N. Moriyama1, J. Omata2, R. Sato3, K. Okazaki2,4, S. Yasumura1,4
1Fukushima Medical University, Department of Public Health, Fukushima, Japan, 2Fukushima Medical University, Preparing Section for New Faculty of Medical Science, Fukushima, Japan, 3Total Health Clinic, Koriyama, Japan, 4Fukushima Medical University, Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima, Japan
Background: Subjective well-being (SWB) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are key to health among older people. SWB and HRQOL should be tracked to achieve health promotion. After the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011, mandatory evacuation has posed a threat concerning the SWB and HRQOL among the affected older citizens.
Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of a group exercise intervention on the SWB and HRQOL of relocated older people affected by the GEJE in the Fukushima Prefecture.
Methods: The study population included residents in restoration public housing complexes built by the prefectural government to accommodate evacuees from designated restricted areas. Eligibility criteria included age ≥65 years and the ability to walk unassisted and perform daily activities. Exclusion criteria were the inability to understand the examiners’ instructions and contraindications to exercise. Twelve complexes were randomly allocated as the intervention group or the control group. Participants in the intervention group were invited to a series of weekly exercise classes over eight weeks. Each class consisted of a brief lecture (30–40 min), followed by a group exercise session (20–30 min) instructed by physical therapists. Participants in the control group received the same materials as those used in the intervention program by mail once a week for eight weeks. The intervention program was held between January and March 2019. The primary outcome was SWB assessed using the Japanese version of the WHO-Five Well-being Index. The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 12 questionnaire was administered to assess participants’ HRQOL, and the scores on the mental component summary (MCS) and the physical component summary (PCS) were used. The variation (pre-post intervention) of each variable and the odds ratio (OR; intervention/control) were calculated to examine whether this intervention would decrease the proportion of participants whose scores for the variables deteriorated.
Results: Among 35 participants from the intervention group and 56 participants from the control group for whom baseline data were obtained, 18 participants in the intervention group (mean age: 71.8±7.8 years) and 29 participants in the control group (mean age: 75.3±6.4 years) were analyzed. Odds for decreased SWB were lower in the intervention group than in the control group (OR: 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06-0.88) but not in the MCS (OR : 0.75, 95% CI: 0.23-2.43) or PCS (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 0.79-9.85) of HRQOL.
Conclusion(s): In addition to the effect of exercise on mental health, the group exercise intervention helped participants to build a new social network and community through attendance in this program. The program subsequently helped them maintain SWB compared to those in the control group.
Implications: This intervention can be implemented at other sites affected by the GEJE, or other disaster sites worldwide, for relocated older survivors who are vulnerable to mental disorders. Moreover, it could be considered as a component of routine disaster preparedness. Additionally, a combination of specific relief for stress induced from the great disaster and associated losses may be considered to improve HRQOL mental component.
Funding, acknowledgements: The study is funded by Public Health Research Foundation.
Keywords: Subjective well-being, Group exercise, Great East Japan Earthquake
Topic: Disaster management
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Fukushima Medical University
Committee: The Ethics Committee of Fukushima Medical University
Ethics number: 30131
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
