TY - JOUR
T1 - Gastrointestinal symptoms and food/nutrition concerns after the great east japan earthquake in march 2011
T2 - Survey of evacuees in a temporary shelter
AU - Inoue, Tomoko
AU - Nakao, Atsunori
AU - Kuboyama, Kazutoshi
AU - Hashimoto, Atsunori
AU - Masutani, Motomaru
AU - Ueda, Takahiro
AU - Kotani, Joji
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of northern Japan. A resulting tsunami struck the Japan Pacific coast, causing >20,000 deaths, injuries and missing persons. Survivors' post-tsunami health and nutritional status were surveyed one month after the disaster in a school shelter in Ishinomaki City. Hyogo College of Medicine's disaster relief team observations and survivors' questionnaires were used to assess the disaster's effects on survivors' lifestyles and gastrointestinal symptoms while residing in temporary shelters. Of 236 disaster evacuees 9-88 years of age (mean age 52 years), 23% lost weight and 28% reported decreased food intake one month after the earthquake. Up to 25% of the participants presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, including constipation (10%), appetite loss (6.4%), vomiting (6.4%), and nausea (2.1%). Although the victims preferred more vegetables (44%) or fruit (33%), most food aid received, such as rice balls or bread, was carbohydrate-based, possibly because of easy provision and abundance in emergency food pantries. The authors asked the volunteers and the Japan Self-Defense Forces to provide a more balanced diet, including vegetables and fruit. Consumption of imbalanced diets may have caused more gastrointestinal symptoms for the survivors. Because of the victims' hesitation to request more balanced diets, and because of poorly controlled existing chronic disease and mental stress, professional public health providers should assure emergency food nutrition after disasters.
AB - On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of northern Japan. A resulting tsunami struck the Japan Pacific coast, causing >20,000 deaths, injuries and missing persons. Survivors' post-tsunami health and nutritional status were surveyed one month after the disaster in a school shelter in Ishinomaki City. Hyogo College of Medicine's disaster relief team observations and survivors' questionnaires were used to assess the disaster's effects on survivors' lifestyles and gastrointestinal symptoms while residing in temporary shelters. Of 236 disaster evacuees 9-88 years of age (mean age 52 years), 23% lost weight and 28% reported decreased food intake one month after the earthquake. Up to 25% of the participants presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, including constipation (10%), appetite loss (6.4%), vomiting (6.4%), and nausea (2.1%). Although the victims preferred more vegetables (44%) or fruit (33%), most food aid received, such as rice balls or bread, was carbohydrate-based, possibly because of easy provision and abundance in emergency food pantries. The authors asked the volunteers and the Japan Self-Defense Forces to provide a more balanced diet, including vegetables and fruit. Consumption of imbalanced diets may have caused more gastrointestinal symptoms for the survivors. Because of the victims' hesitation to request more balanced diets, and because of poorly controlled existing chronic disease and mental stress, professional public health providers should assure emergency food nutrition after disasters.
KW - earthquake
KW - gastrointestinal symptoms
KW - nutrition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84907200260&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84907200260&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1049023X14000533
DO - 10.1017/S1049023X14000533
M3 - Article
C2 - 24905001
AN - SCOPUS:84907200260
VL - 29
SP - 303
EP - 306
JO - Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
JF - Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
SN - 1049-023X
IS - 3
ER -