[Health effects of interventions to promote physical activity in survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. A longitudinal study].

OBJECTIVES

Interventions that promote physical activity to prevent psychological distress and disuse syndromes were carried out in disaster-stricken areas. However, the effect of these interventions to promote physical activity in disaster-stricken areas has not yet been fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the health effects of promoting physical activity in a disaster-stricken area.

METHODS

We conducted an exercise intervention as part of a health survey project among residents of Ishinomaki-city, Miyagi, Japan in 2012. To determine if changes in health condition differed between intervention participants and nonparticipants, health condition data from 81 participants were compared with data from 81 nonparticipants selected by propensity score matching. Factors including sex, age, original address (pre-quake), and six outcome variables (psychological distress [K6 score], subjective health status, sleep duration, sleep quality, frequency of outings, and time spent walking) were used for matching. A linear mixed model was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in K6 score between participants and nonparticipants (P=0.913). Significant improvements were observed in subjective health status (P=0.011) and outing frequency (P=0.002), but not in other outcome variables.

CONCLUSION

Subjective health status and outing frequency were significantly improved among participants of the exercise intervention. Exercise intervention may be an effective public health strategy in disaster-stricken areas.