Post-Disaster Mental Health and Dietary Patterns among Older Survivors of an Earthquake and Tsunami

OBJECTIVES

Research suggests that cardiometabolic disease risks are elevated among survivors of natural disasters, possibly mediated by changes in diet. Using the Brief Dietary History Questionnaire, we examined (1) dietary patterns among older survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and (2) the contribution of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS)/depressive symptoms, as well as relocation to temporary housing on dietary patterns and (3) gender differences in the associations.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Data came from a prospective cohort study of 1,375 survivors aged 65-89 years (44.6% male).

MEASUREMENTS

PTSS/depression onset was evaluated in 2013, 2.5 years after the disaster. Dietary data was collected with a self-administered brief-type diet history questionnaire in 2020. A principal component analysis identified three posterior dietary patterns.

RESULTS

Diet 1 consisted of high intake of vegetables, soy products, and fruits; Diet 2 consisted of carbohydrate-rich foods and snacks/sweets; Diet 3 consisted of high intake of alcoholic beverages, meat, and seafood. Least-squares linear regression revealed that individuals with PTSS/depression were less likely to exhibit Diet 1, while individuals with PTSS were more likely to exhibit Diet 2 and 3. Especially, males who had depression showed an unhealthy dietary pattern. Those who have lived in a trailer-style temporary housing reported less consumption of Diet 3.

CONCLUSION

Survivors of disaster with symptoms of mental illness tended to exhibit less healthy dietary patterns after 9 years. Diet varied by type of post-disaster mental illness, gender, and current social circumstances. We lacked pre-disaster BDHQ data, which is a limitation.

[Elimination of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) aeropollen by rainfall]

The concentration of aeropollens of Japanese cedar decreases on rainy days, due to the rainfall removing pollens from the atmosphere. An analysis was performed of the concentration of pollen grains in rain water samples from Yokohama during the period February 10 to April 30, 1991. Sampling of rain water was performed using an automatic rain water collector, and an analysis performed on each mm of rainfall, from 1 mm to 5 mm. In this collector, 1 mm of rainfall corresponds to 100 ml of accumulated rain water. The pollens in rain water were concentrated by centrifugation to 1/200 volume, and pollen grain count was performed on a Fuchs. Rosenthal hemocytometer. Pollens of Japanese cedar were detected in the rain water during the period, 22 February to 19 April, and peaked on 22 March. The number of pollens at peak was 264,000 grains per 100 ml. The pollen count contained in the 2nd to 5th mm of rainfall compared to that in the first mm of rainwater was 19.4% in the 2nd mm of rainfall, 6.7% in the 3rd, 4.4% in the 4th and 2.3% in the 5th. From a log-log graph plot of this data, a regression line was obtained for a regression equation, y = 100.x-2.29. These data indicate that rainfall quickly clears pollens of Japanese cedar from the atmosphere. Examination of pollen obtained from the rain water, showed a few % of the pollen grains had ruptured, and on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane of the ruptured pollen were attached suspended particulate matters from atmosphere.

[The rupture of cedar pollens in nasal secretions]

Allergic rhinitis caused by pollen of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is found in Japan. These pollens, when inhaled into the nasal cavity, contact the nasal mucus membrane, and the allergens separate from the pollens, and pass through the nasal mucosa to interact with the mast cell-bound IgE. Patients with allergic rhinitis produce a great volume of nasal secretion from the mucosa. The morphological transformation of the cedar pollens when mixed with nasal secretion was studied. Nasal secretion was collected from two patients with allergic rhinitis. Cedar pollen gathered from a Japanese cedar tree was mixed with distilled water, and the cedar pollen suspension was mixed with a drop of nasal secretion on a slide glass at the room temperature (23 degrees C), and examined by phase-contrast microscopy. Of the pollen 20.6% were ruptured after 3 min, and 52.9% after 10 min, 84.9% after 40 min, and 81.3% after 60 min respectively. Further changes in shape of the ruptured pollens were observed with continued incubation. A hole opened in the cytoplasmic membrane through which the nucleus escaped, and crinkling of the residual cytoplasmic membrane was observed. The escaped nucleus separated into many small granules. In order to determine possible causes of the pollen rupture in nasal secretion, the relationship between pH of the nasal secretion and rupture rate was examined. The pH of the nasal secretion from two patients was 8.95 and 9.15 respectively. Salt solutions of 0.1 M NaCl, (NH4) 2SO4, NaNO3, CaCl2, Na2SO4, KCl, MgSO4, had pH range from 5.13 to 6.40.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Investigation of health effects associated with solvents used in dry cleaning workplace (report 2). Personal exposure to tetrachloroethylene (TCE) and TCE levels in man]

In order to understand the health effects of tetrachloroethylene (TCE) on dry cleaning workers, we surveyed personal exposure to TCE and TCE levels in man. Personal TCE exposure levels ranged from 0.6 to 100.8 ppm (time weighted average, TWA) and in winter the values were 1.1-11 times higher than that in summer. TCE levels in expired air ranged from 0.3 to 87 ppm, in blood from 0.01 to 0.73 micrograms/g, and total trichlorinated compounds (TTC) levels in urine ranged from 0.06 to 1.92 mg/dl. Correlation was highly significant between TCE concentration in blood and TTC concentration in urine (r = 0.927, p less than 0.01), and between concentration of personal exposure to TCE and TTC concentration in urine (r = 0.815, p less than 0.01). Following a three day holiday (non-exposure duration, 90 hr) TCE level in blood decreased from 0.05 to 0.006 micrograms/g, in expired air from 1.0 to 0.3 ppm and in TTC level in urine from 0.24 to 0.08 mg/dl respectively.

[Investigation of health effects associated with solvents used in dry cleaning workplace (report 1). Tetrachloroethylene concentration in working environment]

Tetrachloroethylene (TCE) level in the working environment was measured at five dry cleaning workplaces. Time weighted average (TWA) concentration of TCE collected using an activated charcoal badge were 2.3-19.1 ppm in summer and 1.3-56.9 ppm in winter. TCE level in the work place measured during the work process showed that when the dry cleaning machine was opened to remove clothes, TCE ranged from 63.2 to 85.6 ppm and while the machine was operating ranged from 50.8 to 143 ppm. TCE levels at the middle of the cleaning cycle ranged horizontally from 0.5 to 11.0 ppm (mean 3.0 ppm, 12 sampling points) in summer and from 7.7 to 85.3 ppm (mean 28.0 ppm. 12 sampling points) in winter. The values varied according to the location of the sampling point. In the living area adjacent to the workplace, TCE was found to be at the same level as the workplace. Therefore in order to prevent other family members from being affected it is recommended that the workplace be separated from the residence.