might dismiss the information as untrustworthy [5]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion