Effect of Radiological Countermeasures on Subjective Well-Being and Radiation Anxiety after the 2011 Disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Michio Murakami,Yoshihito Takeda,Yoshitake Takebayashi,Tetsuo Yasutaka,Aya Goto,Sumire Hirota,Kazumi Sano,Yasumasa Igarashi,Tetsuya Ohira,Seiji Yasumura,Wataru Naito,Koichi Tanigawa,Akiko Sato

doi:10.3390/ijerph15010124

Abstract

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident in 2011, concerns about radiation exposure and decline in subjective well-being have been reported. To tackle these problems, various countermeasures in relation to radiation have been implemented. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the effects of radiological countermeasures on subjective well-being (e.g., satisfaction with life (SWL) and emotional well-being) and radiation anxiety, through a questionnaire survey targeting Fukushima residents (N = 1023). Propensity scores matching was applied to evaluate significant effects of radiological countermeasures on subjective well-being and radiation anxiety. Among the radiological countermeasures, thyroid examination, whole body counter, and air dose monitoring showed the highest proportions of participation, utilization, and useful evaluation, suggesting a high degree of public attention focused on these countermeasures. The basic survey was associated with significant increases in SWL and self-rated health (SH). Thyroid examination was significantly associated with not only a reduction in radiation anxiety but also an increase of emotional stress, suggesting the importance of careful design of system and detailed communication. Food inspection was associated with deterioration in SH. Those who utilized explanatory meetings showed increases in sadness, worry, and radiation anxiety, indicating that additional attention is required of the experts and authorities involved in explanatory meetings.

Highlights

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident following the Great East JapanEarthquake on 11 March 2011 generated multiple risks
The participation proportion was highest for thyroid examination (79%; considering respondents or their family members being subjects of examination), followed by WBC (53%), air dose monitoring (52%), and other radiological countermeasures (12–42%)
The differences in outcomes influenced by countermeasures were 0.3 of standard deviation at a maximum, suggesting that the effects were generally smaller for countermeasures than for individual variations

Summary

Introduction

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident following the Great East JapanEarthquake on 11 March 2011 (hereinafter, the 2011 disaster) generated multiple risks. An increase in other health risks such as psychological distress and lifestyle diseases has been reported among residents in Fukushima, especially evacuees [5,6,7,8]. Murakami et al [11] developed loss of happy life expectancy (i.e., loss of lifespan that people live with a subjective emotional feeling of well-being due to increase of mortality rates as well as reduction in emotional happiness) as a risk indicator by using objective survival probabilities and a question regarding emotional happiness and reported that the loss of happy life expectancy due to psychological distress in evacuees was approximately one to two orders of magnitude higher than that due to cancer mortality caused by radiation exposure after the 2011 disaster, highlighting the importance of countermeasures to minimize distress following public health emergencies. Anxiety about radiation was associated with a decline in subjective well-being [14] and a reduction in anxiety could aid in improving the residents’

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion