PS-BPP05-9: IMPACT OF EVACUATION ON THE LONG-TERM TREND OF HYPERTENSION AFTER THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

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Objective: Increases in lifestyle-related diseases have been reported after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but the long-term effects are not clear. The aim of this study was to examine the trend of hypertension in the 10 years before and after the earthquake. Design and method: A cumulative total of 3,860,698 Fukushima residents aged 40 to 74 years who participated in specific health check-ups between 2008 and 2017, for whom blood pressure data were available were the subject of this study. Fukushima was divided into mountainous, central, coastal, and evacuation areas, and the age adjusted prevalence of hypertension in each area and years were calculated stratified by gender and age groups (> = 60 and < 60) and compared between before (2008–2010) and after (2011–2017) the disaster using Poisson regression models. Furthermore, inflection point analysis was used to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) in each year. Hypertension was defined as a systolic/diastolic blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg and/or taking antihypertensive medication. Results: The proportion of hypertension increased in 2011, the year of the earthquake, in coastal, central and evacuation areas, and the change in the prevalence in evacuation areas was particularly pronounced in men, with a 2.3-point increase in men and a 1.7-point increase in women. The prevalence of hypertension in the evacuation areas returned to its original level in 2013 for women, but not for men in which a significant upward trend was observed throughout the decade in all four areas, with an average APC (95% confidence interval) of 0.8 (0.2–1.4) in the evacuation areas. There were no significant differences according to age group stratification. Conclusions: Prevalence of hypertension in Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster was higher than before the disaster, especially in evacuated areas, and this trend continued for a long period of time, especially in men. Determinants of hypertension trends, such as lifestyles and overweight will be examined in detail.